Cheese CONNOISSEUR - Feature

Proscuitto Wrapped Fig with arugula salad

Fig-ure It Out

Some would say that biting into a sweet, sticky, squishy fig has been a gastronomic pleasure since the beginning of time. Fig trees purportedly shaded Adam and Eve and provided them with their first hint of clothing. Archaeologists have found fig branches next to human remains that date from more

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Brandywine Branch Distillers

A Spirit Runs Through It

About a 45-minute drive west of Philadelphia or a little more than two hours from New York’s Penn Station by Amtrak, the hamlet of Downingtown, PA, along with nearby villages, is a gemlike enclave in western Chester County. Seemingly worlds away from the hustle of metropolitan life, the rolling hills

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Bra Italy Slow Food's Cheese Event

Inside Bra: The Cheese Capital Of Italy

One of the more interesting aspects of living in Bra, Italy is the food. You might call it a gastronomic microclimate – the Braidese are accustomed to a certain quality of cuisine. There are supermarkets, yes and even discount stores; it’s hard to avoid them; yet this small provincial town

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Roquefort

A Roquefort Revolution

In Delphine Carles’ first memories of Roquefort cheese, she’s following her father around a drafty limestone cave, one of the many that naturally occur in the rugged, dolomitic rock of France’s Mont Combalou. At 1,970 feet above sea level in the country’s southern Massif Central, this intricate network of caverns

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British Crumbly Cheese

It’s the Right Climate for British Crumblies

To fully appreciate one of Britain’s finest treasures, it helps to have an education on its background and history. British Crumblies refer to a subsection of British Territorial Cheeses. In brief, these are cheeses that are named after the county or area in which they are from. This group of

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Prociutto

A Prosciutto di Toscano Education 

Prosciutto di Toscano translates literally to ham from Tuscany and incorporates a large number of different products both raw and cooked. However, Prosciutto di Toscano DOP (or PDO in English) expresses a very special style of ham made in Tuscany. Dry-cured, it is not as widely known as Prosciutto di

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Crown Finish Caves, Brooklyn NY

The Regality Of Crown Finish Caves

From Brooklyn’s Bergen street, Crown Finish Caves looks like any other funky old brick building. But as you descend 30 feet down a narrow spiral staircase, the temperature drops suddenly, and you’re greeted by something magnificent — 26,000 pounds of cheeses in various states of aging, sitting on shelves in

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Ossau-Iraty

Ossau-Iraty: A True Original 

Said to be one of the first cheeses ever made, Ossau-Iraty is a beloved gem with a rich history. Once upon a time, or so the story goes, the Greek God Apollo had a son named Aristee, a shepherd, who turned the milk from his herd of sheep into this

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Mostarda

The Many Occasions Of Mostarda

Italian food is ubiquitous across the United States. Mall food courts have a requisite pizza place selling pepperoni-topped slices to hungry shoppers. Lasagna is a staple at the dinner table, and school cafeterias offer minestrone as the soup of the day. Bruschetta is on the appetizer menu at neighborhood bars,

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Cascadia Creamery's Cloud Cap

Made With A2 Milk

Since the earliest days of American artisan cheese, the type of milk used to make curd has evolved rapidly. At first, it was all about goat, with pioneering Francophiles like Laura Chenel and Judy Schaad turning the country onto fresh Chevre. Then, still borrowing from European traditions, raw became a

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Carla Hall

Women Leaders Shape The Next Generation

If you’re like me, a self-confessed foodie (“Hi, my name is Aileen, I’m a restaurant junkie”), you’re always looking, not just for new places to dine and interesting new ingredients and recipes but also for interesting new people, trends and policies. So how do you expand your food and beverage

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