Meet the Cheese Guy: Brent Delman

Turning passion, purpose and grassroots grit into a kosher cheese empire.

Photos courtesy Brent Delman

Brent Delman never let grass grow under his feet. Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio, he launched a string of teen-run ventures, from mowing lawns to a window-washing business, the latter of which helped pay his way through The Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science. That early instinct to spot a need and build a business around it has guided Delman throughout his life, steadily shaping his path toward becoming a pioneer in today’s artisan cheese industry.

Known as The Cheese Guy since he started the business and brand in 1995, Delman produces rennet-free, small-batch cheeses that speak to modern tastes. His creations appeal to vegetarians, lactose-sensitive customers, and kosher households seeking high-quality, flavorful cheeses.

FROM THE MIDWEST TO THE MIDDLE EAST

Entrepreneurship was a way of life in Delman’s family. His father ran an accounting practice, his mother launched her own enterprises, and many relatives, including Delman himself, starting at 13, worked at the tool-and-die company founded by his great-grandfather.

“I was surrounded by entrepreneurs,” says Delman. “That Midwest work ethic was ingrained in me from a very young age.”

Food, meanwhile, was shaping another part of his identity. His mother was a devoted home cook and adventurous cheese buyer in a neighborhood rich with Italian delis and just a short drive from Amish dairy country. He remembers quiches, sour-cream casseroles, fresh cheeses, and cream cheese spread thick on matzah every spring.

“Cheese was always in the house,” Delman recalls. “It was part of our culture and part of our community.”

At 18, fresh out of high school, Delman set out to see the world by backpacking through more than 20 European countries. The journey centered in Israel, where a months-long stay with farming cousins proved transformative. Working in a kibbutz-style community, he helped grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and baby’s-breath flowers for export.

“We were growing right in the sand, using hot houses and what was then state-of-the-art agricultural technology,” he says. Israel’s pioneering drip-irrigation systems fascinated him. “Water was scarce, so each plant got the exact formula of fertilizer and moisture through tiny holes in the hose. It was so precise and scientific. I caught the farming bug right there and even extended my stay to keep working.”

Food played an equally powerful role. A near-vegetarian growing up, Delman relied on dairy for protein. In Israel, his cousins kept kosher, so they made soy-based veggie cheeseburgers to avoid mixing meat and dairy.

“I was amazed,” he says. “It tasted like a real burger, but it was healthier, better for the environment, and completely fit the meal. I thought this could solve problems on a global scale.”

The idea stuck. “My time in Israel planted those seeds. It blended agriculture, science, passion and food, and it laid the foundation for everything that came later.”

A CAREER IN THE FOOD INDUSTRY

After earning his business degree, Delman knew where he was headed.

“I always knew I eventually wanted to go into the food business,” he says.

His first stop was northern New Jersey, where he joined a large food importing company. Though the job taught him the mechanics of global food trade, it lacked something vital.

“It didn’t have the passion or the understanding I was looking for,” he says. “My goal was to get experience, then go out on my own with something more meaningful, something in the vegetarian or natural foods space.”

By the late 1980s, Delman was doing just that. He began importing specialty grains, such as couscous, quinoa, teff from Africa, and black sticky rice from Thailand. His small wholesale specialty food company grew from the trunk of his car, built on curiosity and education. Yet, after several years, he began to crave a deeper creative role.

“I loved working with the products and showing chefs how to use them,” Delman says, “but I couldn’t influence the final dish. I wanted that hands-on experience, to create something from start to finish tangibly.”

That desire led him to cheese.

“Couscous is couscous, wild rice is wild rice. It’s finished,” he says. “But with cheese, I could be part of the process. I could influence the final product.”

That process — part science, part art — drew Delman back to his love of dairy, giving him a way to express both his creative side and his entrepreneurial spirit.

By the 1990s, Delman had built a small distribution business in New York out of borrowed cold storage and a second-hand refrigerated van. “I was doing everything from sales to deliveries, accounting and collections,” he says. “It was a one-man show.”

Soon after, he began transitioning from grains to cheeses and dairy products, laying the foundation for The Cheese Guy brand.

“Back then, the artisan cheese movement was just starting,” he recalls. “At an early American Cheese Society show, maybe 200 people attended. Now it’s thousands.”

To deepen his knowledge, Delman took multiple weeklong courses at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese.

“The courses covered everything from milk and animal health to production and aging,” he says. “That’s where I learned about rennet and enzymes, the difference between animal and non-animal sources, and that really shaped my approach to making vegetarian cheeses.”

LEAP OF FAITH: THE CREATION OF KOSHER ARTISAN CHEESE

As Delman’s business grew, so did his desire to connect more deeply with his roots. “I was dating, thinking about starting a family, and I wanted to know more about my own traditions, my culture, my history,” he says.

That exploration led him toward a kosher lifestyle, a shift inspired by his earlier time in Israel.

“Living with my cousins on their farm opened my eyes to Jewish tradition,” he says. “So, when I decided to keep kosher, it just made sense.”

Keeping kosher meant no longer mixing meat and dairy. Naturally, Delman gravitated toward cheese.

“To me, it was a no-brainer,” he says. “If I was going to have a meal, it was going to revolve around dairy.”

Yet when he looked at the kosher cheese market, he was underwhelmed. “There really wasn’t much of a selection,” he says. “You had basic cheddar, Muenster, and American; that was it. It lacked the flavor and excitement I remembered from growing up near Amish country and Italian delis.”

That gap sparked a vision.

“I thought, why build other people’s brands as a distributor when I could create my own?” he says. “I wanted a line of artisan cheeses that just happened to be kosher cheeses that anyone could enjoy.”

To bring this idea to life, Delman began visiting farms and trade shows, partnering with small, family-run creameries across the Northeast, from Vermont and upstate New York to Pennsylvania.

“Most were non-kosher facilities,” he explains. “So, we had to create strict kosher protocols and bring in our own ingredients.”

Kosher cheesemaking, he soon discovered, was a science in itself. “Most artisan cheeses use animal rennet, which comes from the stomach of calves or lambs,” he explains. “Kosher law prohibits that. So, I had to find non-animal alternatives. Thirty years ago, those weren’t easy to find.”

When suitable cultures didn’t exist, Delman had them created.

“I went overseas to find a company that could make a kosher Brie-style starter culture,” he says. “They required a huge minimum order, so I invested $20,000 or $30,000, had it custom-produced,
and stored it in a deep freeze. Those cultures are still proprietary to my recipes today.”

His early cheeses combined technical ingenuity with creative flair. “I made a pepper jack using my own blend of kosher peppers, and a beer cheddar aged with local craft brews,” he says. “I used to haul kegs from small breweries to Vermont for production. Beer lovers would follow each batch, waiting to see what new brew I’d use next.”

Every partnership reflected his belief in transparency and care.

“I only work with farms where the cows are pasture-raised and have access to the outdoors,” he says. “That’s non-negotiable. It’s about respecting the animals and the process.”

As his recipes evolved, Delman grew fascinated with affinage, the art of aging cheese. He took courses with experts like, Sue Sturman and Laurent Mons, who created the Academie MonS, an English-language training program based at Mons Fromager-Affineur (now Mons Formation) for cheese professionals.

“Eventually, I set up a cheese cave/cellar in the basement of my home in Westchester,” he says.
Created with French aging racks and air conditioners, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers to achieve optimal cheese-cave conditions, Delman experimented for years, washing cheeses in olive oil, beer, and wine, and observing how local microbes shaped flavor.

“Even the fruit trees in my yard, such as the apples, cherries, pears, plums, persimmons, and figs, seemed to influence the microbial community and the taste,” he says.

One of his early successes was a pecorino made in Italy, aged and washed, and brought back home to New York. “I called it Sawmill River Pecorino, after the highway near where I live.”

Word spread quickly. Friends began asking to visit his cheese cave, and soon, he was selling at farmers markets. From those humble beginnings, The Cheese Guy was born.

Today, the company’s lineup includes raw milk cheeses and aged specialties, such as an eight-year-aged extra-sharp cheddar, a four-year-aged Parmesan, and old-world recipes for lesser-known varieties, like Caerphilly, Tilsit and Goat Muenster.

Essentially, cheeses that are a mix of old traditions and new ideas. A notable example of this is American singer, songwriter, and actress Sabrina Carpenter, who featured Delman’s eight-year-old extra-sharp cheddar online in a family dip recipe.

FAMILY BUSINESS WITH A SHARED MISSION

Three decades after its quiet beginnings in a basement cheese cave, The Cheese Guy continues to evolve one small batch at a time. However, Delman’s mission remains as clear as ever: to make artisan cheeses accessible to everyone.

“Our goal was to build one of the largest selections of vegetarian-friendly cheeses in the world, appealing not only to kosher consumers but also to Muslims, vegetarians, and health-conscious cheese lovers everywhere,” he says. “Our vegetarian-friendly cheeses are not only rennet-free, but we never use animal-derived lipases or lard coatings, and all of our milk comes strictly from kosher animals — cows, goats and sheep.”

“Our goal was to build one of the largest selections of vegetarian-friendly cheeses in the world, appealing not only to kosher consumers but also to Muslims, vegetarians, and health-conscious cheese lovers everywhere.”
— Brent Delman, The Cheese Guy

Over the years, Delman has built a strong, close-knit team that helps bring his vision to life.

“My daughter Maya has joined the business, my brother Todd and our operations manager Ira have been invaluable, and we’ve assembled an amazing crew of dedicated people who share the same passion,” he says.

As Delman looks ahead, he’s as restless and driven as ever — still spotting needs, building bridges, and crafting food with purpose. For The Cheese Guy, life has always been about motion and making things better. Today, he still never lets grass grow under his feet; he turns it into cheese instead.

Customers can find The Cheese Guy products in independent specialty shops, major retail chains and online.