Did You Smell That?

April 6, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

I was preparing dinner the other night and washing dishes at the sink when a foul odor seemed to come out of nowhere. “What is THAT?” I shrieked. “What is what?” responded my husband, who was in the kitchen but behind me. “That horrible smell. Where is it coming from?” I turned toward my husband, who was laughing. “I just took some cheese out,” he said. I spotted the cheese, a favorite of mine, and almost instantly the offensive aroma became appealing. How did that happen? I figured Harold McGee, author of Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells, would know.

Cheese Without Borders

March 30, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

Immigrant roots: San Joaquin Gold (left) and the Giacomini family’s Point Reyes Original Blue

American cheese without immigrants would be…well, it wouldn’t be. The richness and diversity of our current cheese scene owes everything to Italian, Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and German immigrants who brought their cheese recipes and traditions to a country that didn’t have any. In Northern California, where I live, the list of Italian and Italian-Swiss names behind our greatest cheeses is lunghissima: Bianchi, DeBernardi, Fiscalini, Giacomini, Lafranchi, Rumiano, Vella, Viviani. The immigration debate rages in this country, but the contribution of immigrants to our cheese boards is indisputable.

Cheese Meets Matzo

March 22, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

The matzo brei I grew up with did not have cheese in it. Just eggs, soaked matzo, salt and pepper. That was my mother’s way, and she wasn’t inclined to experiment. But I’m in charge now. At my house, matzo brei can have green onions and asparagus, and it most definitely can have cheese.

Petite Treat

March 16, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

The oldest cheese in America also happens to be one of the youngest. The fresh little guy pictured here is only three to four days old when packaged, but the creamery has been making it since 1865. Correct me if you know better, but I don’t believe any domestic cheese has been in commercial production longer. More to the point, it’s delicious: moist, mild and milky, the perfect segue to spring.

Welcome Aboard

March 2, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

When the pandemic picked up steam last spring, Ray Rumiano found a whole new gig. His family’s century-old business, Rumiano Cheese, was doing just fine, producing the mid-priced jack cheeses that supermarket shoppers were stockpiling. But Ray knew that some of his friends who made artisan cheese were in dire straits as their restaurant and catering sales plummeted. What could he do to help them through this crisis?

Whey Gets a New Look

February 23, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

Upcycling. It’s the word of the moment. Can we create something useful out of stuff we usually throw away? In the cheese business, whey is a headache. For every pound of cheese, a creamery has roughly nine pounds of whey to get rid of. Sometimes a neighboring farmer will feed it to livestock or spread it on fields. But solutions for whey fall far short of the need. What if, as one young entrepreneur proposed, you could distill it?

Double Your Pleasure

February 15, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

A cheese debut from Jasper Hill Farm is always a news event, but when the debutante is a crowd-pleaser like this one, I can almost hear the stampede. If you love buttery, silky double- and triple-cream cheeses—and retailers say you do—this Vermont beauty should go on your bucket list. It launched only last November so shops are just getting their first shipment, but you can probably locate some Sherry Gray now, before its fame spreads. Peculiar name for a cheese but, as always with Jasper Hill, there’s a back story.

When a Cheese Dies

February 2, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

“No more Landaff” is not a phrase I wanted to read this year, or ever. I loved this cheese. But New Hampshire’s Landaff Creamery is closing, and its signature cheese—Landaff—will soon live only in memory. It makes me sad to lose a farmstead producer and to realize how quickly and quietly a unique cheese like Landaff can essentially go extinct. You might want to snap up a wedge while you can; you’ll find a mail-order source in my post.

New Blue to Dream About

January 19, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

Do you eat more blue cheese in winter? I know I do. That big, spicy flavor is what I want when it’s cold outside. I love it melted on polenta, crumbled in an escarole and radicchio salad with walnuts, or on a cheese board after a bowl of vegetable soup. So this new blue from New York landed in my kitchen at just the right time. I think it’s dreamy, and even my husband—not a blue-cheese enthusiast—gave it a rave.

Who Gets Your Cheese Dollars?

January 5, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com

At this inflection point in the pandemic, it’s hard to predict where will we shop for cheese in 2021. Will we continue to buy online because it’s safe and easy, or from the big-box stores because it’s cheap? Or will we return to the small independent merchants who provide the service, selection and smiles we love? The demise of San Francisco’s Mission Cheese and Portland’s Cheese Bar made me anxious about what lies ahead. My recent conversation with Sarah Dvorak of Mission Cheese reminded me that, as consumers, we have to decide what we value. Low prices, selection, quality, knowledgeable service, convenience, personal safety…what matters most to you?