CurdNerds

Artisanal announced today that they have begun a same day delivery service in Manhattan. Cheeses are delivered via rickshaw, and, for now, the service is only available in midtown from 34th Street to 63rd Street. Orders must be received by noon for a 5pm same day delivery.

This is a really cool service and I hope it does well so they can add more neighborhoods. Only certain items can be ordered online, but you can place a custom order by calling the toll free order line (1-877-797-1200).

I'm not located in the delivery area, but if anyone is and has tried out the service, please leave feedback in the comments below!

According to the Manhattan User's Guide, Obikà, a "mozzarella bar" that originated in Rome, will open a location in midtown Manhattan (in the plaza of the IBM Building, 590 Madison Ave., between 56th and 57th) in early December. MUG says:

Obikà became a hit in the Eternal City when it opened in 2004, conceived as a kind of sushi bar that plied its trade with buffalo instead of fish. You can expect the same mozzarella sampler and other small plates starring the Italian cheese.

Purchase Mozzarella di Bufala for $9.99/lb at iGourmet.

This week the Amateur Gourmet has a great video up that chronicles a recent visit he made to Murray's Cheese. In it he learns about the main differences between cow, goat, and sheep's milk cheeses, about what distinguishes real British farmstead Cheddar from others, and about one of the best French blue cheeses available stateside, Persillé de Malzieu. Nathan, the cheesemonger featured in the video, has helped me on a number of occasions lately, and is a really great, friendly, knowledgeable guy.

I like to troll the Internets for interesting looking cheese classes, and two in particular jumped out at me recently. This fall, Artisanal and Murray's are both offering intensive educational experiences that cater to the serious enthusiast (a.k.a. curd nerd) and to the food professional.

Murray's class, called Cheese U, is an intenstive six-week course designed to give attendees a well-rounded education in all things cheese. The class starts with an introduction and orientation, and continues with a detailed look at the different types of milk used to make cheese, the history and geography of this great food, followed by a look at cheesemaking, affinage (the art of aging cheese) and beverage pairing. The course is pricey at $795, but in addition to the classes themselves you get a "required reading list," take home assignments, a final exam and a Certificate of Achievement upon completion.

Artisanal's Master Class: Intensive Class for Professionals is largely geared towards food professionals (and comes with a correspondingly high price tag at $1200), but promises to spend a full 2 1/2 days covering "the entire world of cheese, from milk types to cheesemaking, affinage to appreciation, placing an emphasis on service, selection, and proper care of cheeses for the foodservice professional." With instructors like Max McCalman and Daphne Zepos, this class should prove to be truly enlightening.

First the Murray's/Kroger deal, and now this: American Home Food Products, a publicly-traded company with a market cap of today of $2 million, has acquired Artisanal Cheese, LLC in a deal meant to help make Artisanal "the leading national brand for best-in-class cheeses." Clearly there is a trend afoot here, with the greater food industry waking up to the fact that the artisanal cheese market is growing at leaps and bounds, and is comparable to other recent growth trends in areas like micro-beers and small coffee roasters. And with the specialty cheese market at an estimated $6 billion (according to the SEC filing for this deal), it makes sense that some large companies are standing up and taking notice. It will be interesting to continue to watch this trend play out, especially what effect it might have on the quality and availability of both domestic and imported cheeses.

Via Pacific Northwest Cheese Project.

This just in: The Kroger Co., one of the largest supermarket retailers in the U.S., has struck a deal with New York City's Murray's Cheese to help expand Kroger's selection of specialty cheeses. According to the press release, beginning in 2008, Kroger will offer Murray's cheeses in select stores. Kroger's sales in 2006 were in excess of $60 billion, making this announcement hugely important in the world of specialty cheese. If successful, it will signal a giant step in the mainstreaming of fine cheese in this country, and will also encourage other large grocery retailers to follow suit. It is certainly a story to watch as it develops, so stay tuned to Curdnerds.com for more details!

I was reminiscing on my changing relationship to American cheese, specifically yellow slices wrapped in plastic. Once, as an American kid, I ate my share of grilled cheese sandwiches and burgers. Later, as a supermarket dairy supervisor, I reset all the dairy cases in our company to give this product its maximum shelf space for sales and profit. Still later, as Murray's proprietor, I scorned it, dismissing it for all the usual reasons a cheesemonger might.  read more »

If we've missed anything or if you would like to let us know about any upcoming events, please use the contact form above.

July 29, 2007

German & Austrian Wines and Cheeses
Formaggio Kitchen/Buenoqueso.org
We in the food business all have our obsessions, whether they be cheese, or soil or Dolcetto grapes, but our dear Derek has a borderline-unhealthy obsession with white wines from Germany and Austria. While other delicious grapes of note reside in these countries, he is most especially particular about Riesling and Gruner Veltliner. Derek and Julie spent their honeymoon travelling through these countries, sipping wine at every turn, and want to share what they learned on their trip.  read more »

Have you ever gazed upon a small mountain of shredded cheddar cheese, quaking with excitement at the gustatory challenge it presents and trembling with fear that your victory may ultimately be a Pyrrhic one? No? Well I have, and it has changed me forever, and for the better.

My wife, daughter and I are in Cincinnati, OH for a couple weeks, and of course no trip here would be complete without at least one meal at Skyline Chili. For those of you ignorant of Midwestern fast food, Skyline Chili is a Cincinnati phenomenon, famous for their 3, 4 and 5-way chilis and chili-topped coneys (hot dogs). Everything comes topped with a heaping mound of cheddar.  read more »

From the Murray's Cheese blog:

GET YOUR CHEESE INSPIRATION OVER THE RADIO

Rob Kaufelt, proprietor of Murray's Cheese and co-author of the Murray's Cheese Handbook, will be on The Leonard Lopate Show on New York Public Radio, discussing French vs American cheeses with Leonard, Ruth Reichl and Anne Saxelby. Think tradition vs Whim. May the best curd win. Listen on Tuesday July 17th at noon or check the WNYC website for webcasts, podcasts and syndicated times.

UPDATE: The show was great, very informative and enjoyable to listen to. The only problem was that they hardly got a chance to talk about the cheeses themselves! Here's a link to download the entire segment (34 minutes long) from WNYC.