New York State says "Don't cut the cheese"

New York State's Department of Agriculture and Markets has begun enforcing a regulation that effectively prohibits cheese vendors at farmers' markets like New York City's popular Greenmarket from custom-slicing their products for customers, reports Manhattan news site DNAinfo.com. Under rules now being enforced by the state's Department of Agriculture and Markets, farmers are no longer allowed to slice and wrap their cheese wheels at markets in New York unless they have a license to process food. They can only get that license if they have, for instance, a three-basin sink and hot water heater. [...] Cheese vendors say that the state will kill off their success at local greenmarkets by subjecting them to similar rules as delis or grocery stores — since it's impossible to get access to the same running water in their temporary stands as delis do at a store. But even if market cheesemongers can't slice to order, at least customers there can still sample a cheese before they decide how much they want to buy. Oh, well, not really that either. In addition, unlicensed cheesemongers are supposed to cut cheese samples with a disposable plastic knife, an impossibility with hard cheese, [cheesemonger Jody] Somers said. "We have cheeses aged over a year," Somers said. "I have to use a double knife to cut them. How do I use a plastic knife?" Whole stinky cheese tale here. And more here from Grub Street, which posts details under the wish-I-got-there-first headline New Regulations Mean Greenmarket Vendors Can No Longer Cut Their Cheese. In case you're wondering, the mission of New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets

Ms. Celeb.

When setting up the cheese dept in a local market, A very nice customer (whom we'll refer to as Ms. Celeb), asked if I would bring in yourt cheese since she "Really can only eat the yogurt stuff".  Happy to please (and thankful for the suggestion) I wrote it down to make sure I ordered it next week.

When the delivery arrived later in the week, I was dissappointed that the distributor had listed the yougurt cheese as "Out Of Stock". Just as I put down the invoice and looked up, there was Ms. Celeb. I was glad I had the proof right in my hand and assured her that I would check a few other vendors and try to get it in next week.

Roll forward to next week on a different day than last weeks delivery.

As I open this weeks delivery, I'm happy to open the loaf of yogurt cheese. I think to my self: I'll slice it and put the labels the company sent and set it out nicely for Ms. Celeb.....who is standing right in front of me. (Woa, where'd she come from? This is kinda weird)

She quickly recognized the label and said that "is the brand she hoped I would get, but is it lactose free?" Scratching my head, I thought "We never discussed lactose free."

Since we had the invoice in hand I decided to call the vendor who refered me to the producer.  Both Ms.Celeb and my self were happy to hear that all the products made by this producer were lactose free.

A couple of orders and deliveries later I decided to replace the yogurt cheese with prepacked packages and when this weeks delivery came in and I was checking off the invoice, who would appear at the precise moment I open the prepack yogurts?......that's right you guessed it Ms. Celeb.

And these packages don't say "Lactose Free" as Ms. Celeb. was quick to note. Quick and easy I made the call to the producer (as Ms Celeb. wasn't sure that EVERYTHING this company made was lactose free.)

The kind salesperson remembered my previous call and reassured me that the company was undergoing a label change
Which included the lactose free labeling. And was kind enough to answer a few questions I had and even E-mailed me a little info on lactose free cheese.

A few days later as a coworker and I were going over the PLU's on all the cheeses, I picked up the yogurt prepack to tell the story of what I went through to get this cheese. I looked around first to make sure no customers were in ear range and that it'd be ok to tell the story and Lo-and-behold, who was standing in the aisle? Ms. Celeb. So I introduced her to my co worker and let her continue her shopping. Later I  related my story to my coworker and reminded him that we were working on the yogurt cheese when she appeared.

He suggested that she might be a yogurt fairy.

......Do they have pots of gold or anything.

Beer and Cheese ...(Or Cheese and Beer)

Yes that's right, we said Beer. Why beer, you say? This is a marriage that goes back to the midevil times. Think of the monks in monastaries.

These self sufficient monks used ecologically sound practises (no unnatural pesticides or hormones) in their farming. They grew wheat and barley by the acre. Which they fermented and brewed into beer. The animals, grazed the grasses of these fields and produced milk with a flavor and aroma profile that embodied the terroir (or as a Wisconsin dairy farmer might say, a "Taste of Place"). These holy men knew a marriaged made in heaven when they saw (tasted) one. Think of all those kegs of beer and wheels of cheese at the monastary.

Another point which shouldn't go unnoticed is the price point in beer vs. Wine.

Now that you understand this is nothing new, but rather a time tested indulgcence, it's time to grab your a glass and your favorite crackers.

Here are a few suggestions:

Pilsners: cheeses with a hint of fruit and sweetness offset the dryness of the beer. Cheese that is too potent, will likely overpower the beer's more delicate scents.

Cheeses with a strong pungent character (like roquefort and stilton) need  Strong Belgian Ales like Duvel, Chimay Blue,

Stout/Porter - can be a challenge to pair cheese with; their bitter, cocoa-like flavors tend to overwhelm even the strongest of cheeses. Shy away from bitter cheeses, and instead embrace the salty, sweet, and creamy. Try pungent soft-ripened cheese, blues, and washed-rinds to serve alongside.

Cheeses with a meaty nut-like character (Gruyere,Emmental and Swiss marry well with the maltiness found in Bock Beer, Dark Lagers or Oktoberfest Beer.

Delicious Platters

Yes we now do platters and baskets in addition to our tastings! We are also looking into venues for a rolling cheese class

up coming

We here at fromage are looking to secure a venue for our cheese classes/tastings. If you have a venue that is available weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly contact us here and let's talk!

Our life in cheese

I first discovered the Artisan Cheese world because my husband became the cheese server at The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia and he had to learn their cheese board and I thought, is there really that much to learn? I suppose my first was Manchego and I was surprised there was more than cheddar! Ofcourse upon feasting Epoisse I was hooked and what still amazes me to this day is there is always more to learn you never reach the glass ceiling, even more than that is it is never just cheese its mushrooms, nuts, fruit and endless herbs. All the flavors that explode in your mouth make it impossible to just call it cheese. That's the idea behind our company, taking the flavors to you, giving everyone no matter your status in life the chance affordably to experience cheese.

Lets talk swiss

The Swiss are often underestimated as cheese producer but they are so much more than Jarlsberg! Our favorites are Appenzeller, a mountain washed rind semi hard cheese usually wine washed rind or spiced. 0fcourse we love Vacherin Mont D'or, similar to Eppoisse its only available in the winter as only fall milk from hay fed cows makes this decadent offering. Emmenthaler, Gruyere and Appenzeller also make great cooking cheeses..