Leave all of your stereotypes about diets and dieting behind! On this episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are talking with Elizabeth Fassberg, Registered Dietician and president of Eatfood (and her son, Jack) about nutrition and healthy dietary habits. Tune in to hear about Elizabeths start in the food world making cakes at age fourteen. Hear about how her experiences working with low-income youth inspired her to become a dietician. You might not expect a dietician to tell you to eat a lot of cheese, but Elizabeth is here to tell you all about the health benefits of eating cheese. As with anything, always consume in moderation- but cheese is filled with calcium and vitamins that are extremely beneficial to your health! Find out more; tune into this weeks Cutting the Curd. This episode has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery. I consider myself a foodie dietician because my background is all about food and how to eat really wholesome and delicious food. I dont always focus on the vitamins and minerals, but talk about real food, delicious food, and how it actually tastes. -- Elizabeth Fassberg on Cutting the Curd

This week is Cutting the Curds 100th episode! Congratulations to Anne Saxelby, Sophie Slesinger, and everyone else who has either been a guest or supported Cutting the Curd thus far! For this very special episode, Brian Keyser, Dimitri Saad, and Leigh Friend of Casellula Cheese and Wine Café are in the studio for a seven-course cheese tasting! More specifically, Anne and Sophie are taking a lesson in cheese pairing from everyone at Casellula. Hear about some of the cheese condiments at Casellula, as well as how to do your own cheese pairing with food from your pantry. Learn some general basics in terms of complimentary and contrasting tastes and textures. Sit down with a plate of cheese and some of your favorite snacks to pair, and listen to the 100th episode of Cutting the Curd! This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. There are no rules to pairing- thats something I like to make clear. Whatever you like to eat together is what goes well together... But two rules of thumb are that you either want to compliment or contrast. -- Brian Keyser on Cutting the Curd I believe that its easier for us sometimes to go for something thats going to compliment, but the fun part about what we do at Casellula is that we taste everything. So sometimes youre going to get that experience from something that is completely unexpected. -- Leigh Friend on Cutting the Curd

This week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are in the studio with two cheese professionals Marwen Amor of Fromagerie Catin in Paris and Sue Sturman of the American Cheese Societys Cheese Professional Certification Program. Tune in to hear about Marwens beginnings in the cheese business, studying dairy sciences, the state of cheesemongering amongst the French youth, and his thoughts on American cheeses. Hear about his company, Saveurs de Laits, and its place in the cheese world. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods. If I could say [what sets Fromagerie Catin apart] in one word, it would be passion. They love cheese and they have the desire to teach the customers how to eat the cheese and what to eat it with. Young people in Paris prefer to work in banks, social services, things like that. You can say that its a job thats disappearing. But there are enough people in the new generations to keep the traditions going. -- Marwen Amor on Cutting the Curd

On this weeks Cutting the Curd, Anne and Sophie are talking about cooking with cheese! Joining them in the studio today is Sarah A. Maine of Saxelby Cheesemongers and the website RecipeRelay. Hear about Sarahs unique website that encourages readers to alter recipes and spread them across the globe. Also joining Anne and Sophie is Lizz Spano, winner of Artisanal Bistros Grilled Cheese Competition and The Grilled Cheese Experiment. Hear about Lizzs introduction to grilled cheese, and how it turned into a love and an expansive menu. Soups, salads, pizzas - every dish can be spruced up with a little cheese! So tune in, and learn how you can improve some of your favorite recipes with cheese. This program has been brought to you by Edwards. I think the interesting thing about cheese is that people dont use it as a main ingredient, but maybe more as a spice. --Sarah A. Maine on Cutting the Curd I always cook with the rind, as long as its an edible rind. --Lizz Spano on Cutting the Curd

Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesginer are joined by Michele Buster of Forever Cheese and Mitica on this weeks Cutting the Curd. Forever Cheese and Mitica are importers of European cheeses, almonds, and other goods. Tune in to hear Micheles start with distributing cheese, how language has helped her importing cheeses, and the differences between different Manchego cheeses. Listen to how FDA regulations have impeded cheese importation, and thus affects the already depressed economy in Europe. Michele loves sheeps milk cheeses, and hopes that you will, too. This episode has been brought to you by Edwards. I never looked to see what people were asking for, it was about us finding things that we were so passionate about, and creating that want here. --Michele Buster on Cutting the Curd

Its time for more urban cheese making on Cutting the Curd! This week, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger talk with Matt Spiegler- web developer by day, and cheese maker by night. Tune in to hear Matts first memories of cheese, his initial interest in making his own cheese, and what types of cheeses he prefers to make. Hear about how Matt translated a French cheese documentary into English, and his self-imposed 365 Cheese Challenge. Learn more about Matts cheese infatuation at Cheese Notes. This program has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch. My very first cheese-making experiments were mozzarella and ricotta- the easier cheeses to make. But then I decided I wanted to take it to the next step- goat cheeses, lactic cheeses, aged goat cheeses. At first, they were huge disasters because I tried to age them in my fridge. --Matt Spiegler on Cutting the Curd

This weeks Cutting the Curd is all about Mexican Cheese! Our hosts Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are joined in the studio by Carlos Yescas of the Guild Du Fromage and Lactography. Carlos is currently working with the government of Chiapas to help grant a collective trademark to cheese makers of queso de cuadro. Joining via phone is Catalina Rivera, an award winner for sheeps milk cheese in the World Cheese Awards. Also on the phone is José Trejo of Chiapas, maker of cincho, queso de cuadro, and cotija. Learn about markets for Mexican cheeses in the United States, and the best way to use some of these cheeses in your cooking. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market. We had to begin from the start. We didnt know anything about raising sheep, and we didnt know anything about making cheese. --Catalina Rivera on Cutting the Curd Support from the government is key to access to markets in the United States. -- José Trejo on Cutting the Curd

This Week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are continuing their discussion about goats. But theyre not just talking about goat cheese, but also goat meat. Tune in to hear Anne and Sophie talk to Jonny Hunter of the Underground Food Collective, and Heritages own Erin Fairbanks! Topics range from goat charcuterie to selling and eating dairy animals. Hear about Johnnys famous goat bacon and Erins experiences working with goat farmers all over the Northeast. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. The goat has become more fashionable to cook with I think, especially with creative cooks because of the flavor, it has interesting cuts, and it presents a lot of new possibilites. But it has been hard to source quality goat, and it tends to be very expensive. -- Jonny Hunter of the Underground Food Collective on Cutting the Curd To make cheese you need milk, and to get milk you need babies. As responsible eaters, its kind of our duty to understand and eat a little goat meat here and there. -- Erin Fairbanks of Heritage Foods on Cutting the Curd

On this episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne and Sophie are joined in the studio by Patrick Martins of Heritage Foods USA, and Joe Dinoto of the Red Hook Criterium running and bicycle race. Tune into hear about the history of the race and some of the amazing athletes that participated in this years Red Hook Criterium on March 24th. Joe also discusses his own running group, the Orchard Street Runners, and their upcoming races. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. [The race] transformed the area into something that was unrecognizable...The detachment [of Red Hook] is nice...I was blown away just walking around that area. You can feel the separation from everything that you know about New York and what you assume New York is, and its completely unique. -- Joe Dinoto on Cutting the Curd

Todays episode of Cutting the Curd is all about goats! Tune in as Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slessinger chat with Louisa Conrad of Big Picture Farm in Vermont about all things goat. Learn how she fell in love with goat cheese and what makes kidding season such a crazy time of year. Find out about how the seasons affect the milk and cheese and what makes goats such unique creatures! Later on, they catch up with Gregory Bernhardt and Hannah Sessions of Big Picture Farm who are also in full-blown goat mode. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. Ive always been totally obsessed with cheese and farming. It wasnt until I got to Blue Ledge that I learned the mystical magical power of goats and fell head over heels. --Louisa Conrad of Big Picture Farm on Cutting the Curd Our goats seem to milk best with longer daylight. Once we pass the longest day of the year their milk starts to decline. --Hannah Sessions of Blue Ledge Farm on Cutting the Curd