Cutting the Curd

Continuing the discussion about the importance of cheese importers and distributers to the cheese chain, host Greg Blais chats with Stephanie Ciano and Shelli Morton of Crystal Food Import/World’s Best Cheese. Stephanie and Shelli talk about the history of Crystal Food, and how the company has changed the industry and adapted to changes in American cheese culture. During the busy holiday season, cheese shops around the country stock their walk-ins and cheese cases to the brim. Tune in to hear all of the details about how that cheese gets from the farm to the counter from two veterans in the cheese biz. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“It’s great to learn your geography from cheese!” [18:45]

—Shelli Morton on Cutting the Curd

“I do think it’s important for retailers to have a close relationship, knowing the product, and being able to reach out to cheese makers.” [23:55]

—Stephanie Ciano on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, co-hosts Greg Blais and Anne Saxelby talk with Adam Moskowitz of Larkin Cold Storage and Debra Dickerson of Tomales Bay Foods. During the busy holiday season, cheese shops around the country stock their walk-ins and cheese cases to the brim. But how does all of this fragile cheese get from the farm to the cheese counter in perfect condition? Tune in to hear all of the details from veteran wholesalers/distributors in the American cheese biz as they talk about how the cheese gets to your local cheese shop. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

—Debra Dickerson on Cutting the Curd

“I’m not here to bash the FDA, what I’m here to do is tell people that those who are not being in a mode of compliance, they’re actually putting us all in jeopardy.” [36:55]

—Adam Moskowitz on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple is talking Kickstarter campaigns with Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm and Jessica Sennett of Cheese Grotto. First up, Sue Miller talks about her cheese history before delving into the goal of Birchrun Hills’ Kickstarter campaign. As a family-run dairy, they are seeking support in order to build a cheese-making facility (a.k.a. “a cave”) on the farm. The money will go to purchasing a curd vat, shelving (to ripen cheese), and a cooling system for the new aging facility. Sue and her family have been making cheese in a small off-site rental facility for the last seven years and have outgrown the current facility and do not have the space needed to keep up with the growing demand for our cheeses from chefs, farmers’ market customers, and shops around the country. Jessica also shares her background in retail cheese making and explains that she has designed products to help people store and age cheese in their homes. She goes on to add that everyone has had that moment where they reach for a piece of cheese stored in a fridge drawer or on a shelf only to find it covered in mold, stinky (not in a good way) and inedible. As cheese aficionados she and her team have spent the last year thinking about this problem and designing the first line of products: the Cheese Grotto and its little sister, the Cheese Safe. The Kickstarter campaign seeks to help get this project properly off the ground! Tune in to hear all the details behind engaging in Kickstarter campaigns, learn about the guests’ projects, and perhaps even contribute! This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“Plan B is to make it work – as farmers we are resilient!” [24:18]

—Sue Miller on Cutting the Curd

“With product and product design you need a decent amount of investment up front in order to get the ball rolling.” [25:02

—Jessica Sennett on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais is talking cheese hacks! Similar to the popular life hacks, which solve everyday problems using everyday items in an unconventional way, Greg and guest Nadjeeb Chouaf of Flora Artisanal Cheese in Charlottesville, VA chat about shortcuts in cheese. Nadjeeb also opens up about how he became involved in the cheesemongering world and how he came to open his own cheese shop. Kicking off the hacks with some thoughts on parmesan rinds and cheese rinds in general, and how the microwave can be your best friend when it comes to making unique cheese snacks, tune in to learn some interesting tidbits! This program has been brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“I’m fascinated by this hack. One hour cheese sounds too good to be true.” [20:10]

—Nadjeeb Chouaf on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais is wrapping up the series on cheese and art discussion cheese in the visual medium, whether that be in photography or painting. Welcoming guest co-host Cara Warren, Cheese Manager and Buyer at Greene Grape Provisions, to the show as well as Mike Geno and Carol Bobolts. Mike Geno is a fine artist from Philadelphia who specializes in realistic paintings of objects such as cheese, bread, bacon, and other types of food. Carol Bobolts leads the Red Herring Design team to bring a love of food (especially cheese!) to culture and has created award-winning designs for a wide range of clients. Talking to Greg and Cara Warren about how they style cheese in their work, as it turns out both have run into the problem that once you cut into cheese, the cheese is a ticking time bomb in appearance. The group goes on to discuss certain magical mistakes made in the cheese world and how what seems like a mishap can often turn into a great tasting cheese, a beautiful looking cheese, or even an amazing shot of cheese. At the tail end of the show, Greg asks the guests how they translate the taste, smell, and texture of cheese through their particular visual medium. Tune in for a great wrap of the cheese and art series on Cutting the Curd. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

—Carol Bobolt on Cutting the Curd

“We’re actually giving access to cheese through aesthetics.” [25:35]

—Mike Geno on Cutting the Curd

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Continuing the ongoing series on cheese and art, this week host Greg Blais is talking film on Cutting the Curd! Welcoming co-host Matt Spiegler, a writer, documentarian, and creator of the blog Cheese Notes, the duo kick off the show talking about their recent viewing of the movie, “The Boxtrolls,” and how cheese in general is beginning to become more visible in film but still has a way to go to achieve popularity. Going through a plethora of movies that do feature cheese, the guys discuss if the cheese adds or detracts from the overall message of the film. After the break, Greg and Matt speak with filmmaker Kari Branch and Malinda Beeman, a life-long artist and cheese-maker who is a subject in Kari’s project entitled “Simple As That.” “Simple As That” is a short documentary about a couple choosing to launch their artisan goat cheese business through one of the worst droughts in Texas history as well as personal adversity. Tune in to hear a thorough chat on cheese in film and how this subject is evolving in film culture. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Meet Marfa Goats by Malinda Beeman

—Matt Spiegler on Cutting the Curd

“There aren’t a lot of cheese films out there. I think people may have an idea that cheese isn’t a serious subject.” [32:00]

—Kari Branch on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple welcomes Lou Di Palo of Italian Selects based in Little Italy, NYC and author of the new book, “Di Palo’s Guide to the Essential Foods of Italy.” Talking to Diane about his family’s prominent background in the food industry (Lou’s great-grandfather started their business in 1903!) as well as why he decided to take on writing a book, Lou talks in great detail about making cheese and dairy products like his great-grandfather and father did. Join in to hear highlights of the book as well as delicious discussion on amazing foods courtesy of Italy – led by an expert! This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“When you take an interest in something it gets burned into your brain.” [12:11]

—Lou Di Palo on Cutting the Curd

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This week Cutting the Curd is continuing its series on cheese and art. Host Greg Blais and co-host Emily Acosta delve into the interesting topic of breast milk cheese with artist Miriam Simun, who has personal experience in this realm. Having started the human cheese project in order to provoke a space for discourse around norms and practices with regard to human exceptionalism, food production, emerging bioavailabilities, and the commodification of bodies, Miriam brings up many questions surrounding the topic that remain to be answered. She goes on to explain how she went about completing the human cheese project with recruiting volunteers to provide necessary ingredients, the actual cheese-making process and the ethics considered with the project. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“To me, good art asks good questions and that’s where I was coming from when I was making it.” [18:53]

“I think the world would be a better place if more people saw their cheese as a piece of art.” [20:28]

—Miriam Simun on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais and guest co-host Anne Saxelby begin a series talking about cheese and art – how cheese tends to intersect across all platforms. This week in particular, tune in to hear guests Soyoung Scanlan of Andante Dairy and Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese Company talk about their experiences with cheese and music. Soyoung kicks off the conversation sharing how she has been inspired to combine her love of music to create a unique, multi-sensory experience with her cheese. Andy adds to the conversation, explaining that his approach to making cheese is very similar to making music considering the dedication and repetition required to be great at both. Both guests concur that depending on the time of day and the manner in which they are making cheese influences the styles of music they play. After the break, the group delves into the importance of sound in the cheese making process. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“When I was making cheese, I was listening to Chopin’s ‘Nocturne’ all the time.” [15:15]

—Soyoung Scanlan on Cutting the Curd

“Practicing music and making cheese days after day requires dedication to repetition.” [19:00]

—Andy Hatch on Cutting the Curd

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What’s in a name? This week on Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais is talking cheese names with guests Rachel Perez and David Grotenstein. Rachel is the French Cheese Ambassador for The French Cheese Club and is on the Judging and Competition Committee with the American Cheese Society, while David is an industry veteran having been in the business for over 30 years. Rachel kicks off the show with explaining European standards for naming cheese as it pertains to American producers. The group goes on to expand on the topic, stating that the concern is if American producers make cheeses that share the same name as French cheeses, it will result in a loss of cheese identity. Cheese names reflect not only the cheese itself but also the location where it was made. Conversely, the discussion concludes that there is a gray area in these standards because if American cheese producers rename their cheeses it could cause confusion in consumers. After the break, Greg brings this naming issue closer to home by referencing a few American branded/named items, such as Made in Brooklyn or Idaho Potatoes. Tune in to hear more! This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

—Rachel Perez on Cutting the Curd

“The truth would work best, generally when you’re selling something. You really just want to be able to say what it is.” [19:07]

—David Grotenstein on Cutting the Curd

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