Cutting the Curd

This week on a brand new Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple is kicking off the show’s monthly book review, welcoming chef and cheesemonger Chester Hastings, author of The Cheesemonger’s Seasons to talk about his beautifully photographed volume. Complete with his favorite cheese recipes, Chester shares with Diane how to match peak-season produce with fine cheeses. Also chatting with Diane about how a recipe truly becomes one’s own and the differences between what you might see used in his professional kitchen versus what he composed for the home cook, it’s clear that Chester knows how to make cheese accessible for anyone interested. If you’re on the look out for a new recipe book, tune in for an in-depth discussion on The Cheesemonger’s Seasons. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

—Chester Hastings on Cutting the Curd

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This week on a brand new Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais takes on current events in the cheese realm and welcomes Susan Sturman and Stephanie Ciano to the program to shed light on what’s going on. A Cutting the Curd veteran, Susan Sturman is the Director of the Anglophone Program at Academie Opus Caseus and is a Co-Chair of the 2015 Annual Conference at the American Cheese Society. Stephanie Ciano is the Vice President of Sales & Purchasing at Crystal Food Import Corporation, specializing in cheese imports. Talking to Greg about some of the recent happenings with the International Cheesemonger Confederation, Susan explains how the ICC is helping to represent all retail cheesemongers in order to promote and defend their business interests, especially with recent, controversial FDA regulations and the Russian food embargo. Stephanie joins in on the discussion, adding from what she has dealt with as a cheese importer on both situations. After the break, the talk turns to domestic cheese and what it takes to abide by the guidelines and produce cheese in the United States. This program was sponsored by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

— Susan Sturman on Cutting the Curd

“I hit road blocks everyday as an importer with all the products that I have that are on FDA holds. You’re looking at a quarter of a million dollars at any given time that we’ve got on hold.”[32:20]

— Stephanie Ciano on Cutting the Curd

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Cheese royalty is in the house this week on Cutting the Curd! Join Greg Blais as he chats with Peter Dixon and Benton Brown on a candid and insightful episode of the world’s best cheese radio show. Peter Dixon is a dairy foods consultant and artisan cheesemaker. His work with people engaged in or interested in making cheese and other dairy products draws on 30 years of cheesemaking and 15 years of consulting. Peter works with dairy farmers and experienced or aspiring cheesemakers to research, develop, or improve their milk processing businesses. Benton Brown is behind Crown Finish Caves, a cheese aging operation in Brooklyn, NY. This program was brought to you by Edwards VA Ham.

–Peter Dixon on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, guest host Greg Blais and co-host Diane Stemple kick off the new radio season with a very special guest, none other than Anne Saxelby! Catching up with Anne, Greg and Diane start the show off discussing the culinary perks of Brooklyn as well as putting the guest on the spot asking about her journey with cheese. Though growing up in the midwest and going to college at New York University for art, it wasn’t until she took a trip to Italy that she truly discovered the allure of cheese. Upon coming back to New York, she took a job at Murray’s Cheese Shop (where she met Diane) and a wine shop, gaining some great experience. After the break, the group shares thoughts on the start of Saxelby Cheesemongers. Tune in for a fun show where we get the full story behind Anne. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“I never felt at home in the big store, and I always thought that I’d like to do something on my own.” [13:50]

“My goal is always to be a bridge between the farm and the people eating the cheese.” [26:08]

—Anne Saxelby on Cutting the Curd

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Tune in for a fun and insightful episode of Cutting the Curd as Greg Blais is joined by friend and cheese expert Max McCalman. Max is a highly visible advocate for artisanal cheese production, and is renowned as one of the cheese world’s living legends for his expertise, insight and passion. Max is a dedicated scholar of cheese, where he acts as consultant to the trade, judges at cheese competitions and is a frequent guest lecturer. He was America’s first restaurant-based Maître Fromager. Max’s work takes him across North America and Europe, speaking at conferences and festivals, and most passionately, to explore the dairies and farms that contribute to artisanal cheese making. Max has been conferred the title of Maître Fromager as designated by France’s Guilde des Fromagers. This program was brought to you by Fairway Market.

“I recommend, if you’re buying cheese, that you buy less and buy often. You don’t stock up – it’s not that kind of experience. Buy it like you buy fish. [29:00]

–Max McCalman on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, Diane Stemple chats with Michael Paternity, author of The Telling Room: A Tale of Love, Betrayal, Revenge and the World’s Greatest Piece of Cheese. In the fall of 1991, while working at a gourmet deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Michael Paterniti encountered a piece of cheese. Not just any cheese. This was Paramo de Guzman, a rare Spanish queso reputed to be the finest, and most expensive, in the world. The cheese carried its own legend: Made from an ancient family recipe in the medieval Castilian village of Guzman (pop. 80), the cheese was submerged in olive oil and aged in a cave where it gained magical qualities-if you ate it, some said, you might recover long-lost memories. Too broke to actually buy the cheese, Paterniti made a quixotic vow: that he would meet this cheese again someday. Flash forward ten years, when Paterniti has finally found his way-family in tow-to that tiny hilltop village to meet the famous cheesemaker himself, a voluble, magnetic, heartbroken genius named Ambrosio. What Paterniti discovers in Guzman is nothing like the idyllic slow-food fable he has imagined. Instead, he wanders into-and eventually becomes deeply implicated in-the heart of an unfolding mystery, in which a village begins to spill its long-held secrets, and nothing is quite what it seems. This program was brought to you by Consider Bardwell.

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On a new episode of Cutting the Curd, hear from last year and this year’s recipients of the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award. The Daphne Zepos Teaching Award is an annual scholarship awarded to a USA-based cheese professional who uses the funds to travel, learn and further their education on cheese. First, hear from Jess Perrie of Beehive Cheese Company who won the award last year. She recounts her trip to Basque country in Spain and reflects on how it inspired her to try new things in her cheesemaking. Second, hear from Emily Shartin, this year’s award winner. She talks about what it means to win the award and describes her vision for her career in cheese. This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

–Jess Perrie on Cutting the Curd

“There’s more and more cheesemakers popping up around the American west.” [22:00]

–Emily Shartin on Cutting the Curd

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Re-live the 2014 American Cheese Society Conference, held this year in Sacramento, California, on a brand new episode of Cutting the Curd! Hosts Greg Blais and Diane Stemple are joined by Debra Dickerson, co-chair of The Festival of Cheese at the ACS, and Jeremy Stephenson, a cheesemaker who’s Tarentaise Reserve took home best in show at the ACS. Find out what makes the cheese world such a vibrant community and hear some great stories from the big event! This program was brought to you by The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

“It’s so amazing – every year the cheeses [at ACS] get better and better!” [31:00]

–Debra Dickerson on Cutting the Curd

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Re-live the 2014 Cheesemonger Invitational on this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd. Greg Blais, Sophie Slessinger and Andrew SiIskind were at the event and recorded some great interviews that they are sharing with listeners today. Hear from Matt Spiegler of CheeseNotes.com, Adam Smith of Jasper Hill, Jeremy Stephenson of Springbrook Farms and Veronica Pedraza of Meadowood Farms. This program was brought to you by Consider Bardwell

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Re-live the Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival on a special episode of Cutting the Curd, as host Greg Blais is joined by Lisa Battilana, the Executive Chef of the Woodstock Farmer’s Market in Vermont and cheesemonger Perry Soulos for a re-cap. The 6th Annual Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival, sponsored by the Vermont Cheese Council took place July 20th at the Coach Barn at Shelbourne Farm in Vermont and featured over 200 cheeses from more than 40 cheese makers, as well as dozens of artisan food producers and local wine, beer and spirit producers. The festival provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to connect with farmers and cheesemakers. On the line we also have She has been the cheesemonger for about 10 years, and is the only retail member on the Vermont Cheese Council. Tune in and get the inside scoop on the festival and the world of artisan cheese. This program was brought to you by Heritage Foods USA.

“Food is pretty egalitarian. Everybody eats.” [15:00]

–Lisa Battilana on Cutting the Curd

“I felt nothing but comfortable and welcome the whole time in Vermont. It has it’s charm – Vermont is Vermont!” [31:00]

“The great thing about goats is that children can handle them so easily. It’s an animal the whole family can participate in raising.” [37:00]

–Perry Soulos on Cutting the Curd

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