It’s the holiday season, and many folks are wondering, “What’s the best cheese to bring to a family gathering?” Anne Saxelby is joined by two guests who can help you make the right cheese decision: Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese and Matt Rubiner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers! Tune in to hear Andy Hatch talk about the processes involved with making Rush Creek Reserve- the perfect holiday cheese! How does Uplands Cheese use spruce bark to flavor Rush Creek Reserve, and how often is the cheese washed during the aging process? Later, Matt Rubiner talks about the holiday atmosphere at Rubiner’s Cheesemongers, and how folks at the cheese counter can anticipate the seasonal rush. What cheeses sell best at Rubiner’s during the holidays? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of Cutting the Curd!

“Improvements happen year to year, not batch-to-batch.” [10:00]

— Andy Hatch on Cutting the Curd

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On this edition of the Cutting the Curd Book Review, Diane Stemple talks with Sue Conley, co-author of Cowgirl Creamery Cooks. Sue, along with her partner Peggy Smith, were artisan cheese innovators with the establishment of the Cowgirl Creamery in Marin County, California. Tune in to hear how the Cowgirls combined recipes with cheese know-how in order to create an encompassing cheese guide. Tune in to learn how to arrange cheese plates according to region, variety, and beyond! Hear how Cowgirl’s Mt Tam evolved from a gouda recipe, and how the development of Red Hawk was a lucky mistake! This program has been sponsored by Academie Opus Caseus. Music by The California Honeydrops.

“One suggestion for arranging a cheese plate is to take all of the same kind of cheese, such as a cheddar, but from all different regions.” [16:55]

“I was always very confident in making fresh cheeses. It’s just like baking!” [18:50]

— Sue Conley on Cutting the Curd

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Want to learn how to make cheese? Live in Brooklyn? Why haven’t you been to the Brooklyn Kitchen yet!? Learn all about New York City’s original “small box cooking store” and their educational programs on this weeks episode of Cutting the Curd. Anne is joined by Brooklyn Kitchen’s ­Director of Education, Michelle Warner, who shares her personal story and gives some insight into the programs at Brooklyn Kitchen! This program has been sponsored by Cain Vineyard & Winery.

“People always walk away very satisfied from their classes at the Brooklyn Kitchen because we make sure that they are set up with an instructor who knows what they’re doing, and they’ve had a lot of experience in doing it before.” [8:50]

— Michelle Warner on Cutting the Curd

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What is affinage? Simply put, it’s the art of ripening cheese. However, as you’ll learn on this episode of Cutting the Curd, it’s a complicated art that is as challenging as it is rewarding. Hear from Susan Sturman, of the Academie Opus Caseus, a school for cheese professionals in France with a program in English for anglophone cheese professionals worldwide as she explains the school’s programs in affinage. Later in the show, affinage expert ­Laini Fondilier of Lazy Lady Farm joins in and continues the conversation. Learn out all about the art of affinage on this educational episode of Cutting the Curd! Thanks to our sponsor, Academie Opus Caseus.

“There’s a lot of science behind [affinage], but it’s highly empirical. You just have to watch!” [6:00]

— Sustan Sturman on Cutting the Curd

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Kirstin Jackson focuses on American cheese in her new book, It’s Not Your, It’s Brie: Unwrapping America’s Unique Culture of Cheese! On this edition of Cutting the Curd‘s book review, guest host Diane Stemple talks with Kirstin about her first book, and the research and stress that went along with writing. Hear how Kirstin learned about different inspirations for cheeses from farmers and cheesemakers! Find out why Kirstin works within a light-hearted aesthetic, and why she imposed such a tight deadline upon herself. Would Kirstin ever write about international cheese? Find out all of this and more on this edition of the Cutting the Curd book review! This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods. Music has been provided by The California Honeydrops.

“Working in wine, I saw what happened when you make something too precious and too romantic… With wine, when something gets too precious, it’s hard for some people to get involved.” [5:25]

— Kirstin Jackson on Cutting the Curd

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On this week’s special episode of Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple speaks with Gordon Edgar, author of Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge. Gordon Edgar is a cheesemonger based in San Francisco, California. He has been selling and working with cheese since 1994, at San Francisco’s largest grocery store. His latest book, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge, is the highly readable story of Gordon’s unlikely career as a cheesemonger at San Francisco’s worker-owned Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. With a refreshingly unpretentious sensibility, Edgar intertwines his own life story with his ongoing love affair with cheese, and offers readers an unflinching, highly entertaining on-the-ground look at America’s growing cheese movement. Learn more bout Gordon, his craft, and the book on this episode of Cutting the Curd! This program has been sponsored by Consider Bardwell Farm.

“In the end the cheese always does the talking.”

“Early death is not likely to come as a result of eating fancy cheese.”

— Gordon Edgar in his book, Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge

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Take a trip to Florida on the latest episode of Cutting the Curd! For its “State of Cheese” series, Anne Saxelby takes the show to the south, chatting with Louise Kennedy Converse of Artisan Cheese Company in Florida and Kathleen Cotter of The Bloomy Rind in Nashville, TN and the Southern Cheese Festival. This program was sponsored by SPONSOR.

Louside Kennedy Converse of Artisan Cheese Company

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aHeirloom is an Etsy-born company that produces state shaped cutting boards. It’s proprietor, Amy Stringer-Mowat, is this week’s guest on Cutting the Curd with Anne Saxelby. Find out how she launched her business and what drove her to make cutting boards! This program was sponsored by Consider Bardwell.

–Amy Stringer-Mowat on Cutting the Curd

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Hannah Howard has been working in cheese in New York City since the age of seventeen. On this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby sits down with Hannah to talk about her lifelong love of food, and how she became the Copywriting Director at Fairway Market. Hannah has worked with a wealth of cheese luminaries in New York City including Steve Jenkins, Brian Keyser, and max McCalman; what lessons has Hannah learned from this roster of cheese professionals? Hear how Hannah got involved with food writing, and how she practices her skills through sign-making at Fairway!

“When I came to New York and found this community of people who were all about food, it felt so nice to be a part of that!” [8:30]

— Hannah Howard on Cutting the Curd

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This week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby talks with Janet Keller about the upcoming World Dairy Expo! 2013 marks the 47th annual World Dairy Expo located in Madison, Wisconsin. Learn more about the cow shows at the World Dairy Expo, and what a blue ribbon means for a specific breeder. Tune in to find out what seminars are available at the event, and how the Expo is pushing sustainable dairy production. What new technologies are gaining momentum in the dairy world? Find out how the influence of younger generations is changing the ways that farmers raise their animals. How does the World Dairy Expo aim to support the younger generation of dairy producers? Find out all of this and more on this week’s edition of Cutting the Curd! Thanks to our sponsor, The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Music has been provided by Pamela Royal.

— Janet Keller on Cutting the Curd

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