We need your brain!
Throughout today and tomorrow, culture writers, editors and assorted n'er-do-wells will be gathering in sunny Somerville, MA to brainstorm about ideas and directions for the magazine. And then, candlepin bowling.
But we're just a small crew, so we need all the help we can get. Post your ideas and suggestions to this thread, and I will pass them on to the editorial team. Let us know what you think!
Post and article idea: the independent cheese shop
While there are flagship and much-hyped cheese shops throughout the country, it is always a treat to stumble upon a tiny, independent shop that sells eclectic and local cheeses. On a recent trip to DC, I knew about Cowgirl Creamery, but had no idea about Cheesetique in nearby Alexandria. Ann Arbor is host to the famous Zingerman's Deli, but how about Morgan and York, tucked away on Packard and off the beaten path.
There is something so intimate about being able to chat with the mongers and not have to fight through the throngs of people competing to place orders and not even being able to see the cheese selections (I am short so it is doubly hard for me).
Maybe highlighting different shops in various regions (East, Mid-West, Central, West Coast, etc) to give the most readers the best coverage.
Stay Cheesy!
The House Mouse
The House Mouse
www.housemouseoncheese.com
Hi, HM, There are tons of
Hi, HM,
There are tons of interesting smaller cheese shops in my area, too: just down the street there's the Dairy Bar, for instance, a little closet attached to Kickass Cupcakes. It's not even in our own "find cheese" database yet, but it's a wonderful resource that really concentrates on getting local cheese into local stomachs (and perfect for a person of smaller stature, I might add). These places are really where the "movement" is coming from, and we do try to give them attention.
As for geography, it's a balance. We try to keep the magazine features moving around the country and the world; a "Where to go in Brooklyn" story will be more accessible to our readers than a tour of South Australia's dairy scene. So we put both into the upcoming Winter issue.
Once place where we really box the compass is in our retailer database announcements on facebook. We'll be adding those listings to the front page soon.
Hello, As many have already
Hello,
As many have already asked, we would be very interested in reading more about legistlation, especially for importing, exporting and distributing cheese.. You know, as producers of Italian cheese, this would be a very usueful information service your magazine could provide..
Furthermore, we do love when your articles take into consideration products and producers by directly quoting them - this gives us lots of ideas about the market and the possibilities the worl of cheese making is offering..
So resuming, I guess it would be very nice to have more info both on a legal and on a commercial level.
We are hearing a lot of
We are hearing a lot of questions about the legal aspects of cheesemaking and selling, and we will certainly be giving it attention in upcoming issues.
Cheese legality
Hi Will and Cheesepeople,
The ideas of food regulation, both in personal life and in law, are very interesting to me. Some books that deal with how food is made, distributed and eaten are Michael Pollan's OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA and the less widely read but excellent Jeffrey Steingarten, who talks about raw milk cheese in an older but still insightful essay in THE MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING. Steingarten, a former lawyer, speaks persuasively about why taking risks in food are worth it.
I'd like to know more, though, about the practicalities of cheese rebellion (where can I get raw milk cheese and not get hassled by The Man) and cheese revolution (how can I work to have a voice in legislation about local, organic food)
Love Culture. It's about more than cheese.
Ellen
Needless to say, Jeffery
Needless to say, Jeffery Steingarten is a huge influence on my own work. The Man Who Ate Everything put me on the dubious path that I'm on today.
As for cheese revolution, David Burton said it best in the interview I did with him in the fall issue: "Going by my own experience, the most important first step is to make your numbers known."
building caves, aging cheeses for retail, and importing
I am interested in owning my own fromagerie but am not sure where or to whom to turn for the following information:
1) I would love to find articles on ideal specifications for cheese caves and even if there are consultants out there who help build or set them up.
2) I would also like to learn more about how to age cheeses for retail stores.
3) Lastly, I would love to learn more about importing cheeses.
Thanks!
We're actually really
We're actually really interested in business-related articles: the New Food has a whole fascinating economy attached to it that needs attention if it's going to remain viable in the long run.
If you're interested in aging cheese at home, you don't have to wait for us to get around to it, though: check out New England Cheesemaking Supply http://www.cheesemaking.com/ -- they've got all the info you'll need to start.
illegal cheese making
I have heard from fellow chefs from the New England area that there are small cheese makers that "break the law" by making cheese the old fashioned way and ignore all the absurd FDA guidelines, and only sell to people they know. I'd love a story on how these folks buck the system to keep alive the old traditions, and as another poster mentioned, also talk about how giants like ConAgra/Kraft are able to shape food safety laws in order to preserve their market and keep really good cheese underground. I'd also like to see a regular column by someone that has started his/her own cheese making business, either as a hobby or as a career, and sort of document or blog the process they go through of finding the right place, choosing livestock (or source(s) of milk), production woes, trial and error, that sort of thing.
rogue cheese nations
Such an underground cheesemaker would need to be quite anonymous for certain.
I make homestead cheese from raw milk from our goats all in my kitchen and would not sell an ounce of it for fear of a scary pre-dawn USDA/FDA/FBI/CIA/lordknowswhoelse swat raid showing up here.
Think thats unlikely? Its happened a lot lately.
We GIVE small amounts of our extra cheese to friends who eat it for probiotic health management issues (and because you can NOT beat fresh raw chevre)
I would really hate to see someone get busted for making their raw un-inspected cheese because they blogged about selling it.
A dairy start-up is very
A dairy start-up is very interesting-- although what new cheesemaker has time to blog?
I'd love to see a piece on
I'd love to see a piece on all the FDA harassment of raw cheese makers...like Morningland Dairy in Missouri, or Estrella Family Creamery in Washington state. These are important issues that cheese enthusiasts should be up in arms about. I think we can all agree that raw milk cheeses are the very definition of luscious yumminess. But our rights to choose small, artisan foods (ESPECIALLY raw milk cheeses) are being slowly taken away, and Culture should be reporting it.
Thanks!
canadian cheese market
Hello cheese enthusiasts.
I was wondering if your great magazine could shed some light on the legislation surrounding the distribution of cheese, both nationally and internationally. What makes some cheese mobile and some cheese locally distributed? As a cheese enthusiast from Canada, we see that Quebec cheeses enjoy wide spread mobility and are easily attainable across the country. This is great, but what about the contraband good stuff from smaller provinces. Why cant we readily get our greedy hands on Dragons Breath Blue outside the province of Nova Scotia's borders? I have the Dragons Breath blues out here in Alberta...
ps Thank you for the article on bourbon pairing with cheese. FYI the Pappy Van Winkle 12 year reserve also hit the mark on a wide range of our splotchier blues...
Will bring this one up-- this
Will bring this one up-- this is something we get a lot of questions about. With ACS happening in Canada next year, this is particularly apt.
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