Central Ohio and Manhattan will have something in common - Murray's Cheese Shop. The Greenwich Village cheesemonger is setting up shop in Ohio at three different Kroger locations in the Buckeye State. The Murray's outlets within the grocery chain will feature over 175 cheeses, and its staff will be trained by the cheese shop in New York.

Murray’s — a well-respected cheese store in Greenwich Village of New York, with another location at Grand Central Terminal there — will be set up on Aug. 12 in the Kroger Marketplace at 7625 Sawmill Rd., Dublin.To follow: openings in the stores at 7100 Hospital Dr. in Dublin on Sept. 2 and 150 W. Sycamore St. in the Brewery District on Sept. 23.

read more

Photo by jlastras

Earlier today aspiring aficionados took the first ever Certified Cheese Professional Exam at the American Cheese Society conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Needless to say, examinees are holding their breath while the results are being determined. Check out this morning's Wall Street Journal article about the test:

Test-takers aren't allowed to bring Camembert, much less munch on it, but are allowed to use calculators. During a preparatory webinar in May, the ACS provided five sample questions, including one with old-fashioned arithmetic: "How many ounces of fat are there in a 1-pound cheese of 65% moisture content and 70% fat in dry matter?" (3.92 ounces.)

"I don't think I ever had a question like that in any of my math classes," said Elena Santogade, the lead cheesemonger at Beecher's Handmade Cheese in New York.

read more

In Toowoomba, Australia, a block of Swiss cheese weighing over 222 pounds (101 kg) arrived in the Wendland Olives deli.

You wouldn't think experience as an Olympic weightlifter would hold much sway on the resume of a purveyor of cheese, but for Wendland Olives staff member Georgina Mockel it might have been a bonus.

Ms Mockel has been busily carving up a block of cheese that weighs significantly more than she does this week and it's been getting plenty of comment from customers who have never clapped eyes on a wheel of cheese bigger than a few kilos.

Joy the Baker has outdone herself again, and we're not complaining. Take a stab at this awesome tomato cobbler with - our favorite - blue cheese biscuits. A colorful and tasty summer dish, we hope you give it a whirl.

Trust me… I definitely had my reservations when it came to this recipe. I like tomatoes…. but how much do I reeaallly like tomatoes. If I pick around all the big tomato chunks in my dad’s spaghetti sauce… does that mean this dish is going to stress me out? Wait. There are biscuits involved. Do biscuits rescue any dish? Yes. They do. … it’s go-time.

Read the recipe here

After James Stewart was arrested for illegally distributing raw milk, Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures posted his bail. When Stewart stopped showing to his court dates, McAfee, who was in danger of losing his house as collateral, hired three bounty hunters to find him.

Rawsome Foods founder James Stewart was arrested by three bounty hunters (because bounty hunters can do that in California) in Ventura County and then carted off to jail for skipping two previous court dates after posting bail addressing his illegal distribution of raw milk. Rawesome Foods is a members-only co-op, so technically, he isn’t really “selling” raw milk, although it is completely legal to do so in California. However, the state has very strict laws about the production and sales of unpasteurized dairy, which can contain deadly bacteria if not properly handled.

Read more

The UK isn't the only place milk prices are being discussed—dairy farmers in California want the state minimum raised. However, there's debate over what the best course of action is—boosting the minimum cost for milk would scare away potential milk processors, meaning dairy farmers could get less business than they do already.

California dairy farmers struggling with high feed costs are considering a push for federal intervention after a failed effort to substantially raise the minimum price paid by processors for milk.

The California Dairy Campaign, a chapter of the California Farmers Union based in Turlock, has been trying to build support for joining the federal milk marketing order.

Read more

Photo by saltaylorkydd

This little goat, Buttermilk, is psyched about life - so much so that he keeps accidentally (on purpose?) kicking his friends over, and jumping up and down abruptly:

Watch on Youtube

Everyone knows that cheese is made from milk, which is always white (save for its chocolate cousin). We would rightfully be wary of orange or yellow milk - but these colors are accepted and expected in cheese. What changes happen that transform cream from its natural white to the pale yellow of Parmesan, the bright, buttery orange of Gouda?

But why is cheddar yellow or orange when milk is white?

If a cheese has a natural buttery yellow color, beta carotene is responsible. Beta carotene is a fat-soluble yellow pigment and antioxidant found in grass. After a cow chews the cud, beta-carotene dissolves into the animal’s fat stores and ends up in fat globules in its milk.

read more

Photo by wEnDaLicious

That's right - philly cheese steak ice cream. This homemade creation by Huffington Post columnist Andy Deemer, with real steak and cheese, makes Burger King's Bacon Sundae look like rainbow sherbet. Will we one day be debating who has the better ice cream, Pat's or Geno's?

Anyway, in preparation for the viewing, he decided to make an ice cream that would be every bit as bad as the films. So Deemer shredded some "steak," sauteed it, corralled some "cheese," and proceeded through the steps necessary to make a product called Philly cheese steak ice cream. Artisanal, don't you think?

read more

Photo by Andy Deemer

Phillip Lee, owner of the Kimchi Grill in Prospect Heights, is knocking down cultural food boundaries left and right. Lee, whose previous venture was a food truck offering kim chi tacos, has opened a brick and mortar location featuring such delicacies as a kimchi goat cheese quesadilla. Read on for the recipe, if you would like to try your hand at culture-bending cuisine.

Coming from a culinary background — he has worked as a general manager for restaurateurs Jeffrey Chodorow and Steve Hanson — Lee’s passion for serving traditional Korean food with a modern twist is evident in every bite.
“With food, it’s in your blood,” he says. “Everything I do, I think of it as being competitive in making a difference. It’s a nod to my heritage while being progressive and inventive.”