thank you, Chelsea Green.
Joe and I interviewed in The Forward…
The following is an excerpt…
At the turn of the 20th century, a young immigrant named Ben Moskowitz took a job as a dairyman among the chaotic jumble of pushcarts and crowded markets in Lower Manhattan. Two generations later, his son and grandson — Joseph and Adam Moskowitz — carry on his legacy at their international cheese and specialty food importing company, Larkin. With more than 10 million pounds of cheese streaming through their Queens-based facility last year, chances are the last chunk of ripe Gorgonzola or creamy wedge of Brie you enjoyed passed through Larkin’s building. I recently spoke with the Moskowitzes about their unlikely family business and undying love for all things cheese.
To readthe full interview, click here.
Better than a bank!
One of my favorite people in the cheese business is Georgio Cravero. He is the sweetest man aging the most profound parmigiano one could ever hope to taste. He, and his cheese, are truly sublime. Check out this wonderful glimpse into his aging facility. With so many cheese in one place, you can imagine he is more secure than a bank. I just love how they leverage technology so each cheese can still be handled by hand.
Do you like Comte?
Marcel Petite’s Fort Saint Antoine is the ultimate place to affinage Comte. It is literally an old fort set in the Jura mountains that now ages 65,000 wheels of comte. With that many wheels on hand, thank god its a Fort to protect against cheese invaders. LOOK AT ALL THOSE WHEELS…
The Mad Pickler
Proud to say Rick’s Picks is a new customer of Larkin.
Presently, he gets air time with Martha Stewart.
But I love this old school web based video created by PlentyTV.
Its not recent but its mad decent…
Affineur on the rise.
There is an Affineur in France that is a force to be reckoned with. One day soon I will meet him. In the meantime, I am compelled to read about him on the internet. The following is an excerpt from an article that will shed some light on who I am talking about:
Rodolphe Le Meunier, once dubbed the Zidane of fromagers (Zidane was probably France’s greatest soccer star and a national hero), earned his stripes (as an MOF you’re entitled to wear blue, white and red stripes on your collar) in 2007 by passing a blind tasting; a jury tasting of his cheeses; a theoretical written exam; an oral exam; and a cutting test in which he had to slice a series of cheeses to perfect weight, size and form. He also had to create and serve a dish based on cheese – he made a mousse of Langres with spices.
Although he learned his craft from his family, like so many young chefs, winemakers, farmers and producers, he’s found a way to use modern technology to recreate centuries-old traditions.
To read more from this article, click here.
To visit Rodolphe’s website, click here.
Alta Langa makes Bangers!
The following is an excerpt from an article about one of my favorite producers in Italy:
Caseificio dell’Alta Langa, based in northern Italy’s Piedmont region, makes about two dozen varieties of fresh and soft-ripened cheeses from the milk of cows, goats and sheep. Some of cheeses combine milk from all three animals, others are a mix of two milks and some are from a single type.
What the company manages to do so well is create fresh and very slightly aged cheeses with loads of character. One way the cheesemakers achieve this is by letting the milk sit out to ripen, sometimes overnight, allowing natural bacteria to flourish. Even though the milk is pasteurized afterward, the early fermentation ultimately produces a more complex-tasting cheese. The varying proportions and mixes of the milks for the different cheeses — all very carefully considered and executed — add to their complexity.
To read more from this article, click here.
