Cheese Influencers and Cheese Inspiration…

Hello fellow travelers! 

My Cheese Counter in 1997

Reading over my previous posts, I noticed one that I wanted to tell…”The Rest of the Story”

My post of 8.26.19 told the story of two authors that had an impact on my life in the cheese industry. I never had the chance to meet either one of them, but their impact was significant enough to redirect my life on a new course. 

But there have also been those in the cheese industry that I have known, and their words, actions, and influence still inspire me.

Kathleen Shannon Finn – We met when she was still working for a fresh foods division of Columbus Distributing. Around 1996, Columbus decided to create a new division that was focused on air-freighting cheeses from Europe. They must have seen the same qualities in Kathleen that I did, because they put Kathleen in charge of it, and the “Cheese scene” in the San Francisco Bay Area would never be the same.

In 1997, Kathleen came to see me at my cheese counter to show me the catalog of imports that she was bringing in (I still have the copy). Columbus had a well-established line of imports for quite some time, but these air-freighted gems were different. So fragile were these cheeses that the only way they could make the journey to America was if you were to put them in a refrigerated container, then put the whole thing on a plane bound for San Francisco.

Here are three of the cheeses that she shared with me. Each of these really “spoke” to me and opened my eyes to a whole wide world of amazing cheeses:

Carré du Berry – “is a fresh goat cheese covered with a blend of herbs (marjoram, rosemary, tarragon, among others) and peppercorns. It has a smooth texture and a myriad of flavors ranging from citrusy fresh to licorice-y sweet. 

Carré du Berry is a fantastic spring or summertime picnic cheese and is gorgeous on a cheese plate. Something magical happens when paired with Sancerre, a Sauvignon Blanc-based white wine from the Loire Valley, which brings out more of the minerality and herbal notes in the cheese”. Produced by P. Jacquin & Fils

 L’Edel de Cleron – “is a soft-ripened cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk and encircled with a strip of spruce bark. The cheese is named after the town of Cléron, located in Franche-Comte region of the Jura mountains in south-eastern France. This cheese takes its inspiration from another Jura cheese with traditional origins, Vacherin Mont D’Or. While L’Édel de Cléron is made from pasteurized milk and is therefore relatively mild in flavor, Vacherin Mont D'Or is made with raw milk. However, the two cheeses bear several similarities in terms of each having a yielding texture; Vacherin can become positively molten with age, and the fact that they are both encircled with spruce bark which lends a definite woodsy, pine-like aroma to the cheeses.” Produced by Fromagerie Jean Perrin.

Pié d'Angloys®  - “Made from whole, pasteurized cow’s milk , Pié d'Angloys® was born in the early 90s by a fromagerie located in the Mayenne region of France . It was inspired by the medieval cheese making tradition of the region. A light, vaporous white fleurie covers its velvety crust with pink - orange hues.”

I got to see Kathleen just 4 weeks ago at 576th induction ceremony of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers (International Cheese Guilde) in San Francisco.

*Alfredo Pasquale Lovi – Better known as Al, the “Dean of Deli University” at the Columbus Salami Plant in South San Francisco.

During the mid-1990’s, part of my job duties as the Director of Delis for Nob Hill Foods was to take a bus full of 12 newly hired deli employees to “Deli U” for a two day deep dive into the deli business. Al covered everything from customer service, merchandising, and product knowledge. Our tour ended with a plant tour to see how all of the Italian meats we produced….We even got to make our own salami, which Columbus would send to us at the end of the aging process. This was a memorable trip for all of the students (as many spoke about it years afterwards), but these trips meant so much more to me. Al and I would spend hours talking about his lifetime in the deli business. When Nob Hill Foods sold in 1997 and my future was uncertain, Al and I had a talked frequently to try and figure out my best path.

My path ultimately took me up to the Sacramento area, and I think I only got to see him one other time.

I never really got to tell Al how impactful his friendship was, but I was able to share my thoughts with his wife Anne, who I would see frequently at food shows.

In 2015, I wrote a book on the protected cheeses of Europe and mentioned both of these influencers of mine on the dedication page.

I am grateful for these people in my life, especially early in my career when I was just getting started.

Kathleen, I hope I get to spend more time with you soon! 

Al, if heaven has a deli, I know you are there behind the counter greeting everyone with that smile, your warm welcome, and sharing a lifetime of stories with all of the patrons.

With my deepest gratitude to you both,

Trevor

*Alfredo Pasquale Lovi (May 12th, 1935 to January 16th, 2019) – Rest in Peace my dear friend