A Cheese Buyer Speaks!

This morning I finally received a response from esteemed cheese buyer for the ritz Carlton Dining Room, Ben Hetzel.
I had written him a series of interview questions and his responses are realistic, laid-back and interesting! Voila:

Interview with Ben Hetzel

1. What do you DO, on a daily basis, as the Cheese Buyer?

Each day is a little different. I work with many different purveyors, so on delivery days I must organize and store the cheese. The most important part of my job is setting up the cheese cart daily. I have many other responsibilities in the restaurant, so I can only spend an hour or so focused on the cheese.


a. Where and how do you buy these cheeses you speak of?

I source my cheese from several purveyors. Each purveyor has something special to offer. I use tomales bay foods for most of my domestic cheese. I buy cheese directly from Soyoung Scanlan....(she is the most important cheese maker in CA)...who supplies me with her Andante cheeses and cheeses aged in France by Herve Mons, and in Switzerland by Rolf Beeler. I get my Italian cheeses from frescaitalia. I get my classic French cheese from Cheeseworks in Berkeley.

2. Who do you actually deal with (cheese makers, store managers?) in terms of cheese-buying?

Like I mentioned earlier, Soyoung makes her own cheese. Tomales Bay makes the Cowgirl Creamery cheese, and they work very closely with the CA dairies that they
represent.

3. Do you buy local cheeses, imported cheeses, or
both?

I buy cheese from all over the world. The best cheeses right now come from the US. They are healthier and more consistent. The best European cheeses are from Italy. French and Swiss ARTISINAL cheese, I only like if it has been brought in in small
controlled quantities and carefully handled. There is a ton of mass produced, pasteurized French "garbage" cheese in the US market.....I avoid it.

4. Do you travel to Europe or other parts of the
world? (Or within the country?)

I go to Italy as much as I can. I was just in Emilia-Romagna in January, touring parma ham farms and a Parmagiano-Reggiano farm. My career at the moment is focused on Italian food and wine. I am opening an Enoteca in the fall, where we will have 10-15 Italian cheeses on the menu. As far as local cheese farms, I go as often as I can,
which is not necessarily as often as I would like.

5. Do you taste many cheeses and pick one or two of
each category?

I do tastings with purveyors periodically, and I find something that I like I will
order it. I have been doing this for a long time, so I have kind of found a rythem. I try not to change things more than once a week, because it is hard for the staff to keep up.

6. What are the “requirements”, if there are any, for a cheese cart (how many of each milk type or consistency are you expected to choose?)

I like to have 15 or so cheeses on the cart each night. My formula is as follows: 2 soft ripened cow's milk cheeses, 3 firm cow's milk, 2 washed rind, 3 soft goat's milk cheeses, 1 semi firm goat's milk cheese, 2 sheep's milk cheeses, and 2 blue cheeses

7. What do you look for in a cheese for the Dining
Room? How do you choose?

The main requirement is quality. I don't care at all about the price ( within reason).....it just has to be the best cheese that I can find. I can tell by looking at a cheese, if it was
made with love and integrity, or if it was mass produced. I want only the best, handmade artisinal cheeses. I also base my choices on what really stokes me out at the moment. That's why I try to keep a really close, personal relationship with my purveyors. When I order cheese, it's more of a conversation than an black and white order.

8. How did you end up with this position?

I asked. One thing that I learned early in my career, is that if you really want to do something, just ask the person that can make it happen for you. I was a very young captain in the Dining Room (24 yrs old) and I didn't really know anything about cheese, but I wanted to learn. The gentleman who handled the cheese left, and they gave the program to me. It was kind of a trial by fire, but after some mistakes, I got the hang of it.

9. What are a few of your personal favorite cheeses?

Cheese is like wine, alot of the time it depends on who you are with and where you are when you enjoy it. I had an amazing cheese in Italy called squalquerone with some very close friends....it was a spiritual experience. My wife and I had a perfectly ripe Epoisses that was nestled in its leaf lined wooden box at Guy Savoy in Paris on the night that I proposed to her. I will never forget the way that cheese looked and tasted. But, I would have to say that overall my favorite cheese in the world is Vacherin Haut Dobbs....you can't really get this (the French one anyway) in the U.S. anymore because of the FDA regulations....but when it sneeks in I pounce on it....it's unreal.


10. Have you ever been involved with cheese on a
production level?

Not yet, but I would love to.

11. What is so appealing to you about cheese?

I feel like I am part of a movement....that I am involved in something and that I am making my mark. Cheese is not appreciated in the U.S. the way it is in Europe but I think that we can change that....at least in the Bay Area.

12. Were you always a fan of cheese, growing up? (a
cheese-o-phile, perhaps?)

Ironically, no....my mom fed me American cheese slices and Parmesan from a paper
canister. I didn't really have great cheese until I moved to San Francisco.

13. Do you buy cheeses only specifically for the
cheese cart or do you buy cheeses that are used in
other dishes?

Only for the cheese cart. The chef sources his own products. The cheese that I use is not, for the most part, good for cooking.

14. Do you get to taste every cheese that is served at
the Dining Room?

Absolutely! I am solely responsible for every cheese that is served on the cart.

15. Do you like stinky cheeses, personally? Do you buy
many stinky cheeses for the Dining Room?

I love stinky cheeses. I do always have a couple. If you have ever been to a farm you know that it does not always smell the best.....lots of hay, animals, dirt, grass, etc....I like to be reminded of those things when I smell a cheese. It lets you know where the food came from.

16. Is your job fun?

Yeah, it really is. The best part is wheeling the cheese cart to a table and turning some people onto something cool that they haven't had before.....it's rad!

Emma's note: What an inspiring story! One day, I hope to ask a big boss somewhere if I can be their cheese buyer. Who knows :).