THE CHEESE NUN
I rented this DVD documentary from netflix on a whim, thinking it might be humorous. I had no idea how serious, insightful and unique a story it would reveal. It is the story of Sister Noella Marcellino, a Benedictine Nun. She went to college at Sarah Lawrence in 1969- which just so happens to be the college I am headed off to myself next september. She was liberal and searching for freedom and passion in the world. Her search led her to a Benedictine Monastery, interestingly enough. She explains that she never pictured herself a nun, but it is clear throughout the story that she has a very spiritual personality. Her passion for cheese is gastronomical, scientific, AND spiritual. She spent 12 years in the Monastery, which is also a farm, making cheese and teaching other nuns the craft. She then went back to school at the University of Connecticut to study the fungus that grows on the cheese she makes. She describes how, when fresh and just made, the cheese is quite coarse and flavorless but, after being aged, it grows a dense variety of fungi and develops a complex, earthy flavor. The metabolism of the fungi, she says, contributes to the taste of the cheese. She feels that the variety of fungi in a certain region and cheese cave contributes to cheeses that can be made there. She discovers this hypothesis by travelling france and studying fungus strands, samples from cheese farms all over france, under microscopes. Soon, Sister Noella is known as an expert and called "The Cheese Nun". She attends convention, gives lectures, and stars in this DVD. She beleives in cheeses as a way for humans to connect to, taste, smell, and cultivate the earth. The way she makes cheese is a primitive process that she loves and hopes to preserve- she finds great value in the natural, hand-made process of cheese making, adding both to the taste and spirituality (she occassionally refers to the "soul" of a cheese) of the cheese.
I greatly enjoyed this film and recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the cheese process or engaing in the quirky story of one cheesy nun.
Yet, my own passion for cheese remains predominantly gastronomical and not at all spiritual.

Cheese Plate

Having bought some wonderful cheeses to taste and "review" earlier this week, I had the urge to do something creative. Thus, I made art from cheese with this cheese plate. Two Cowgirl Creamery cheeses are featured on the plate, Mt. Tam on the outside and Red Hawk towards the inside. In the center is a delicious crumbly blue cheese.

Cheesy Books!

A day or two into my project, I thrust myself into the library to gain some stinky knowledge :).Here is the pile of books I came away with, skillfully arranged (i.e. SHOVED) into my small canvas bag, in such a way that I must have looked not a little odd, considering all the bullges and angles.

"On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen" is an incredible book, with information on the science of and peculiar facts about just about every food item you can think of. It has a great section on cheese, focussing on the scientific processes caused by reactions the dairy has with the rennet, enzymes, and acids.

"Making Great Cheeses at Home" is the primary book I plan to use when I embark on an adventure and try to make a couple of simple, fresh cheeses, in my own home! It has recipes from the simplest cheeses, cottage cheese and ricotta for example, to brie, blue cheese, and a variety of complex international cheeses.

"Completely Cheese" is just what it claims to be- a complete book completely about cheese. It has endless ammounts of information and anecdotes. I can't say I have read it cover to cover, or that I plan to, its being 485 dense pages with a 15 page index and a seperate index for recipes.

These are the three books, of the ones I have collected, that I have found the most useful- so far. I recommend them if fromage catches your interest...A LOT.

Quirky Cheese-Themed Prose

"Cheese and Women"

Cheese, its smelly and musical calling, and estrogen, its eerie longing, filled the room like smoke or the sound of firecrackers. There was a climax. It became stifling. The men shuffled out so the women could stifle each other but they became charming and elegant. They ate the cheese and there was a sensual atmosphere. How musty and pungent the atmosphere was- how thick and crowded with hormones, with fermented milk curd, with that great delicacy mold. What delicious mold, what oppressed hormones, what polite false-hoods. The females ate the cheese and the men would have been sorry because it was good. It was very good cheese and the women knew it and they savored it but only one of them really tasted it. She really tasted it because she was not busy wishing she were in a man’s company. Taste was her favorite sense. She was not sensible. The other women used their eyes and their noses. She, the taster, smelled the stink of the cheese and saw its moldy blue-ish complexion but she preferred to savor with her tongue and that is why she tasted the cheese as nobody had before and that is why she fell in love with it.

"Cheese Plate"

“It’s all so beautiful”, she chants. There is such a variety, presented on the tray like a set of fancy dolls. There are the very solid ones, standing there confidently, knowing they are classic- the Gruyeres and the Parmesan and the Pecorino. There is a pretty group of goat cheeses, creamy and wrinkly and reeking. A flamboyant sheep’s milk cheese decorated cutely with edible flowers. A pungent liquidy one, melting into the cart romantically with the smell of farts.
She flutters her fingers at three, regretting she can’t have just a little taste of them all.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather desert, sweetheart?” her mother asks again, ignorantly.
“This IS my desert, mom”, she corrects her.
“Something sweet, I mean”, her mom replies.
“Try the wrinkly goat cheese he had on the left when it comes, you’ll see. It’s sweet like custard”.
“Oh, I don’t believe it’s like custard”
“It’s better”

"Cheese Alliteration"

Who would fathom that fermentation could make a food flutter so fittingly in one’s mouth- one’s fleshy and freckly face lighting up like fireflies on a clear night with all flashing lights and flashlights turned off.

Who could fathom such a fascinatingly fulfilling but fleeting sensation that so often leaves one fretfully wanting more.

And after feasting, one finds oneself full and fearfully flatulent

In a supermarket, one finds oneself fondling the fragile specimens of musty fromage.

Fasten you seatbelt, cheese is heading your way and may just flatten you with fierce and frightened longing.

"Love and Cheese"

The smell of cheese was more pungent than it’s ever been, when I walked into the store the morning I found love. He was the third customer. On a journey, all the way from the South to Wisconsin, for cheese. He selected four cheeses. His suede wallet was on the counter but it was empty. His face turned empty. Such a long way and he gave up easily. I chased him with a chunk of French gruyere. I held it out in my hand. “Be my lover?” He nodded and I presented the elite food to his lips.

Favorite Cheese Foods!

Pupusa- This is a wonderful El Salvadorean food, best described as a fried dough-y pocket (made of corn dough- with the texture/taste of a thick tortilla) of cheese and other fillings (commonly, chicken, pork, or lorroco). My favorite place for pupusas in the city is El Zocalo, a lively little restaurant on 3230 Mission Street, near 29th.

Fondue- Cheese melted in a pot over a flame. Simple as it sounds, this is one of the most delicious gourmet dishes there is. Bread, apples, and any other fruit or vegetables (or any small food item, in fact) of one’s choice are then dipped into the cheeses, using small, three-pronged forks. Food dripping with warm, rich, melted cheese is one of the most sublime things there is to experience. The Matterhorn, a Swiss and German restaurant located downtown in San Francisco, on 2323 Van Ness Ave.

Grilled Cheese sandwich- This is a wonderful comfort food. It can be made gourmet-style with fancy cheeses and focaccia bread or it can be made with white bread and orange cheddar cheese. A San Francisco Restaurant, Citizen Cake, located near Civic Center, offers quite a satisfying gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, described on their menu as, “grilled cheese ultima: cabot sharp cheddar, gruyère on acme italian bread” for $10.50. Expensive and very frilly, with deserts like “dried persimmon mochi cake”, “chocolate noodles”, “peanut paper”, and “chiffon croutons” (all paired with ice creams like “chili-ginger strawberry sorbet”, “tonka bean ice cream”, and “violet sorbet”), this restaurant does little else do attract me.

Salad- Feta cheese, blue cheese, gorgonzola, and goat cheese are a few common varieties of cheese that taste great crumbled plentifully into a fresh salad.

French Onion Soup- It is not common for a soup to have cheese in it and yet this rich, onion-flavored soup is easily my favorite soup of all. Served with rich melted cheese and soft, soggy bread pieces in it, this usually beef-broth soup is flavoured with caramelized onions. This is what I crave on a cold day (and occasionally even on stifling days). Ti Couz, a great restaurant on 3108 16th St. at Valencia specializing in crepes, offers a beautiful, warm French Onion Soup.

Cheese in Pop Culture

A self-indulgent exercise. Voila:

In Pop Culture/Art:

Monty Python’s “Cheese Shop”- This hilarious skit features a man getting progressively more frustrated with the apparent lack of cheese in a certain cheese shop. In the end, the man is driven to drastic measures towards the shop-keeper. I can say no more.

Modest Mouse’s “Mice Eat Cheese”- A slow, strange song with a comic edge, this song describes someone who picks up a case of “factory outlet beer” and then goes home, even though they do not want to be alone. And yet, this description is followed by the refrain “Mice eat cheese/ and for the most part they do as they please then/ cat comes home/ mice don’t feel very free to walk around”. There may be a deep metaphor here that I am missing, yet I do believe this song is simply somewhat self-indulgent and random. I personally think it’s lovely.

In Pop Culture/Slang

Say Cheese- Generally said by a person taking a picture of one or several persons, with the intent of causing them to look like they are smiling.
Cut the Cheese- This refers to the act of flatulence.
How Cheesy- Used similarly to “corny”, this refers to something’s being over-the-top, tacky, and/or ridiculous/embarrassing.
Cheezin’- A big, dorky ear-to-ear grin.

Cheese comments and reviews!

In writing quirky little blurbs about various important cheeses, I have made a small selection of cheeses local to the bay area as well as international cheeses. Enjoy! Voila:

Local Cheese

Cowgirl Creamery Cheeses-

Red Hawk- With its strong, musty smell and its strong musty taste, this is one of my favorite cheeses ever. It’s a triple-cream, washed-rind, cow’s milk cheese. It is aged for six weeks and thus has a complex taste that increases with its age. Its rind is washed with a brine solution that grows a bacteria which turns the rind a nice orangey red color. The appearance of this cheese matches its taste. It is rich and fills one’s mouth with an excitingly stinky, complicated flavor. It feels as though something is GOING ON in one’s mouth when one has this cheese smeared against one’s tongue. 10/10!

Mt. Tam- Tasting this triple-cream cheese is almost like eating butter. If you eat a wedge of it alone, you will taste the creamy richness more than any real flavor. Yet, if you spread it on a piece of toast and let it melt slightly into the bread, it is rich and delightful. This cheese is rich, yet mellow. It is not so overpowering that, after consuming it, you will not be able to taste anything else. Yet, it does fill your mouth completely as you taste it. 8/10.

Redwood Hill Farm Cheeses-

Camellia- Soft and firm in the center and runny on the edges, this is a delicious, creamy goat cheese. The cheese has a complex, buttery taste. Its texture is delightful. The runny edges are the richest and most satisfying while the center is like a soft, firm cream cheese. 10/10!

California Crottin- This beautifully wrinkly cheese is dense, rich, and somewhat overpowering. Just a little bit of it fills one’s mouth with goat-y, creamy flavor. 9/10.


International Cheese

French Cheese-

Comte- A delicious grainy cheese, this French Gruyere is a cheese that one can eat a lot of at once. Unlike some richer, stinkier cheeses, in which case just a little bit goes a long way. After eating one little piece, one is driven with the desire to have the taste of it in one’s mouth again. This cheese goes well with a good baguette and fresh fruit. It is perfect to bring on a picnic. I have also eaten it in a grilled cheese sandwich, which was quite tasty as well. Yet, I am very fond of the grainy, almost crunchy taste it has when it is not melted.

Mexican Cheese-

Queso Fresco- This is generally a fresh, moist, rind-less, un-aged cheese. In Spanish, it means, simply, “fresh cheese”. It can be found in San Francisco in nearly any Market or grocery store in the Mission District. It is salty, crumbly, and somewhat addictive. In Mexican cooking, it is crumbled over soups, salads, enchiladas, tortas, and almost anything. It does not melt very well. It is a tasty fresh cheese.

Indian Cheese-

Paneer- This Indian cheese is fresh, rind-less and unaged. It is not salty and it does not melt. Unlike most cheeses, rennet is not used in the production of Paneer. It is made with a simple acid such as lemon juice or vinegar. This acid is added to hot milk to separate the curds from the whey. The curds are drained and pressed and chilled in cold water for a couple of hours. A fairly bland cheese on its own, it is delicious in spicy curries.

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 :).