Many congratulations to Daphne Zepos and Kiri Fisher for having recently acquired the Cheese School of San Francisco.

Daphne, who has been passionately involved in the cheese scene since the mid-nineties and is also co-owner of Essex Street Cheese, http://essexcheese.com  a company that imports carefully matured Comte, Parmigiano Reggiano and Gouda into the United States is beyond delighted.  "We plan to expand the number of classes and add more professional programs, but also vary the classes to include more cooking, more beer and more events.  I hope it becomes a West Coast Meeting Center for the Cheese Obsessed" she said after the public announcement was made on Tuesday.

There is no doubt that Daphne, a gifted teacher, has proved her chops in the cheese world.  I first met her at Neals Yard Dairy in London, when she came to work and train there.  Upon returning to San Francisco, she went to work at Campden Place restaurant, and was entirely responsible to launching one of the first serious cheese programs in the city.  Each evening, after a hard day in the kitchen as a line cook, she would perform a Wonder Woman transformation, putting on her heels to escort the cheese cart around the dining room, educating and serving diners.

Since then, Daphne has judged national and international cheese competitions, co-founded the Cheese for Choice coalition for the preservation of raw milk cheese, is a former board member for the American Cheese Society http://www.cheesesociety.org and helped establish the Artisanal Premium Cheese Center in New York.

I have no doubt that under her direction, the courses at the Cheese School of San Francisco will benefit greatly from her expertise and energy as will all those who attend.

Once again, many congratulations Daphne and Kiri.  This is fantastic news.