According to Food & Wine, charcuterie boards were the number three top food trend on TikTok, behind cloud bread and baked oats. While technically they listed charcuterie, it’s probably safe to assume the trend encompasses cheese boards too. FYI, butter boards clocked in at 10 on the list. We’ll go out on a limb and say the charcuterie board has a bit more staying power…
- Remember the woman who sued Velveeta over its misleading prep time? Well, this week Vox Today Explained did a deep dive into the lawyer representing her. Turns out this isn’t his first rodeo. Listen here.
- Costco is bringing back one of its most popular holiday items: the cheese advent calendar. Instead of sugary candy, this innovative calendar features a selection of 12 European cheeses including manchego and Mimolette.
- It was only a matter of time…a man in Toronto is selling x-rated charcuterie boards in the shape of human anatomy. We’ll let you decide if you want to click to see for yourself.
- Susie Cover, a chef and the former VP of operations for Butter Beans Kitchen, has been named as the first executive director of the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund.
- Italian cheesemaker Auricchio Group has acquired 3B Latte, a producer of goat, cow, and buffalo milk cheeses whose brands include Vaccino, Di Capra and Senza Lattosio.
- Ohio-based Great Lakes Cheese has joined the Farm Powered Strategic Alliance, a collaborative movement to boost food waste recycling and expand renewable energy production across America. Vermont Creamery and Cabot Creamery are also members.
- The “sweet, digestible milk” from the cows at Connecticut’s Cato Corner Farm is the focus of a profile in The Hartford Courant. “All of our cows produce milk with A2:A2 beta casein, which many people find easier to digest,” co-owner Mark Gillman (at right) told reporter Stephen Underwood. “We also breed our cows to produce BB kappa casein, which is recommended for cheese production.” Read more here.
- Plant-Based News: Philadelphia and Bel Brands, under the precision fermentation company Perfect Day, are both launching new dairy-free cream cheeze spreads.
- When Scott Frank of died on December 1 at age 48 after a valiant fight against esophageal cancer, the specialty food world lost a beloved colleague, mentor, and friend. Frank spent his career in the industry; for the last eight years he was vice president of sales and marketing at Rustic Bakery, one of at least two companies he elevated from a “mom-and-pop” business to a national brand.
Shop Talk
- Kurt Gudal, founder of the cheese board business, Kurt & Whey, has opened Canyon Grocer, a neighborhood cheese shop and market, in Santa Monica, California. Gurdal grew up working behind the counter at his parents’ celebrated Boston cheese shop, Formaggio Kitchen, where he eventually became GM, and further honed his skills at Neal’s Yard Dairy in London.
- Green Bay natives, Casey Diedrich and Taylor Ambrosius, have opened Wisconsin Meat and Cheese in Charleston, South Carolina.
Jobs and Deadlines
- The Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center has opened applications for its Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management Grant.
- Dairy processors who register by Jan. 18 save 20% on CheeseCon, hosted April 4-6 by Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) and the Center for Dairy Research.
- Are you a skilled cheesemaker in search of an adventure? Brown’s Cheese Company in Kenya, East Africa, has an intriguing opening.
Josie Krogh
Josie Krogh is culture's Digital Strategy Lead. She earned her master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from The University of Georgia. Josie developed a love of food while working at farmstands in the D.C. area as a young adult, and discovered her love of cheese while living and working on a dairy farm on Martha's Vineyard. Josie currently lives in Catskill, NY.
