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The Best Chefs of the Year: Quince


An upscale French dining experience finishes with cheese service at chef Michael Tusk’s three Michelin–starred Quince in San Francisco.

Whether that’s with an ever-evolving cheese cart making the rounds in the dining room or a cheese soufflé that’s prepared tableside (a recent iteration featured Rush Creek Reserve baked with Champagne and black truffle), it’s a focal point for cheese lovers.  

Photographed by Isabel Baer

With an emphasis on local, chef Tusk has always loved cheeses from Bohemian Creamery in nearby Sebastopol, says Tara Blazona, a representative for Quince. Their favorites this year? Cowabunga, a fresh, lactic cow’s milk cheese that’s filled with goat’s milk cajeta for a bright, dessert-like bite; and Poco Loco, a washed-rind buffalo’s milk cheese that earns extra kick from espresso grounds dappled throughout the paste. 

Photographed by Quince

“Lisa Gottreich produces some of America’s most idiosyncratic cheeses from cow, goat, and water buffalo milks,” Blazona adds, calling them “bold, innovative, and truly artisanal.” 

Bettina Makalintal

Bettina Makalintal is culture's former editorial assistant. With a background in the food industry and as a bike mechanic, she can often be found biking in search of new donut shops.

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