Get suggestions from experts that’ll warm you up as temperatures drop
VANESSA COULSON
Main Street Provisions, Chelsea, Michigan
What has the cheese business taught you about yourself?
How much I really love the hospitality industry. Being in the kitchen, you want to take the best care of your guests, but you have to rely on the front of the house to do so.
In a way, running the shop is like a branch of the hospitality business. It’s connecting with people and getting them to come back.
As a chef, you never really get to meet those guests in your dining room, unless they ask you to come out to the table. But this is a way that I get to meet all of our customers, and I know them on a first-name basis. I really enjoy that.
Which fall pairings would you recommend?
Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve. I cannot wait to have it. And we just did a wine tasting, so Wolf & Woman Wines. It’s a South African winery. [Jolandie Fouché] produces a chenin blanc called Always Present, Often Invisible. It’s exceptional—especially paired with Rush Creek Reserve, maybe some Olympia Provisions Loukaniko, and an Anjou pear or Honeycrisp apple.
You run the shop with your husband, who’s also a chef. How does that influence the shop?
Overall, I’d say it’s a great strength for us to have. We like to try things, even if it’s just a cracker or a jam, because we want to be able to pair them with cheeses and meats. I think with our chef backgrounds, we’re like, “OK, this doesn’t work, let’s try it with this.” So if I’m really not liking a brie at room temperature, we bake it and see if it changes the flavor. Most often, it does.
Also, when we run the shop, if we have a busy day, it’s great because both of us can multitask. We’re both really good at that. And if people come in and they don’t know what they want, we want them to try things—because everybody’s palate is different.
LAUREN CRICHTON
Carousel Wine & Cheese, Belfast, Maine
How have you approached taking over a cheese shop while also making it your own?
I took over the shop in January, right after acquiring it. The natural approach for me is immersion learning. I’m there tasting the cheeses that I sell and offering my thoughts and experience to customers, highlighting the parts that I’m most excited about.
I’m always wanting something new, and I feel like that is one of the most fun things, because the shop’s pretty small and I have a commitment to a rotating selection, which is what I’ve always liked about it.
The store I took over has been open for 12 years. Around the time I first moved here, a young couple had opened it. I frequented the shop, always looking for something new or an ingredient for a recipe that was hard to find. I’m really trying to carry that feeling over into the store now that it’s mine.
What’s the most joyful part of running a cheese shop?
It’s been so nice that other business owners in the community have come to me wanting to talk about cheese, to collaborate about cheese. It’s very cheese-forward.
Which fall pairings would you recommend?
When fall flavors start to come out—squash and pears and apples—I’m looking for hearty salad options with fruit, nuts, and cheeses. I think of smoked ricotta or apples and gouda or crumbled aged cheddar.
I also love wild mushrooms and melty cheeses.
ANDREW & TIFFANY REGEN
Camas Cheese Co., Camas, Washington
Tell me about your commitment to highlighting cheeses of the Pacific Northwest.
Tiffany: I think people think about “fancy cheese” and maybe their first association is European cheese. But there are a lot of really talented, special local makers. We like to show that there are smaller, farmstead cheesemakers that customers might not have been introduced to if they didn’t have our shop to help guide them.
We’re in a small town. We see the direct impact that sales and community have when everything is working together. It’s also really important for us to try and give back and keep that principle in place when we have certain cheeses in the case.
Andrew: [We have] some really wonderful creameries. It would be a total mistake to not let people try their cheeses. For example, there’s Cascadia Creamery in Trout Lake—they’re using lava tube caves to age a lot of their cheeses, so there’s an extremely distinct flavor profile that they’re able to create.
It’s about people helping people, and we really feel good about being able to do that.
What’s the most joyful part of running a cheese shop?
Tiffany: Getting to see what people do with the cheeses and other items they buy from us. We’ve had a lot of people come in to get cheeses and whatnot, and then they’ll share a post on Instagram with us, they’ll send us an email, or they’ll come in and tell us [how they enjoyed their goods]. It’s really cool to know that the things we love are also bringing love to other people and other households.
Andrew: Our value statement is that, like love, cheese should be shared.
With that, it was always about having people come in and have a wonderful experience, both at the shelf and at home. We want people to come in and try something new. I’ll say, “I don’t care if you come in and buy something. I want you to come in and try something new.”
That’s been a really fulfilling aspect of this. Just having those conversations, educating when it makes sense to do so, and having a really good time with people who want to learn about cheese and are passionate about food.
What’s it like running a cheese shop as a couple?
Tiffany: Well, it’s one of the hardest and most fulfilling and most fun things I’ve ever done.
Andrew: Well, that’s powerful. Full stop.
Alana Pedalino
Alana Pedalino serves as Managing Editor of culture. Her work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. She loves to write, cook, and kayak. Find her bylines at alanapedalino.com.
