I took a little cheese retreat
I have a thing for hermitages. They’re where hermits live. Just outside of Philadelphia, there is a retreat center called Clare House with five hermitages in the woods around Aston, Pennsylvania. I went there earlier this spring to write and to spend a few quiet evenings sans gmail. I needed a g-break. I felt Twitter-sick and [...]
Chester County Cheese Dinner at Nectar
For Earth Day on April 24, Chef Patrick Feury of Nectar in Berwyn, PA will honor Chester County cheese artisans with a very special meal. He’ll recreate the 5-course Farmland Dinner that he prepared recently at the James Beard House. Here’s why you should go: The first course is Birchrun Hills Blue Cheese and Spinach [...]
Greensgrow
Every fall, I love heading over to Greensgrow, an urban farm a few blocks from my house. Not only do they carry apples and honey from the ‘hood, they offer a fridge full of local cheese. And right now, this cooler holds some gems. You’re looking at me with Alex Smith, my go-to dairy grrrl [...]
Kidchego
This week I’ve been doing a lot of research on Manchego, that ubiquitous Spanish cheese that appears in coolers everywhere with its bone face and herringbone-like rind. It always makes me think of a stoic in a suit. I’ve pegged it as a waxy, not very interesting cheese. Then I met Kidchego. As you might [...]
Farewell, Paul Lawler
Every city needs a local cheese impresario. In Philadelphia, that person has been Paul Lawler. His bearded mug has been hovering around the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market for as long as I’ve written this blog (3 years), helping eaters connect to local Bries, blues, and goat cheese. When he finishes his last shift [...]
