Welcome to

Madame Fromage

Diary of a Cheese Courtesan

Who is Madame Fromage?

Hello, cheese lover.

Thanks for opening my digital dairy diary. I’m an educator, cookbook author, and cheese curator for Tria, a restaurant group in Philadelphia. I also co-host travel adventures with a company called Cheese Journeys.

I started blogging in 2009 when I set out to eat my way through 350+ cheeses at my local cheese shop, Di Bruno Bros., in Philadelphia. What started as a project to self-educate myself became a wild passion, and eventually a book, Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese.

When I’m not online, I freelance for Edible Philly and hang with my cheese gang, The Rennet Rough Riders. You can also find me at Saint Joseph’s University, where I teach Food Writing and keep a well-stocked cheese cave under my desk.

Why Cheese?

Blame the state of Wisconsin and a Swiss mother. Before moving to the East Coast, I worked as a food editor at Isthmus Newspaper (Madison, WI), where I nibbled my first bite of Pleasant Ridge Reserve. When I landed in Philadelphia in 2005, I stalked cheese makers at farmers’ markets and fell in with a rough crew of swarthy cheesemongers at Di Bruno Bros. — my local shop — and then this blog, and a book, were born.

The Blog

explore Austrian Cheese

Sponsored post by Europe Home of Cheese Until I visited...

Let’s Eat French Cheese!

There are two things holding me together since the pandemic...

Holiday cocktail & Comté tasting

Sponsored by Comté USA – Cocktails are my spirit animal,...

Red Velvet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese and Cherries

A special thanks to Soignon, a French goat cheese company...

Behind the Scenes: A Cheese Painter’s studio

Whenever a cheese lover visits Philadephia for the first time,...

So You Want to be a curd nerd?

If you’re just beginning to explore cheese, come hither! I...

The New Cocktail Hour

The New Cocktail Hour, is brimming with 200+ classic and modern cocktail recipes with tasting notes and food pairing ideas — including cheese pairings!

“Everything you need to know about throwing a successful cocktail party is in this new book.”

— Los Angeles Times

House of Cheese

House of Cheese consists of 170 cheese profiles, 30 recipes, and 10 themed cheese boards.. Pairing ideas for beer, wine, cocktails, and snacks. The introduction, “How to Pick a Hunk,” tells you everything you need to know about buying cheese. Cheesemonger Notes, by Hunter Fike, offer inside scoop into artisan producers. Luscious full-color photos by Jason Varney; food styling by Carrie Purcell

Movie Night Menus

Classic movies meet classic cocktails, plus dinners to go with them. In Movie Night Menus, you can explore 30 classic films with great eating and drinking scenes. Filled with entertaining tips and stories about each film, this book offers a culinary tour of movie history, including menus inspired by The Thin Man, The Philadelphia Story, Sunset Boulevard, Some Like It Hot, American Graffiti, Moonstruck, and many more.

Booze and Vinyl

The ultimate listening party guide, Booze and Vinyl shows you how to set the mood for 70 great records from the 1950s through the 2000s. Each entry includes a Side A and Side B cocktail that is thematically connected to the album. You’ll also find entertaining tips, a lesson on home bartending, and incredible photos by Jason Varney.