Cutting the Curd

Re-live the Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival on a special episode of Cutting the Curd, as host Greg Blais is joined by Lisa Battilana, the Executive Chef of the Woodstock Farmer’s Market in Vermont and cheesemonger Perry Soulos for a re-cap. The 6th Annual Vermont Cheesemaker’s Festival, sponsored by the Vermont Cheese Council took place July 20th at the Coach Barn at Shelbourne Farm in Vermont and...

What happens when a punk kid figures out how to handle cheese? The Bedford Cheese Shop is born! Get some insight into running a cheese shop as Greg Blais and guest co-host Matt Rubiner chat with Charlotte Kamin, owner of Bedford Cheese Shop- an old-fashioned cheese shop dedicated to providing the finest quality cheeses from around the world. Tune in to find out what the day to day life of a cheese...

Andy Hatch is responsible for one of the most ubiquitous cheeses on counters and menus across the country – Pleasant Ridge Reserve. He’s the guy behind Uplands Cheese Company, a seasonal grass-based dairy farm. Uplands is unique in a number of ways: it follows the “Alpine pattern” of milking, and its a place where cows harvest their own feed, spread their own manure, and give the farmer a bit of a...

Jason Hinds of Neal’s Yard Dairy has damn-near seen it all when it comes to cheese. This week he joins Greg Blais and Emily Acosta on Cutting the Curd to discuss his work at Neal’s Yard Dairy, his cheese travels and his experiences in the Jura region of France. Tune in and hear Jason recount trips to the cheese fortresses of Jura, the seasonality and terroir of the area and what makes the cheeses...

In the last of the Old School vs New School series, Greg Blais is joined by two talented cheesemongers – Emily Acosta of Eataly and Matt Rubiner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers. Hear them both explain how they found cheese as a career, what the world of cheese means to them and what makes a “real” cheesemonger. Find out how the cheese industry has changed over the years and what tools make...

This week on Cutting the Curd , Diane Stemple talks with Gianaclis Caldwell about her new book, The Small-Scale Dairy . Tune into this program to hear how writing this book reminded Gianaclis of the importance of food advocacy. Why is Gianaclis so inspired by the DIY spirit? Learn how some of the FDA’s proposed aging regulations could hurt some cheesemakers, and why artisan producers should define...

Continuing in the old school/new school series, host Greg Blais hosts two sheeps milk cheesemakers on this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd. He chats with David Major of Vermont Shepherd and Veronica Pedraza of Meadowood Farms. They talk a bit about their work making cheese before jumping into a conversation on the new FDA ban on the use of wood for cheese aging. If that sounds crazy to you, you...

Goat milk cheesemakers love goat, there can never be enough cheesemakers and they all love each other. These are some of the positive takeaways from this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd , a continuation in the Old School vs. New School series hosted by Greg Blais. This week’s episode sees burgeoning cheesemaker Michael Lee of Twig Farm, a small goat dairy and cheese making business chatting wit...

What happens when you pit old school next to new school in the cheese world? Find out this week on a brand new episode of Cutting the Curd , as Greg Blais is joined by Jos Vulto of Vulto Creamery and Franklin Peluso, a third generation cheesemaker from California. Tune in to hear their stories and learn what it’s like in the life of a cheesemaker. From raw milk production to inspections – get some...

Tom Mylan knows his meat. The cult-hero, Executive Butcher and co-owner of The Meat Hook, a butcher shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where he cuts, smokes and cures meat that is sourced from small, family-owned farms, is just about to release his first book, The Meat Hook Meat Book: Buy, Butcher, and Cook Your Way to Better Meat . On this week’s book review edition of Cutting the Curd , host Diane...

Welcome to another episode of the best cheese radio show in the world, Cutting the Curd . This week – host Greg Blais is chatting with two movers and shakers in the world of cheese – Elena Santogade of Arethusa Farm & Dairy, and Lisa Hall of Saxon Creamery. Tune in and hear from both guests as they share their cheese stories. Elena explains what it’s like working with the award winning cows at...

What’s the deal with mozzarella? Most people have a vague understanding of the popular cheese – but there’s more to it than you think. From burrata to stracciatella – this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd is dedicated to mozzarella. New host Greg Blais welcomes Rynn Caputo of Caputo Brothers Creamery and Patrick Molinari of Eatlay to chat about the pulled curd we all love so much. Find out what...

Ari Weinzweig knows how to run a good business. In fact, he wrote the book on running a good business — literally, and he’s this week’s guest on Cutting the Curd . From explanations of the “Twelve Natural Laws of Building a Great Business” to “Writing and Using Guiding Principles,” Zingerman’s co-founder Ari Weinzweig shares eighteen different “secrets” that will help you grow and run your busines...

What could be better than a cheese tour? For cheese enthusiasts – it’s worth every penny. On a travel themed episode of Cutting the Curd , Anne Saxelby and Greg Blais chat with Susan Sturman of Academie Opus Caseus and Chris George from Neal’s Yard Dairy. Learn about some cheese farm tours, cheese professional meetups and the place American cheese holds in the global cheese community. What happens...

It’s the Cheese Travel Show on Cutting the Curd! Tune in and hear from Elph Morgan at the Zingerman’s Food Tour and Rynn Caputo from Caputo Brothers Creamery. From Italy to the Midwest, find out what goes into making a great cheese travel experience and why cheese makes for such an interesting destination theme. This program was sponsored by Bonnie Plants There are three things we look for when de...

This week on Cutting the Curd, Diane interviews Tenaya Darlington, author of DiBruno’s House of Cheese. Tenaya talks about her writing and processes, as well as how she came up with 170 great cheeses to include in the book. This program has been sponsored by Consider Bardwell Farm . Today’s music provided by The California Honeydrops . Image from DiBruno Bros. “We liked the idea of giving 1 line o...

What does it look like when a small business scales up in the cheese world? This week’s episode of Cutting the Curd answers that question, as host Anne Saxleby is joined by two guests who are in the middle of that process right now. First, hear from Kari Skibbie, Sales Director of Holland’s Family Cheese and later in the show hear from Chris Roelli, Cheesemaker for Roelli Cheese Haus. Learn about...

The cheese world is changing! Certain certification programs are evolving and there are more options than ever for aspiring cheesemongers looking to learn about the industry. With that, comes controversy. On this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd , Anne Saxelby chats with cheesemonger Greg Blais of Eataly about certification programs, their effectiveness and relevance in today’s ever-changing wor...

We’re profiling some Cheesy Kickstarters this week on Cutting the Curd ! Tune in as Anne Saxleby chats with Rynn Caputo about her successful Kickstarter campaign for Caupto Brothers Creamery. The Caputo Brothers Creamery’s successful Kickstarter campaign helped them start an initiative to deliver their mozzarella curd to people’s homes. This program has been sponsored by Wisconsin Milk Marketing B...

What’s better than beer & cheese? This week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby invites Jimmy Carbone, host of Beer Sessions Radio and Greg Blais, cheesemonger at Eataly for an on-air beer and cheese pairing and discussion! Tune in and learn how grains play into both cheese and beer – and what pairings work best. Tune in for this virtual tasting and conversation about terroir, provence and ingre...

This week on Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple interviews Janet Fletcher, food writer from Napa Valley and author of Cheese and Beer . Janet writes a weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle where she reviews cheeses, and gives a beer or wine pairing suggestion at the end. Tune in to hear Janet’s thoughts on combining beer & cheese! This program has been sponsored by Wisconson Milk Mark...

This week’s episode of Cutting the Curd focuses on New Jersey family businesses. Hear from Bob Sickles of Sickles Market, a multi-generational family business. Since 1908, Sickles Market has become a favorite destination for the best produce, plants, gourmet foods, garden accessories, and gifts at the New Jersey Shore. Later in the show, hear from Andrea Carbine, Owner and Founder of Local Roots C...

The results are in! This year’s Cheesemonger Invitational in San Francisco was a huge success and a winner was crowned – Perry Soulos! Tune in and hear from both Perry and the organizer of the wildly successful event – Adam Moskowitz. Hear how cheesemongers faced off, what plans are in store for the event in the future and what’s going on generally in the world of cheesemongers today! This program...

On this edition of the Cutting the Curd Book Review, Diane Stemple chats with Tami Parr, author of Pacific Northwest Cheese: A History about, well… the history of cheese in the Pacific Northwest! Learn about the research that was involved with writing the book, and how Tami had to dig through the archives of the Library of Congress to discover some of the West’s oldest cheesemakers! Learn how milk...

It’s the holiday season, and many folks are wondering, “What’s the best cheese to bring to a family gathering?” Anne Saxelby is joined by two guests who can help you make the right cheese decision: Andy Hatch of Uplands Cheese and Matt Rubiner of Rubiner’s Cheesemongers and Grocers! Tune in to hear Andy Hatch talk about the processes involved with making Rush Creek Reserve- the perfect holiday che...