Cheese, so varied and so delicious, offers a small universe of pleasures. To the mind, it is a world to come, to know and explore. To the palate, it is a tapestry of varied tastes and scents, a veritable explosion of flavors and sensibilities.
Just as a generation ago, many Americans first began to consider learning more about wine, today the intellectually curious and the culinary aficionado are teaming up and creating a new class of connoisseur, the connoisseur of cheese. It is to this temperament that we dedicate this magazine: Cheese Connoisseur.
By the way, you don’t have to actually be a cheese connoisseur to enjoy this magazine. My wife and I are far from experts in cheese, but we are on a journey, and what we have learned is this: Just as tasting various wines is the beginning of understanding wine, so trying different cheeses is more than half the fun as you walk the road to fully enjoying and appreciating the wonderful world of cheese.
Fine cheese is rich—more so when enjoyed with a sinful chocolate or wonderful Port, but one needn’t eat much of it. Just a small piece is a portal to someplace delectable. And each cheese has within it a story, a place, a method, a maker.
Our job here is to help illustrate that story, to paint you a picture not only of cheese but also of the world that gives rise to specialty cheeses and the world that enjoys them.
After a half-century of being fed products that are the result of efficient mass production, consumers are reorienting and seeking out the authenticity that specialty cheese represents. You may have heard of the Slow Food movement or noted a new word—locavore—to describe those who look to eat locally produced foods. Maybe you’ve read of the different programs to encourage small-scale farming all across America. Cheese Connoisseur is an outgrowth of the motivations behind all these efforts.
With Cheese Connoisseur by your side, the intimidation of buying cheese is gone; you now have a personal tour guide through this exciting world.
What an opportunity to focus on the fun of enjoying fine cheese but also what a moment to begin to energize your life through a focus on eating quality foods, and thus, living well!
Thanks for reading and taking a walk with us on this exciting journey toward a better life.