Dan's Papers - July 4, 2008 - East End Specialty Shops Cheese It Up

The vast variety of cheeses available today is staggering and consumers may find it both educational and exhilarating when exploring new cheese tastes. I enjoyed such an experience when I visited and interviewed several of our local cheese shops and cheese makers. The level of passion from the proprietors will inspire you to make informed and delectable choices.

Rosemary and Adam Batcheller opened the Village Cheese store in 1972, selling a wide variety of imported and American hand-crafted cheeses, along with a popular take-out sandwich and salad business. Recognizing the growth of the wineries on the North Fork, Rosemary focused her attention on the store they opened in Mattituck in 2001. The marked difference in the Southampton store is the café within the shop where cheese and wine functions are held. Wine, served by the glass or bottle, charcuterie and cheese plates, fondue and raclette is the heart and soul of the Mattituck store. For the plates, choices can be made from the French Collection with offerings like Brie, St. Mcaire, a semi-firm cow's milk cheese and Bleu D'auvergne, a rindless cheese with liberal blue veining. The Spanish Collection plates up Manchego, pasteurized sheep's milk cheese with a nutty flavor, Cabrales, a blue-veined cheese with a rich and intense flavor, and Tetilla, a creamy textured cheese with a mild and tangy flavor. Their Italian Collection includes Tallegio, cow's milk cheese with a meaty, slightly salty flavor and cheesy aroma, aged Asiago, an unpasteurized cheese with different levels of sharpness according to its age, and Gorgonzola, a pasteurized cows milk cheese with a spicy, earthy flavor. Cheese plate offerings can change due to availability.

Starting with just a one-acre farm and 18 goats in Mattituck in 2003, Karen and Dr. Michael Catapano entered the American Cheese Society's annual competition in Louisville, Kentucky in 2005. Their soft, fresh chevre was entered in the goat category and to their joy, won first place. The thought process, the care, the feeding and their immaculate work conditions won them the competition. Dr. Catapano, an urgent care physician with a new facility in Cutchogue, was drawn to the land because of his medical background and scientific understanding of the chemistry behind artisan cheeses. The Catapano's goat cheese feta, whole goat milk ricotta - a new favorite among local chefs - and the light, lemony goat yogurt milk are all full flavored and rich tasting cheeses. Karen spoke of the delicate composition of yogurt milk, making it ideal for the lactose intolerant. Hot off the press for the Catapano's is their brand new blue cheese being released as Peconic Blue, a 3-month-aged cheese. Blue cheese lovers will be among the first to try it.

Lucy's Whey, a unique cheese retailer specializing in American artisanal cheeses ,opened in East Hampton in January of this year. The original striped barber shop pole is the landmark for the charming double-windowed corner space decorated in red, white and yellow. The small, country-town feel continues inside with red framed cheese related cartoons from New Yorker magazine that adorn the yellow paneled walls.

Catherine Bodziner has a passion for cheese and started out selling cheese at farmers markets. She found in business partner Lucy Kazickas a common goal to introduce high quality artisanal cheeses to cheese-lovers throughout the country.

In the short time I visited, customers (who already appear to be regulars) came by for their favorites, one of which was Fiscalini cheddar, an award winning raw milk cheese, nutty with a slightly smoky note, from Modesto, California. Some other delicious tastings during my visit included Midnight Moon, a sweet and nutty goat milk cheese from California, Ewes Blue sheep's milk cheese from Old Chatham in Chatham, Vermont and Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a mild but nutty cow's milk cheese from Wisconsin. Customers were also lured to the basket of crusty rosemary baguettes that arrive daily from Tom Cat bakery in Long Island City. Shelves in the shop are lined with a multitude of fine oils, vinegars, chutneys, olives and dipping sauces out of respect from the proprietor's value for quality, non-processed foods.

Catherine was asked to be on the planning board of Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett and the Peconic Land Trust. She is delighted with this association, having long supported the premise of local farms and vineyards. Lucy's Whey donated their 18-month-old bandage wrapped Fiscalini cheese for the farm's annual dinner.

Tucked a little back from Division Street in Sag Harbor is Cavaniola's. On a recent visit customers were lined up to the front door as Michael, his wife and two assistants provided tastings as they busily wrapped purchases. Some of the more popular requests were a flavorful Swiss Alps, raw aged cow's milk, fresh chevre goat cheese from Westfield, Massachusetts, a raw milk unpasteurized Reblochon - Cavaniola's is the only cheese store on the East Coast to carry this brie-like sweet nutty cheese - and Abbay De Bellocq, a delicious cheese with a milky finish made at a Benedictine monastery. Try it with fresh figs. When I asked Michael about fat content in cheese he suggested their Tomme de Savoie with only 25% butterfat but a mild and savory flavor.

The shop's focus is on hard to find artisan cheese from small producers all over the world. This idea flowed over to their brand new wine shop next door to the cheese shop where you will find limited production esoteric wines from Long Island as well as the Old World. There is great synergy of wine and cheese and the Cavaniolas plan to have tastings on weekends working with a small group of importers who share their passion for unique artisanal wines.

Wherever I went retailers praised Art Ludlow's Atlantic Mist, a raw milk camembert-style packaged in the round, as well as Shawondasee, a semi-hard cheese with a protective natural rind and subtle flavors that pair nicely with fruit, and Mecox Sunrise, a washed rind semi-hard cheese aged 2-4 months that was awarded second place in its category in a 2004 American Cheese Society competition. From the earliest times cheese has been made in stock-rearing countries to use up surplus milk. This is exactly what turned Art Ludlow into a professional cheese maker. Since 2003, Art, his wife Stacy and sons, Peter and John, have produced farmstead artisan cheeses from their small herd of Jersey cows at their Mecox Bay Dairy in Bridgehampton. It all began with Stacey's lone cow that produced more milk than the family could drink.

"Besides being a great tasting product, cheese is a good way to store the nutrients of milk," said Art. In 2007 Cheddar - and Sigit (in honor of his mother's nickname) were added to their roster of cheeses. Cheddar is made in the British style yet a bit sweeter, and Sigit in the Emmental style is aged about 18 months, has lots of character and a flavor reminiscent of butterscotch. Mecox Bay Dairy's artisanal cheeses are sold at local markets and Fairview, the farmstand next to the dairy.

The cheese world wouldn't be complete without mention of Roquefort; an intensely flavored cheese protected by the Roquefort Association and in a class all its own. I have a personal affinity to Parmigiano Reggiano from Parma Italy, Pecorino Romano from Lazio, Italy and Southern Italy's Mozzarella.

Pasquale Langella, Mozzarella cheese maker extraordinaire, holds court every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Tutto Italiano, a Citarella store in East Hampton, where he makes fresh mozzarella. From start to finish, Pasquale's hands are poetry in motion as he works the special curd in several additions of hot, (140 degree) water until the curds melt into supple sheets of what appears to be voluminous white velvet stretched over a stainless steel paddle. Pasquale's hands worked the melting curd into the familiar mozzarella shape and a dip in cold water makes the shape stick. Pasquale handed me a tasting directly from the cold water receptacle. Still slightly warm but creamy and smooth, the small bites just slid down my throat, leaving a rich, slightly salty aftertaste. It was heaven in a bite!

In today's diet-conscious world, cheese has almost become forbidden food. Fortunately, high quality cheese ensures that a little goes a long way, making it a perfect dessert indulgence. Pair it with ripe fruit and it's much leaner than creme brulee. Look for artisanal varieties from a reputable source. We have many great choices right here on the East End.