It was the gourmet food store I had been waiting for, for twenty years. It remains, two years after opening, the only purveyor of quality fromage in the entire valley.
The first time I walked into this modest storefront, I started to weep silently to myself with joy. Because laid before me, in its medium sized refrigerated case, were wheels (not pre-cut packages) of Colston Bassett Stilton, cave-aged Taleggio, true Camembert, cloth-bound Vermont cheddar, and dozens of others of the world’s finest (and hard to find) cheeses.
Behind the counter that fateful day were Kristin Sande and Bob Howald – a couple who met at a cheese convention…I mean how cheesy is that! They were and are there every day to discuss levels of ripeness, serving suggestions and wine pairings from their selection of esoteric (and extremely well-priced) wines of the world.