Cutting the Curd

On this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are in the studio talking about the Cheesemonger Invitational. First, Anne and Sophie talk with Adam Smith of Cowgirl Creamery in Washington, D.C. Adam was this year’s Cheesemonger Invitational champion, and he discusses the rigors of the cheese competition. Hear about the different facets of the contest, including everything from a “plate the slate” test to a blind tasting. Later, Adam Moskowitz, founder of the Cheesemonger Invitational, joins Anne and Sophie in the studio. Tune in to hear how the contest has grown, what are the aims of the competition, and Adam’s hopes for the invitational in the future. Tune in to hear how your favorite cheesemonger scored in the competition! This program has been brought to you by Heritage Meat Shop. “The first year- it was about the party. The second year- it was about the monger. And the third year- it was about the community, and I hope the community aspect continues to grow and prosper.” — Adam Moskowitz on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are talking with Sandor Katz, author of the book The Art of Fermentation. Tune in to hear about how bacterial cultures are reflections of our cultural identity! Anne, Sophie, and Sandor also discuss the war on bacteria, and how it is completely antithetical to boosting one’s immune system and can be seen as harmful to one’s health. Sandor praises the merits of fermented food and beverage, such as wine, salami, sauerkraut, and our favorite- cheese! Hear about how the work of Louis Pasteur has made it difficult for modern cheesemakers to produce raw milk cheeses. Learn more about urbanization and how it initiated a need for sterility. Grab a block of your favorite fermented cheese and tune into this episode to find out more information about the health benefits of fermented foods! This episode has been sponsored by White Oak Pastures. “As a group, these cultured foods or fermented foods, are more than incidental culinary novelties. They are really at the core of our cultural identity. The word culture itself comes from the Latin word for ‘cultivation’- and so there’s the sense that culture is a form cultivation, beginning with cultivating the soil for the food we eat, and on through all the other things we have learned to cultivate in different ways.” — Sandor Katz on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are on the phone with Rynn Caputo of the Caputo Brothers Creamery in Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. Recently, Rynn came into Saxelby Cheesemongers in the Essex Street Market and showed Anne her mozzarella-making process! Tune in to hear about how Rynn and her husband set out with the intention of becoming chefs, and became makers of fine Italian-style cheeses. Learn about the different proteins that are present in milk, and how they make their way into different types of cheeses. At the end of the episode, Rynn describes the processes she uses to make mozzarella- starting with the curd and ending with stretching. This episode has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch. “Our biggest hurdle to overcome is just really making people understand what it means for it to be fermented, what it means for it actually to be cheese, why mozzarella should actually taste like something. Then, we’re assuring people that it’s easy [to make].” — Rynn Caputo on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On today’s episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are talking with Chris Vamos, president of Milkman Cheese Services. Tune in to hear about cheese in Los Angeles and other parts of Southern California. Chris believes that younger cheesemakers are so eager to please all palettes, that they make several types of cheese without having a focus. Hear about Chris’s role in advising cheesemakers with his company, Milkman Cheese Services. While Chris takes cheese very seriously, he sees the humor in the cheese business and makes it accessible to everyone. To hear more, tune in to this episode of Cutting the Curd- sponsored by White Oak Pastures. “Consistency is huge. That’s something I want to hammer into my cheesemakers. If you can make the same great product week in and week out, that is enormous. You want to cut out the peaks and valleys as much as you can.” — Chris Vamos on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leave all of your stereotypes about “diets” and “dieting” behind! On this episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are talking with Elizabeth Fassberg, Registered Dietician and president of Eatfood (and her son, Jack) about nutrition and healthy dietary habits. Tune in to hear about Elizabeth’s start in the food world making cakes at age fourteen. Hear about how her experiences working with low-income youth inspired her to become a dietician. You might not expect a dietician to tell you to eat a lot of cheese, but Elizabeth is here to tell you all about the health benefits of eating cheese. As with anything, always consume in moderation- but cheese is filled with calcium and vitamins that are extremely beneficial to your health! Find out more; tune into this week’s Cutting the Curd. This episode has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery. “I consider myself a foodie dietician because my background is all about food and how to eat really wholesome and delicious food. I don’t always focus on the vitamins and minerals, but talk about real food, delicious food, and how it actually tastes.” — Elizabeth Fassberg on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week is Cutting the Curd’s 100th episode! Congratulations to Anne Saxelby, Sophie Slesinger, and everyone else who has either been a guest or supported Cutting the Curd thus far! For this very special episode, Brian Keyser, Dimitri Saad, and Leigh Friend of Casellula Cheese & Wine Café are in the studio for a seven-course cheese tasting! More specifically, Anne and Sophie are taking a lesson in cheese pairing from everyone at Casellula. Hear about some of the cheese condiments at Casellula, as well as how to do your own cheese pairing with food from your pantry. Learn some general basics in terms of complimentary and contrasting tastes and textures. Sit down with a plate of cheese and some of your favorite snacks to pair, and listen to the 100th episode of Cutting the Curd! This episode was sponsored by Hearst Ranch. “There are no rules to pairing- that’s something I like to make clear. Whatever you like to eat together is what goes well together… But two rules of thumb are that you either want to compliment or contrast.” — Brian Keyser on Cutting the Curd “I believe that it’s easier for us sometimes to go for something that’s going to compliment, but the fun part about what we do at Casellula is that we taste everything. So sometimes you’re going to get that experience from something that is completely unexpected.” — Leigh Friend on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger are in the studio with two cheese professionals Marwen Amor of Fromagerie Catin in Paris and Sue Sturman of the American Cheese Society’s Cheese Professional Certification Program. Tune in to hear about Marwen’s beginnings in the cheese business, studying dairy sciences, the state of cheesemongering amongst the French youth, and his thoughts on American cheeses. Hear about his company, Saveurs de Laits, and its place in the cheese world. This program has been brought to you by Whole Foods. “If I could say [what sets Fromagerie Catin apart] in one word, it would be passion. They love cheese and they have the desire to teach the customers how to eat the cheese and what to eat it with.” “Young people in Paris prefer to work in banks, social services, things like that. You can say that it’s a job that’s disappearing. But there are enough people in the new generations to keep the traditions going.” — Marwen Amor on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this week’s Cutting the Curd, Anne and Sophie are talking about cooking with cheese! Joining them in the studio today is Sarah A. Maine of Saxelby Cheesemongers and the website RecipeRelay. Hear about Sarah’s unique website that encourages readers to alter recipes and spread them across the globe. Also joining Anne and Sophie is Lizz Spano, winner of Artisanal Bistro’s Grilled Cheese Competition and The Grilled Cheese Experiment. Hear about Lizz’s introduction to grilled cheese, and how it turned into a love and an expansive menu. Soups, salads, pizzas – every dish can be spruced up with a little cheese! So tune in, and learn how you can improve some of your favorite recipes with cheese. This program has been brought to you by Edwards. “I think the interesting thing about cheese is that people don’t use it as a main ingredient, but maybe more as a spice.” —Sarah A. Maine on Cutting the Curd “I always cook with the rind, as long as it’s an edible rind.” —Lizz Spano on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesginer are joined by Michele Buster of Forever Cheese and Mitica on this week’s Cutting the Curd. Forever Cheese and Mitica are importers of European cheeses, almonds, and other goods. Tune in to hear Michele’s start with distributing cheese, how language has helped her importing cheeses, and the differences between different Manchego cheeses. Listen to how FDA regulations have impeded cheese importation, and thus affects the already depressed economy in Europe. Michele loves sheep’s milk cheeses, and hopes that you will, too. This episode has been brought to you by Edward’s. “I never looked to see what people were asking for, it was about us finding things that we were so passionate about, and creating that ‘want’ here.” —Michele Buster on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s time for more urban cheese making on Cutting the Curd! This week, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slesinger talk with Matt Spiegler- web developer by day, and cheese maker by night. Tune in to hear Matt’s first memories of cheese, his initial interest in making his own cheese, and what types of cheeses he prefers to make. Hear about how Matt translated a French cheese documentary into English, and his self-imposed ‘365 Cheese Challenge’. Learn more about Matt’s cheese infatuation at Cheese Notes. This program has been brought to you by Hearst Ranch. “My very first cheese-making experiments were mozzarella and ricotta- the easier cheeses to make. But then I decided I wanted to take it to the next step- goat cheeses, lactic cheeses, aged goat cheeses. At first, they were huge disasters because I tried to age them in my fridge.” —Matt Spiegler on Cutting the Curd See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.