Being a responsible consumer

[cdh]

Looking at the costs of American artisan cheeses, I'm wondering on your thoughts about those of us who wander over to Fairway or Zabars or the Gourmet Garage and buy lots of interesting imported cheeses at the $10 or less per pound, when domestic non-industrial products are always $15+.

I like good cheese and am not disappointed by the bargain imports... You'll pry the $8.00 Boucheron and $9.00 Cabrales out of my cold dead hands... but I feel kind of bad about my aversion to paying the premium for American artisan products more often than I do. When I do get them they're good... but I often don't taste the premium (except in certain limited exceptions like Humboldt Fog and certain local producers...)

Your thoughts? What American cheeses are really worth it?

Edited July 11, 2004 by cdh (log)

[master cheesemonger/grocer]

I am adamant that my cheeses WHEREVER they come from be a proper value. I have chosen NOT to participate in numerous new American cheeses because, while very good, they are just too expensive; for example, the Cowgirl Creamery cheeses. Outrageous. Won't carry them. The Strauss Family stuff. Outrageous. A couple of new blues from Minnesota. Ridiculous. The absolutely remarkable Yves Chaput cheeses from Quebec. Off the wall. To name just a few.

Don't think that you're being disloyal, not for a minute. Not for a minute. Fairway is as much museum collection as market, and we're immensely proud of that fact, but we're not in business to support the artisanal American cheese industry or any other artisanal industry for that matter. That being said (god, I hate that phrase), our selection of fascinating cheeses and non-cheese stuff is still by far the rock'n'roll of the retail food industry, period.

[Peter B Wolf]

Mr. Jenkins: " A M E N "