Tiffany Kenney of Locavore Roar joins Anne Saxelby to talk about the Wisconsin Food Festival on this week’s edition of Cutting the Curd. Hear how the event aims to mimic the idea of “slow food” by encouraging attendees to meet with cheesemakers and other producers. Learn about the contemporary Wisconsin food scene and how it combines new food trends with decades of heritage. How is Locavore Roar supporting local food economies and small businesses? Learn why Tiffany decided to head up Locavore R...
Sep 13, 2013•30 min•Ep. 150
Lassa Skinner is a woman who knows her cheese. As founder/owner at Culture cheese magazine and Co-Author of Cheese For Dummies , she knows how to translate her cast amount of cheese knowledge to the public. On this week’s book review of Cutting the Curd , join guest host Diane Stemple as she chats with Lassa about the process of writing Cheese for Dummies , which is the only book in the Dummies series with photography! Learn about what considerations went into a book intended to be accessible fo...
Aug 30, 2013•36 min•Ep. 149
Greg O’Neill is a man who knows cheese better than most. He’s the co-founder and co-owner of Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine in Chicago, and president of the American Cheese Society which just celebrated a successful 30th annual conference this year in Madison, Wisconsin. Greg re-caps the conference and speaks to the current state of the cheese community in America. Find out about some great upcoming festivals and trends in the world of cheese. Cutting the Curd is underwritten by The D...
Aug 30, 2013•34 min•Ep. 148
Meet Jonny Hunter – one of the founders of the Underground Food Collective, a group of talented chefs and food professionals that do everything from catered events to a unique line of charcuterie. Learn how the collective came together and why Jonny thinks a group mentality can elevate cuisine. Hear about their special dinners and events and find out how Wisconsin plays such an important role in all of their gastronomic projects. Cutting the Curd is underwritten by The Dairy Farm Families of Wis...
Aug 16, 2013•30 min•Ep. 147
On a special episode of Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby and Sophie Slessinger chat with Jess Perrie of Beehive Cheese Company, who happens to be the first recipient of the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award, a scholarship started in honor of cheese professional Daphne Zepos, who passed away last year. Jess explains what it means to win the scholarship and how she discovered her passion for cheese. Hear about her cheese journey and various projects and learn more about everything from cheese education to...
Aug 09, 2013•32 min•Ep. 146
Who doesn’t love Mac & Cheese? On the monthly book review edition of Cutting the Curd , guest host Diane Stemple is joined by Laura Werlin, a James Beard award-winning author with an unbridled passion for cheese. Laura’s latest book is Mac & Cheese Please , where you’ll find 50 recipes organized by fun topics, such as Classic and Almost-Classic Mac & Cheese, Porky Mac & Cheese, Decadent Mac & Cheese, Lighten Up Mac & Cheese, Veggie Mac & Cheese, Party Time Mac & C...
Jul 26, 2013•35 min•Ep. 145
Hear from former Saxelby Cheesemonger Jon Bonanno on the latest episode of Cutting the Curd . Jon has worn a variety of hats in the cheese world: farm assistant at Consider Bardwell, cheesemonger at Saxelby Cheesemongers and Cavaniola’s Tribeca, and cheesemaker at Rainbeau Ridge Farm in Bedford Hills (the farm of Lisa Schwartz, maker of the awardwinning Meridian), as well as an active home cheesemaker.After a couple years as a parttime assistant cheesemaker, he arranged to lease the cheesemaking...
Jul 19, 2013•28 min•Ep. 144
Find out what it takes to become a Master Cheesemaker on the latest episode of Cutting the Curd . Now in its 18th year, the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program is the only one of its kind outside of Europe. For cheesemakers, it provides the opportunity to reach the highest levels of their craft. For buyers, it provides unparalleled quality assurance, innovation and expertise. Administered from the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the program is open to veteran...
Jul 12, 2013•31 min•Ep. 143
Meet Brian Schlatter from Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese, where the higest quality milk is turned into delicious Handmade – Artisan – Raw Milk cheese. Their philosophy is to not only create cheese that is good for you, but also taste wonderful. The cheeses take on their own unique taste and attributes that come from the land on which the cheese is produced. Tune into an informative episode of Cutting the Curd as Brian chats about farming, explains their cheesemaking process, the genesis of Cana...
Jun 28, 2013•39 min•Ep. 142
Pizza a Casa Pizza School officially opened its doors April 15th, 2010 at 371 Grand Street on New York City’s historic Lower East Side. Since opening, Mark and his wife, Jenny, have been teaching sold-out pizza-making classes to thousands of students from all over the world. Together with their students and the Pizza a Casa team, the home ovens in their classroom have produced more than 15,000 pizzas (as of Spring 2013). On Cutting the Curd, learn about their groundbreaking pizza app, and hear t...
Jun 21, 2013•38 min•Ep. 141
Heather Paxson views cheese through an anthropological lens in her book, The Life of Cheese . On this week’s Cutting the Curd Book Review, Diane Stemple invites Heather into the studio to discuss cheese- from its creation to its consumption. Find out why Heather first became fascinated with American artisan cheese in New York City’s Greenmarkets. Learn about the research that went into Heather’s book, and how she visited small farms and famous fromageries. Heather and Diane also tackle the misco...
Jun 14, 2013•33 min•Ep. 140
On a brand new episode of Cutting the Curd, discover Mystic Cheese & The 4th Annual Cheesemonger Invitational. Led by Jason Sobocinski and Brian Civitello, The Mystic Cheese Company is composed of highly skilled and and trained cheese experts using science and art to bring milk on a metamorphic jouney to pure deliouness. In the Spring of 2013 Mystic Cheese began releasing 5 handcrafted fresh and soft ripened American original cheeses. In addtion to their cheeses they have an innovative produ...
Jun 07, 2013•39 min•Ep. 139
On this month’s special book review edition of Cutting the Curd with special guest host Diane Stemple, listeners are introduced to Diane St. Clair, the author of The Animal Farm Buttermilk Cookbook: Recipes and Reflections from a Small Vermont Dairy . The yet to be released book offers 100 recipes, from sweet to savory, designed to showcase the best that buttermilk can contribute to food, all set in the context of what it is like to live and work on a small Vermont artisanal dairy. Diane has bee...
May 31, 2013•35 min•Ep. 138
It’s time for Camp Bacon! Tune in to this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd as Anne Saxelby chats with Ari Weinzwieg, founder of Zingerman’s and creator of Camp Bacon, a fundraiser in Ann Arbor, MI for Southern Foodways Alliance that brings together Bacon-Lovers, -Makers, Cooks, Curers and anyone who likes to learn, eat and enjoy cured and smoked pork belly. Camp Bacon is four days of all things bacon — eating, learning, listening, tasting and talking; a pork centric party that features every...
May 24, 2013•32 min•Ep. 137
Lauren Melodia aims to link New York dairy farmers and high incarceration rates with her organization, Milk Not Jails. This week on Cutting the Curd, Anne Saxelby sits down with Lauren, founder and co-organizer, to talk about the prison system in New York, and how it connects the urban with the rural. How do prisons bolster New York’s rural economy? Find out how government support for dairy farms as opposed to prisons creates a sustainable economy. Learn how a lack of processing and bottling pla...
May 17, 2013•34 min•Ep. 136
As Anne Saxelby continues to explore the lives and careers of Cheesemongers across the nation on Cutting the Curd , this week she checks in with Peter Lovis, the warm and charismatic proprietor of the Concord Cheese Shop in New England. Hear his cheese journey and find out why he thinks it’s absolutely necessary to have a face to face interaction with the people selling you your cheese – not a digital relationship. Find out why cut to order is always better and what makes raw milk cheeses so spe...
May 10, 2013•34 min•Ep. 135
Ken Skovron is the owner of Darien Cheese and Fine Foods , based in Darien Connecticut. One of first original cheese stores opened 36 years ago, Darien Cheese and Fine Foods focuses their selection on the heart and soul of cheese making; the artisan cheese maker. In addition to cheese, the shop also offers fine oils and vinegars, chutney, mustards, pasta, olives, teas, oven breads, and much more. Tune in to learn more about the shop, as well as the art of running your own cheese business from an...
May 03, 2013•26 min•Ep. 134
It’s a cheese-for-all on this episode of Cutting the Curd . Host Diane Stemple starts her book review program with Sasha Davies, a member of the Executive Board of the American Cheese Society and owner of Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery in Portland, Oregon. Davies recently authored the book “The Cheesemaker’s Apprentice” which includes in-depth interviews from top cheesemakers and cheese recipes. Find out what it takes to write the book on top-quality cheese production. The President of the Americ...
Apr 26, 2013•31 min•Ep. 133
Greg Blais has a storied history as a cheesemonger in New York City. Anne Saxelby invites Greg into the studio to talk about the roots of the cheesemonger profession. Tune in to hear about Greg’s time at various New York City food institutions such as Balducci’s, Dean & Deluca, and the Essex Street Market. What was the food landscape like when Greg decided to pursue the career of a cheese professional? Find out about Greg’s current job as a cheese buyer at Eataly, and why the proof is in the...
Apr 19, 2013•37 min•Ep. 132
Anne Saxelby reviews some recent cheese headlines on this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd. Anne is joined in the studio by founder of Heritage Foods USA, the Heritage Radio Network, and husband, Patrick Martins, to sort through all of the true and false cheese stories of the past year. Find out how much stolen muenster was found in the back of a tractor trailer. Learn more about government cheese, and cheese and pizza chains. How is tennis player Novak Djokovic linked to donkey cheese? Tune i...
Apr 12, 2013•29 min•Ep. 131
Canning and preserving has really become a big trend in the food world these days, but how can you take it to the next level? Tune in to this week’s episode of Cutting the Curd as Anne Saxelby chats with Kelly Geary, founder of Sweet Deliverance and author of Tart & Sweet . Tart & Sweet provides a fresh tutorial on small batch canning accompanied by gorgeous photography that looks nothing like the dark and dusty “canned food” of yesteryear. The cookbook is packed with more than 101 recip...
Mar 29, 2013•28 min•Ep. 130
The Daphne Zepos Teaching Award is an annual scholarship awarded to an USA-based cheese professional who uses the funds to travel, learn and further their education on cheese. This award will grow a squad of cheese professionals who teach about the history, culture and techniques in making, aging and selling cheese. Each year someone new will go forth to learn about cheese. The scholarship will fund travel and living expenses. The winner will return to share their learnings with the cheese commu...
Mar 22, 2013•30 min•Ep. 129
Learn all about “the art of butter” on a creamy episode of Cutting the Curd, as Anne Saxelby returns to the airwaves to chat with Susan Bruss of Olli’s Farm and Creamery in beautiful Hartwick, New York. From the 1800’s until about 30 years ago, the farm had been an outstanding dairy farm. With Susan’s wonderful cultured butters, she hopea to bring it back to its former glory. Hear how she takes fresh cream and turns it into a blissful mound of Olli’s Handcrafted Cultured Butter- an American comf...
Mar 16, 2013•33 min•Ep. 128
So you want to learn about cheese? You’ve found the perfect program! This week’s guest on Cutting the Curd is Susan Sturman, of the Academie Opus Caseus, a school for cheese professionals in France with a program in English for anglophone cheese professionals worldwide. Academie Opus Caseus exists at the heart of the MonS Fromagerie operational headquarters, where cheese undergoes affinage, and orders are received, packed and shipped. Tune in and learn more about the school and the state of chee...
Feb 22, 2013•41 min•Ep. 127
Anne Saxelby is back on Cutting the Curd! Though broadcasting at a brand new time (Friday’s at 4:00pm), it’s same cheesy show! This week’s guest is Homa Dashtaki of The White Moustache, a father/daughter business that produces yogurt made by local milk from the Brougiere Farm Fresh Dairy. They use only whole milk and a yogurt base, taken from a previous batch of yogurt which makes really thick all natural creamy yogurt. Hear about some of the challenges they face as a small dairy producer in ter...
Feb 09, 2013•31 min•Ep. 126
Kate Arding of Culture Magazine talks about her cheese history on today’s Cutting the Curd. Diane Stemple talks with Kate in the studio about her schooling background, and how Neal’s Yard Dairy changed her perspective on cheese and high-end food markets. Listen in to hear Kate talk about traveling to Uganda and taking a break from cheese jobs. What’s it like to work for Culture Magazine, and why do cheese connoisseurs love the rag so much? Find out why Kate and her partners decided to go forth a...
Jan 28, 2013•35 min•Ep. 125
Poul Price and Everett Presley didn’t find cheese; cheese found them! This week on Cutting the Curd, Diane Stemple asks Everett and Poul about their storied histories in the cheese world. What fostered Everett and Poul’s initial food interest? Listen in to hear about formal cheese training, and what made Everett and Poul fall in love with cheese. How have recent food trends affected the cheese-buying consumer? Tune in to hear Everett and Poul talk about embarrassing cheese questions, and what ch...
Jan 21, 2013•32 min•Ep. 124
Peter Kindel shares his cheese journey on today’s Cutting the Curd with Diane Stemple. Hear how Peter got his start in the cheese world, and how his travels in France and England changed his perspective on cheesemaking entirely. Peter talks about his experiences working with Neal’s Yard Dairy and helping develop a cheese called Ogleshield. Why did Peter decide to get involved with the agricultural side of cheesemaking? Peter speaks to the risks of dealing with raw milk, and why the market over-r...
Jan 14, 2013•32 min•Ep. 123
Diane Stemple’s guest on today’s Cutting the Curd is Max McCalman, the Dean of Curriculum at Artisanal. Listen in to hear Max recount some of his first childhood cheese memories, and his goal to dispel nutrition misconceptions about cheese. Hear about Max’s initial cheese education at Picholine, and how it influenced the idea to begin Artisanal. Diane and Max speak to their cheese tastes, and the differences between raw milk production and pasteurization. Learn more about the American Cheese Soc...
Jan 07, 2013•30 min•Ep. 122
This week on Cutting the Curd, guest host Diane Stemple is joined by Tyler Hawes of The Chef’s Warehouse/Dairyland to talk cheese, safety & distribution. Hear the ins and outs of shipping, risk, regulation and delivery when it comes to food. Get an inside look into the cheese supply chain and learn from somebody incredible close to the action. From packaging to plating – take a gastronomic dairy trip through the many steps it takes to get one of the worlds most delicate and complicated foods...
Dec 17, 2012•33 min•Ep. 121
