Meet Your Monger: Caroline Hesse of C.Hesse Cheese
October's edition of Meet Your Monger features a frightfully impressive cheese professional: Caroline Hesse, founder and owner of C.Hesse Cheese. Caroline is no stranger to the cheese industry, having worked as a cheesemaking apprentice, cheesemonger, and head of sales for Crown Finish Caves until their recent closure. Now, Caroline is making a name for herself (a name that is ironically similar to the word "cheese") in New York's distribution scene. C.Hesse Cheese is a Brooklyn-based cheese distributor that serves NYC's best cheese counters and restaurants, but Caroline also sells direct to consumer via her website, and ships wholesale product nationally. Caroline works directly with local importers and producers all over the US and the world to bring a unique variety of artisan cheeses and other products to her customers. She's also become known in the industry for consistently providing cheese that arrives in truly impeccable shape, and for keeping special projects like King's Ransom and Bufarolo alive after Crown Finish Caves' closure. Keep reading below to find out why Caroline loves using Formaticum products!
What inspired you to pursue a career in cheese?
I grew up in the food and hospitality industry and knew I always wanted to pursue a career in it, but it wasn’t until after college that I discovered my love for all things cheese. I did a brief stint as a cheesemaking apprenticeship at Cricket Creek Farm in Massachusetts and it was there that I realized I wanted a career in cheese somehow.
I am constantly breaking down large wheels of cheese, and I always go the One-Ply Cheese Paper Roll. It’s a workhorse for any monger. For smaller format things like direct-to-consumer and samples, I love the Brown Alios greaseproof paper - it’s so nice and elegant and it keeps the cheese so fresh. I also love the Cheese Storage Bags. I sell them at my pop-ups and it’s also what I use in my house!
The One-Ply paper for its versatility!
I feel like my customers are pretty well versed in cheese, but I do wish more people saw it as the an approachable, everyday luxury and not just something for special occasions.
The best place to store cheese is in your stomach.
To nominate your favorite cheesemonger or shop for an upcoming feature, email emilia@formaticum.com.
Meet Your Monger: The Curd Nerd's Sarah Simiele
For our first Meet Your Monger feature, we spoke with Sarah Simiele, who has been having a pretty good year - as the owner of The Curd Nerd cheese shop in Syracuse NY, she is also the newest Cheesemonger Invitational champion after taking home the trophy at this year's New York City competition. Sarah was the recipient of the Comte Association scholarship to attend this year American Cheese Society Conference to sit for the Certified Cheese Professional exam, and recently the Mayor of Syracuse declared August 28th, 2023 as The Curd Nerd Day in celebration of her continued accomplishments. She also creates some of our favorite cheese education content on her popular TikTok account!
Sarah and her husband provide an exceptional experience for all of their customers, and Sarah works hard to curate one of the most impressive artisan cheese counters we've ever seen. Her commitment to collaborating with local distributors to source the highest quality products, both local and imported, is a testament to her passion for her work and her desire to honor the hard work of the producers and serve her community. As an experienced cheesemonger and a respected member of the cheese community, it's no surprise that she chose Formaticum products for her shop. Read our interview with Sarah below!
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