Jessica Sennett is a cheesemonger who has created the Cheese Grotto. While Fromagination offers a special on any purchase of the Cheese Grotto during the month of May, we also want to let Jessica tell the story of how she devised this special humidor for your kitchen, refrigertor or dining table.
Below is the first part of our interview with Jessica:
Why are you interested in cheese?/what is your work background with cheese?
I started working in artisan cheese ten years ago at Cowgirl Creamery in San Francisco. When I worked there, I feel in love with the vast variety of flavors and textures of specialty cheeses. Everyday, I was learning about a region of the world and their farming and dairy practices. Working in the Ferry Building, I was also immersed in the San Francisco culinary scene: I loved the passion of every person I met. After working there for one year, I traveled to France to work on a couple small creameries. It was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. I was hooked. I’ve often called myself a “cheese nomad,” as I’ve worked for multiple companies at this point: The Monteillet Fromagerie in Washington State, Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge, and Bedford Cheese Shop. Finally, I was ready to branch out on my own.
How did you decide to make the Cheese Grotto?
The Cheese Grotto originated as a night doodle. I had been living in NYC for one year, and was thinking about the fact that when I lived in an urban environment, I missed the rural cheese making life, and when I lived in a rural area, I missed the creative energy of the city. So I was brainstorming on how to bring my rural experiences with handmade cheeses to my urban environment. The Cheese Grotto reflects centuries of traditions of cheese preservation, but it became something way more than that when I decided I wanted it to be an all-inclusive storage solution for any aged variety of cheese.
What’s your favorite (current) cheese and why?
The oldest Swedish cheese in existence, WRÅNGEBÄCK. The flavor is so full-bodied: it’s wild, fruity notes are balanced by its rich alpine paste. So good!
Soon…part 2!
