August, 27, 2014
In August 2008, when I began my cheese journey, I wanted to write a cheese blog that would stand out and catch the attention of the Cheese Swells. In discussions with The Man aka Peter, my husband of 34+ years, we knew a “hook” was the key. During this time, I brought home a triangle wedge of Beecher’s No Woman and our cat, Spaulding Gray, went nuts, literally climbing up my leg to get at the cheese I was holding… and our beloved Feline Foodie was born… the hook I was seeking.
For the next five years, Spaulding wrote this blog; reviewing cheeses and sharing “his” cheese knowledge, sometimes with a snarky edge. In August of 2013, Spaulding returned to the “Mother Ship” and left me to continue his legacy.
This week is the one year anniversary of his passing and the birth of new beginnings for me.
After six years of cheesemongering, training and supervising the opening of more than fifty Murray’s Cheese Shops in Kroger divisions from Texas to Ohio to Georgia and South Carolina, to California, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, I have traded in my always-packed luggage for a slower pace at “The Manse” as Spaulding called our home.
Some things will change on the website, including the look, which is coming soon.
Many things will remain the same.
Changes:
American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional: In July 2013, I sat for and successfully passed the ACS’s Certified Cheese Professional Exam; a three-hour, 150-question exam that tests cheese knowledge in many areas from ingredients to cheesemaking to importing/exporting, maintaining quality, food safety, selling and serving cheese. Directory of ACS CCPs.
Advertising: I now accept advertising, something I could not do before. If you are interested in advertising with me, contact me through my email address: marcellathecheesemonger (at) gmail.com. I can provide you with website stats and am flexible on my rates.
Observations and opinions: I now have more latitude in what I can say in terms of observations, reviews and opinions. However, they are simply my opinions; nothing more; nothing less, with no influence from anyone, except, on occasion, The Man.
Customer Service: I will call out bad customer service. I spent six years with customer service as my #1 training priority and right behind product quality, consider it the most important ingredient for a successful cheese program. Everyone talks a great game about customer service but too often, in my opinion, the small, independent cheese shops are the only ones walking it.
Attitude: The sarkiness that was Spaulding’s trademark and disappeared during the last year will return…
Staying the same:
Regarding my reviews: I prefer to promote the wonder that is cheese and will rarely review a cheese that I think is sub-par… As Miss Anne, my mother, likes to say, “Keep your mouth shut if you don’t have something nice to say”.
Samples: From time-to-time, I receive samples from cheesemakers and representatives who hope I will say nice things about their cheeses and other products. I have no obligation to do so. If I like it, I will review it. I will also disclose if the product is a freebie.
Photographs: I take photographs with a Samsung S4 Smartphone… I am not a professional photographer but I am “negotiating” with The Man to begin taking my photographs… hopefully they will improve going forward.
Other places to find me:
American Cheese Society: I write monthly Cheese Profiles for the American Cheese Society’s “Cheese Enthusiasts’ Newsletter”. These profiles can also be read online.
LinkedIn: Connect with me.
Twitter. I tweet as Cheesemonger. Please follow me. (For now, I will also keep Spaulding’s Twitter account: FelineFoodie.)
google+: Join my circles.
Facebook: My page will continue as Spaulding Gray: Portland’s Feline Foodie. Please “like” the page.
Instagram: You can view my photographs (such as they are) at Cheesemonger1950. Please follow me on your mobile phone or online.
Pinterest: I have more than thirty boards at Pinterest as Cheesemonger. Please follow my boards.
(I know it’s a lot of sites to visit and follow. I sincerely appreciate each visit you find time to make.)
Email: marcellathecheesemonger (at) gmail.com. I welcome your thoughts and comments… as long as they are funny, thoughtful and un-snarky. If you get snarky, you do so at your own peril…
For the “legal” copyright stuff: We subscribe to: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
All information on this blog is copyrighted 2008-2014 by Marcella Wright and Echoes from the CheeseMines(R).
Use or reprinting of any of the information on this blog can only be done withwritten permission from the copyright holder. You can freely link to our blogs and you can make casual use of information. But I’d appreciate credit. You can use any pictures that appear on the blog.
In 2010 Culinary Arts College named this blog one of the “Top 50 Best Cheese Blogs on the Web” and cheeseball.org named it one of the “Top 60 Cheese Blogs” in 2010.
Thanks JM for #SpauldingUncensored
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