2013:The Year of The Cheesemonger – Meet Allyson Taylor

Allyson Taylor’s Cheese life started in Alexandria, VA in 2008 at Curious Grape and Cheesetique where she was the chef of creating cheese with pairings menus. The Washingtonian featured her Grilled pimiento cheese!!! The Lady met Allyson in 2010 at The ACS Conference in Seattle… but somehow they never discussed pimento cheese.

Allyson had just moved to Seattle and quickly settled into the food life there

opening the Mt Townsend Creamery ‘s tasting room in Pike Place Market; followed by a managerial stint at Seattle’s Calf & Kid Cheese shop (recently featured on Bourdain’s The Layover).

Currently Allyson co manages FarmShop in Los Angeles, a Thomas Keller alumni chef-based Artisan specialty market & restaurant that focuses in local domestic goods!

I asked Ally to answer a few questions:

1. Name your favorite pairing: Boat Street Pickled Golden Raisins with Mt. Townsend Creamery Trufflestack.

2. Build us your “dream cheeseplate”: Kunik, large format Epoisses, Snow Canyon Edam and Great Hill Blue. Accompaniments in order of cheese : Triple Karmeliet Belgian ale, simple a spoon, dried pineapple, lemon and fig marmalade.

3. Your favorite grilled cheese sammy: Pimiento cheese or BLT :bacon basil aioli, tomato pesto, smoked cheddar and spinach.

4. Tell us one non-cheesy fact about yourself: I am an abstract painter.

5. If you could have dinner with any famous person, alive or historic, who would it be and why? MFK Fisher : Classy dame with a sophisticated palate and such a magician with words. What insight she would have!