Meet Tom Van Voorhees, ACS CCP, of Rogue Creamery

Tom Van Voorhees, Retail Shop Manager and Head Cheesemonger at Rogue Creamery, and The Lady have been friends for several years and enjoyed slinging cheese together in September 2011 at the Bra Cheese Festival. Tom is a member of the elite 121 Cheese Professionals certified in 2012 by the American Cheese Society as ACS CCPs. We congratulate Tom and the other CCPs which include earlier interviews with Lisa Futterman of Pastoral, Leah McFadden and Kristin Payne of Whole Foods Markets.

In 2011, Tom was inducted into La Guilde Internationale des Fromagers and before joining Rogue Creamery, Tom worked at Murray’s Cheese in Greenwich Village.

Here are Tom’s answers to our questions:

1. Your favorite pairing. Toss up: Rogue River Blue & Rogue Ales Old Crustacean Barley Wine; Quady North Cabernet Franc & Fiscalini San Joaquin Gold and this changes daily.

2. Your perfect cheese plate; cheese and accompaniments. Cypress Grove Purple Haze, VB&C Cremont, Quadrello di Bufala, Quicke’s Mature Cheddar, Meadow Creek Grayson, Caveman Blue with Mama Lil’s Goathorn Peppers, Fresh Figs, Rick’s Picks Phat Beets, Brandied Marionberries, and Potter’s Crackers. Oh, and Cristo Creminelli’s Salami Tartufo and a great crusty bread, too.

3. A little known non-cheesy fact about you. I was a street performer, juggling and riding unicycles in Philadelphia during the 80’s.

4. If you could have dinner with any famous/historical person (alive or dead) who would it be and why? This also changes daily. Today, I’d like to have dinner with Carlo Petrini because I’ve been in the cheese shop all day. Tomorrow I’m off so, Keith Richards.

We thank Tom for taking the time to chat with us…

The Lady will be hanging out with Tom and lots of other Cheese Swells at the Oregon Cheese Festival this Saturday. If you’re in the Central Point, Oregon area, stop in at the festival and tell The Lady I sent you. She will be working the Murray’s Cheese and Fred Meyer booth, sampling some wonderful local cheese favorites paired with local jams, honeys and other goodies.

Follow me on:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•