Today we are pleased to introduce you to another top-notch Cheesemonger, Amy Thompson.
Amy is a member of that special 121 Cheesemongers who last summer took and passed the inaugural American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional Exam. Hats off to Amy and our other Cheese Professionals whom The Lady and I are spotlighting as part of our “2013: Year of the Cheesemonger”.
Amy works behind the counter at Lucy’s Whey in the Chelsea Market in Manhattan. Lucy Kazickas opened her original cheese shop in the East Hamptons in 2008. In 2009, Chelsea Market invited her to open a shop in this wonderful food market. Lucy’s Whey specializes in American Artisan and Farmstead Cheeses with jams and other pairings from small batch American producers.
We thank Amy for taking a few minutes from her Monger duties to answer our questions:
1. Your favorite pairing. Cheddar and Pickles. Anything pickled — carrots, green beans, cucumbers, onions. I love the tart crunch of pickles with a savory rich aged farmhouse cheddar –Quickes or Cabot Clothbound are ones that I drool over.
2. Your favorite cheese plate. I love it when the cheese plate is served after the main course, then I like something sweet on the plate – honey and blue cheese (Stilton, Bayley Hazen Blue or Rogue’s Caveman Blue) topped with a thick dark honey. I like to serve one or two cheeses with a condiment, keeping it fairly simple.
3. Your favorite grilled cheese. See above! Cheddar with pickles! We make a sandwich at Lucy’s Whey in Chelsea Market that has McClure’s Garlic Dill Pickles sliced up and served with sharp cheddar and butter, once the panini gets pressed and all the ingredients have melted together, it’s truly the perfect grilled cheese!
4. A non-cheesy fact about yourself. I just joined a soccer league in Brooklyn. I grew up playing soccer, and I haven’t played in 15 years, so hopefully I remember how!
5. If you could have dinner with any famous person, alive or historical, who and why? I’m not really into celebrities. I really enjoy the company of family and friends with dinner. Amy wrote this before meeting moi… but I digress…
Again, we thank Amy and The Lady will be in New York next week and plans to stop in and tell Amy, “The Cat sent me…”
You can “Like” Lucy’s Whey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
My thanks to everyone participating in my 2015 Virtual Q&A with Cheese Professionals. I hope all of you, my loyal readers, are enjoying this as much as I am…
Interviews with All Cheese Professionals: Cheesemakers and Cheese Professionals
Interviews will continue throughout 2015… sometimes, they will be “stand-alone” and sometimes they will be presented as round-table discussions with several Cheese Professionals answering the same question. Those participating includeCheesemakers, ACS CCPs™, Cheesemongers and Cheese Professionals and Experts who contribute to this Wonderful World we call “Cheese”.
List of all Interviews from 2013: Cheesemakers, Cheesemongers.
List of 2015 Cheese Professionals.
List of all Cheese Professionals Bios.
Please “Like” MarcellaTheCheesemonger Page on FaceBook.
Taking the 2015 Exam? Please see my page on Tips for Studying for the Exam. Want support? Come join our 2015 Cheese Study Group.
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