Why I Love Cheese

One of my early memories of cheese took place in a grocery store when I was a child… My mom and I were shopping and I found Velveeta unrefrigerated. I was less than ten years old and asked my mom, “Why isn’t the Velveeta in the refrigerated section with the rest of the cheese?” (or something to that effect…) My mom smiled and responded, “Because it’s not cheese”. Imagine my surprise…

My grandfather in Michigan had two jobs for much of his life… in the winter he worked for the state keeping the roads clean from snow and easily navigable in the winter (ironically, that’s the same job my son has in Central Michigan…) In the spring and summer, my grandfather (and my dad when I was an infant) drove a milk truck for a local creamery and brought home cheese. Later my dad was a salesman for Atlanta’s Redfern Meats and on Friday nights when he came home from a week on the road, he brought steaks, hamburger, sausage and chops (back when meat still tasted like meat). From an early age, I was introduced to “real” food.

Time passes and in 2008 I found myself without health insurance. I decided to return to the work force part-time to qualify for insurance. I applied for a deli position at a local grocery chain. I landed the job and three months in our store began a remodel which included a “cheese kiosk”. I talked with my Deli Manager, Thea, about applying for the “cheese steward” position. There was a company” policy” about having to be employed six months before moving to a new position. Luckily, the kiosk fell under the deli department making it possible.

I applied. To prepare for the interview, I went to the local library and checked out every book they had on cheese. I arrived at the interview with a stack of cheese books and pelted the Food Manager, Mike Smith, with cheese facts. I remember him laughing and commenting that I certainly went the “extra mile”. Several other associates had applied, all with more experience and time with the company, but Mike told me showing up with cheese books put me over the top. He hired me for the part-time position in the kiosk. I cried when he told me and hugged him; something that probably was inappropriate but we survived.

And the rest is history regarding my life with cheese.

Mike and I both left the grocery chain in 2014 and stayed in touch, mostly via Facebook. Then in 2018, Mike dropped off the grid. He stopped posting on FB and stopped texting. Each birthday, I would post on his FB page and ask if anyone had heard from him. This past fall, a mutual friend sent me his cell number and Mike and I reconnected. I learned he had become legally blind and couldn’t navigate FB anymore. We texted and phoned and caught up on each other’s life. When it was time for The Masters (in 2020 it was in November), he begged me for my mom’s Pimento Cheese recipe to make the iconic tournament sandwiches while watching golf’s most famous tournament.

Recently Mike passed away. My heart was broken. Mike was very special to me and had taken a chance on an older woman who was looking for health insurance and helped her discover cheese. He literally changed my life’s course giving me my third career… and the one that brought out my passion for good, real food.

I posted Mike’s passing on FB and it turns out there are many who loved Mike Smith; the outpouring of for him and fond memories that his was a life worth living. If you would like to post your memories of him, you can find the post on his FB page. His sister is reading the responses and I’m sure she would love to hear from you. Here’s the link to his FB page and the post is near the top of his feed.

Rest in Peace Mike. You touched our lives and we will miss you.

Hope to see you soon at Sweet Combs. I stocked my Grab n Go fridges recently with several new cheeses to join my “standards”: Rogue Creamery Organic Oregon Blue, Tennessee Whiskey BellaVitano, Rembrandt Extra Aged Dutch Gouda, McCall’s Irish Cheddar laced with Porter Ale, Belle Chevre’s Sweet Home Alabama Chevre Logs, French Feta. Standards include Purple Haze, Mimolette, Merlot BellaVitano, Sarvecchio Parmesan, Le Gruyere AOP and Tillamook Cape Meares.

In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability. 

This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission from any purchases you make through those links. I thank you for patronizing my amazon infuencer store front. 

 

 

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