On Costumes, Hip Hop & His Most Surprising Cheddar: 5 Questions with Cheddar Author Gordon Edgar

Gordon sharing the aged cheddar love at Grafton, photo by Shelburne Farms

A strong believer that the world needs humor along with its cheese and booze, I'm a big fan of Gordon Edgar's books. They're cultural and well-researched, super interesting, and funny. And Gordon himself is pretty awesome too. In honor of the publication of his second book, Cheddar: A Journey to the Heart of America's Most Iconic Cheese, Gordon agreed to an interview. Below I ask him about hip hop's use of cheese in lyrics, cheese parties and costumes, and his favorite pairings (spoiler- a piece of cheese and his face).

I present you with 5 Questions with Gordan Edgar. Thank you, Gordon!

The cheese board from our tasting. I may have slightly misplaced our notes from that night after the wine was unleashed but I can tell you that we loved fig jam with English traditional versions.

1. You've been all over the country promoting, with events that included driving around Wisconsin in a school bus to holding vertical tastings of chedar to see how it ages. In what region have you felt the most cheddar enthusiasm and did it involve costumes?

The cheddar bus trip was an amazing experience. Jeanne Carpenter organized it and it brought out cheddar lovers from all over the place. We started at Larry’s Market and then got to go on tours at Henning’s, LaClare, and Widmer’s – three of my favorite places to go in Wisconsin – and then I blah blah’d at folks between stops. CCP Elizabeth Nerud even recited an impromptu cheese poem at the end of the night while we rolled back to Milwaukee.

Vermont was pretty incredible too. Three events in 24 hours! Grafton, Provisions, Shelburne Farms, Cabot and Jasper Hill all collaborated to help make it happen. I did a talk at University of Vermont where I was honored by Professor Paul Kindstedt showing up. Then almost killed myself – as Californians driving in Vermont black ice conditions are wont to do – driving to Provisions to talk with about almost 100 cheese professionals. As soon as that was done I went to Brattleboro for a cheddar

party were I read a poem with local journalist and ex-monger Wendy Levy that likely had not been read aloud for 125 years or so. Costumes would have been the only thing that could have made that better, I wish I had talked to you beforehand.

The last time costumes and cheddar came into play historically that I know of was in 1951, the cheddar centennial in Rome, New York that commemorated the 100 year anniversary of America’s first cheddar factory. Cheese dignitaries came in from across country and the Rome (New York) Theater Guild produced a play about the life of Jesse Williams, “Father of Cheese Factories.” Alas, there was no revival of the performance for the 150 year anniversary. Let’s get ready for 2051, people!

2. What is your top favorite cheddar combo of all time? Feel free to say butter, bread and a pan, or go grand. 

Yeah, it really is piece of cheddar and my face. I had a co-worker who used to just come over to the cheese counter during her break, buy a ¼ lb of cheddar, unwrap it, and just start chomping for lunch every day. I was in awe the first time I saw that and still think it is the ultimate way to enjoy a cheese.

If I am going to do cheddar for dinner, I’d add tart apples, dark honey, and sourdough bread or rustic crackers. For cooking, a medium sharp cheddar along with a little brie and fridge odds and ends for mac and cheese. Mmmmmmm.

3. You know a lot about cheddar. Does the hip hop world adopting the word "cheese," or more often "cheddar" as a euphemism for money make since to you? Why or don't you think "cheddar" in particular fits? Would chevre work too?

I actually wrote about this for Cheddar, but cut that section because -- while I can claim great knowledge and nuance about punk -- I am more of a tourist to hip hop. In punk, historically speaking, cheese references are usually about the government cheese that was available during the ‘80s at a time when there was a major surplus of milk and dairy farmers were getting paid off to cull their herds and get out of the milk business. I have heard that the hip hop use of “cheddar” has the same roots, but I couldn’t swear that’s true.

There is a historic use of staple, common food as a stand-in for money: dough, bread, lettuce, etc. That’s why “cheddar” works in this context but chevre doesn’t right now. It’s still exotic to most people. So, until there’s a bigger hip hop scene in Sonoma or Napa counties, or goat cheese mainstreams to urban areas, chevre would probably be used to signify something else.

4. You've tasted a lot of cheese in your history of cheesemongering and writing. While tasting for this book, which cheddar surprised you the most and why?

One that surprised me after I wrote the book I was shocked by the Red Barn Weis Heritage Cheddar from Wisconsin. Jeanne Carpenter of Cheese Underground arranged a bus trip of three Wisconsin cheesemakers and I read from my book between stops [side note from Kirstin, Jeanne, you rock]. Then we did a class together at Metcalfe’s Market in Madison. I had never tasted this cheese until we were doing the class and I fell in love immediately.

When researching Cheddar, I was trying to track down who made the last clothbound cheddar in America before it went extinct so I could see how many years this country had to do without. Sid Cook of Carr Valley pointed out to me that it wasn’t that clothbound cheese went extinct, it was the cave-aging that did. Sid, and a few other producers, were still cloth-wrapping cheese but aging them in wax.

The Weis Heritage Cheddar is this style and one of the best and most distinctive cheddars made in this country. All the milk comes from family-owned and operated farms of under 70 cows and the dairies are all certified humane. Plus, as far as I can tell, Red Barn Family Farms make the last raw milk cheddar in Wisconsin.

5. Lastly, if your last, multi-coursed, meal on planet earth had to be made entirely of Cheddar, what would you eat? 

Appetizer: Cheese crisps made of Rumiano mild cheddar topped with two year Grafton Cheddar medallions.

Main: Center cut of Quicke’s two year vintage clothbound cheddar served over two year Widmer spears and an extra sharp Tillamook cheddar dipping sauce on the side.

Dessert: Wedges of sweet-sharp Prairie Breeze.

This would be pretty intense, but now that I’ve written it down, I kind of want to try it.

Thank you again, Gordon! There is much to be said for a man who enjoys a center cut.

The Book Release, The Election, Cheese.

The week has arrived. Starting this week, this Tuesday in fact, you can both a) Vote for president in a polling booth, and b) find my book and hang out with me at a book signing while eating cheese. Mmm hmmm.....

Excitement!  Now, the first source of excitement in terms of the book for me was getting the actual book deal. Then, there was a bit of stress, work, writing, eating, happiness and all that in between. The second step of excitement was feeling the above book in my hands. Yup, it's real. The third step was having the official publication date arrive. That means not only did I get to write the book, people are going to read it. This realization takes a little longer to settle in than one might think.

The feeling that this realization evokes is similar to the one felt when walking into your first candy store and realizing that someone has put thousands of candies all together in one room. For you. All in one room. In front of you all at once. Candy. It provokes a feeling of astonished bliss, and sometimes, because you don't know which candy barrel to run to first, you just kinda hang out in the middle of the room, immobile, with a smile on your face. It's excitingly nerve-wracking.

I will continue to blog about cheese, post recipes and interviews with cheesemakers here, but I'll also be writing a lot about the book and book events too. A blog, almost by default, gives you a little look into the life of the blog's writer. And I'd be lying if I told you my life wasn't all about this book right now, and trying to fit in a yoga and pilates class here and there to get the kinks out from writing. Dating? Hanging out with friends? I've heard of these things....

So keep posted for event info and special announcements here. And of course, some down and dirty cheese talk. Looking forward to posting about holiday cheeses and plates, new cheese recipes, gift guides, and more, too!

If you'd like to come visit me at a book event, scroll to the end of the post. 

It also feels important right now to address Hurricane Sandy and the devastation its brought to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, not to mention the havoc it has wrecked in the Caribbean. I'd of course encourage people to do everything they can to help those living in Sandy's aftermath, but because this is cheese blog, and we have friends who have suffered in the community, it feels especially right to talk about them here. If you're on twitter, however, consider following @occupysandy . It's great place to find out how to help.

We all know that parts of NYC were/are without power for days. People in Long Island, Staten Island, and probably New Jersey and beyond are still without power, and of course there are the hundreds of communities that have been drastically affected about which we haven't even heard. Well, it may seem small with all the problems people in the region are now facing, including injuries, death, lost family members and much more, but I also want to point out that people can make significant differences in various ways. One way is to support business and cheese companies in the aforementioned regions right now.

No power, no sales, means an incredible amount of food and cheese loss. Food and cheese without proper storage dies, and this means a lot of pain and financial hardships for cheesemongers, restaurateurs, and the people that work in food service establishments. Days without sales are devasting to the food industry, and we all know how important the food industry is to our well-being, and, economy. If you buy cheese or other foodstuffs via mail order, please consider buying from business who are coping with such loss- financial and beyond- as a result of Sandy. Many cheese companies ship. Check out my friend's blog, Cheese Notes, he lives in New York City and covered this subject too. Some of my faves just in NYC that ship (although it may take them a bit to get back to normal shipping schedules) are: Lucy's Whey, Bedford Cheese, and Artisanal, but spread the food love where you will, if you haven't already.

We're thinking of you.

And...  those book events I mentioned for this week:

The first two below include cheese and readings. The last include cheese and, me drinking wine (see, I can't read when I'm sipping because I need to hold the glass.). Hope to see you at one of these events!

Book Passage, San Francisco Ferry Building, Wednesday, Nov 7th, 6pm, with cheese from Cowgirl Creamery!

Book's Inc, San Francisco, Marina, Thursday, Nov 8th, 7pm - with the awesome Seana Doughy BLEATING HEART!!!

Book Release Party, Solano Cellars, Albany, Saturday CA, 3:30-7pm

More on the classes page tab.

Pasta Shop, Berkeley Book Event- Getting that Pen Warmed Up & a Very Important Question

Okay, cheese lovers. You've read my descriptions about cheese, heard about its circles of friends, and might have even tried a recipe or two I posted on "It's Not You, It's Brie," but until now, we haven't actually consumed cheese together. Unless you've attended any of my classes, tasted through the ACS fury with me, or visited the wine shop where I work. And if this is the case, well, kudos to us. If I remember correctly, we enjoyed our selections immensely.

But if we haven't, it's time. 

I'm heading across the San Francisco Bay Area, and later to New York, and Chicago to promote my book. And to eat cheese. And to meet you!

My first event- The Pasta Shop in Berkeley- and I'm getting my pen warmed up, because this one is a biggie. It's American Cheese Month, and the shop is shaping an event around my book. My book! Am I honored, you ask? OH MY GOODNESS, yes. Not only was working for The Pasta Shop my first monger position, but the shop (i.e. Mz Juliana Uruburu) is  calling in the cheese forces and having representives from cheesemakers I featured in my book to come sample their wheels and the kitchen is picking 3 or 4 recipes from my book and serving them in their gourmet deli. I'm honored, and excited and.... very much hoping to see you there! Please feel free to share this link with anyone you know who lives in the Bay Area who you think might enjoy the event.

I am also kinda wondering what to write in the books I will sign. First time.

So this leads me to a very important question. If you wrote a cheese book and had to put that sharpie in your hands to good use, how would you sign a book?

Cheese puns?

"How Goud-a you to buy my book?" 

"Praise Cheesus, and Best of Luck to You!"

Book signing ideas and further cheese puns welcome in the comment section.

Can't make this event or want to eat cheese with me more than once? Other events here if you'd like to say hi.

"It's Not You, It's Brie" Book Events!

The Book.

Well friends, I must say that when I got my first email a couple months ago from a book store manager asking me if I would like to have a book event with her, I was more excited than a cheese geek in a Roquefort cave. They were asking me? My week was made.

Well the pleasure produced from book stores being interested in my work has not subsided. I'm an avid reader and imagining something I wrote sitting even across the shop from books written by my favorite authors, well, it's humbling. My parents used to drop me off at libraries when I was young (maybe with a little trail mx or something to nourish me) and I was happy to stay there for four, five, six hours. I um.... will still do this on occasion today. So being invited to places that house so many  of books that I adore, well, it's more than flattering. My book geek heart is ecstatic.

More events are in the works, but here is a list of places that I'll be visiting to promote the book. They're not until October and beyond, but hey, doesn't hurt to know ahead of time. I hope you see you at one or more! And yes, there will be cheese!

And,.... I'm happy to announce that "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese" is now on Amazon and at Powell's for pre-order. It publishes Nov 6th, and if you're willing to wait, you'll also likely find it at your lovely local book shop! Support the locals too!

EARLY EVENT ANNOUNCMENTS: 

Pasta Shop Foods, Berkeley, California, Saturday Oct 20th 1-4pm

October is American Cheese Month, and we're putting together an event around the month that highlights the cheesemakers in my book. And by the way, I used to work behind the cheese counter here....    There will be festivities, cheesemakers sampling their goods, and me, signing book copies for the first time ever. The book's officially released Nov 6th, but there just might be a copy or two available....  Plus, Pasta Shop will be cooking recipes from my book an entire week before the event to promote it. How cool is that? Yes, I'm super excited!

Books Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California, Wednesday Nov 7th, 6pm

I'll be signing books, possibly reading a lil' something something, and, serving a Cowgirl Creamery cheese and beyond for you to sample. Ain't it cool to have an event in the same building as Cowgirl Creamery?

Books Inc, Marina, San Francisco, California, Thursday Nov 8th, 7 pm

Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! I'm super happy to announce that Seana Doughty of Bleating Heart Cheese will be here tasting a delicious wheels too (this awesome lady is featured in my book). I'm a lucky girl!

Solano Cellars, Albany, California, Saturday Nov 10th 3:30-7 pm

This is my official book release party. Tasting, Singing, Drinking, all. You are invited! Darren from Cream and the Crop distributors (one of my faves) will be sampling his cheeses, many of which are featured in my book too.

18Reasons, It's Not You It's Brie! American Cheese & Beer Class, San Francisco, CA, Nov 27th, 7pm

Cheese author and educator Kirstin Jackson joins 18 Reasons for a night of fermented glory. After visiting creameries and interviewing more than 48 cheesemakers for her recently published book "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese," she's ready to tell the stories of some of her favorite domestic cheeses, while holding a pint glass. The selected artisan cheeses will be explored in unison with American beers, most local. We will taste through 6 cheeses and 6 beers!

Books will be for sale and Kirstin will have a pen handy for signing after cheese consumption.

Omnivore Books, Signing and Tasting, Wednesday, Nov 28th, San Francisco, 6-7pm

Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! At an entirely food focused book store -be still my heart! I'll guide you through making the perfect holiday cheese plate. Then we can eat it together.

More events in the works!

Murray's Cheese- Dec 3rd! More info soon.

The Cheese School - TBA

Chicago/Wisconsin- TBA

Party Cheese: The book ball is officially rolling

As the date for my book release grows nearer (Nov 6th is soooooo close), I'm keeping myself busy. The book ball, my friends, is round and rolling. It's a fierce ball too. Picture a vintage bowling ball, light blue, heavy as a lead pipe, with a little glitter. Once this baby gets going, it just ain't stopping.

Final copy edits are in. The book cover is set. Promotional copies are printing. Pitches have been sent out. Events are arranged, more are arranging, classes are planned, and .... I'm ready for a power nap. You know, one of those naps where you get a good 5-10 minutes of sleep because you can't help but spend the rest of the time trying to figure out what your life will be like once you wake up. Anyhow,... disco naps- I'm your biggest fan. Give me 25 minutes and I'm a new girl.

But I'm also taking time to revel in the deliciousness of life. Taking a day off here and there to host friends, visit museums, go to Willie Nelson concerts (thanks, Mom & Dad!). Or, when I don't have time to do that, I'm at least making sure I walk around the block once or twice before I sit down to type. Breathing and moving your body- I hear it's good for you.

The Sunday before Labor Day I had some of my favorite folks over for a little detox. Work detox, that is. There was plenty of mezcal, mojitos and wine. When the point of a party is to relax with friends, I like to keep the appetizers I serve easy. One of my go-to apps is roasted fruit and cheese.

This is how the simple fruit and cheese ball app rolls:

Take a luscious seasonal fruit. Figs, persimmons, peaches. Whateva. Slice it into portions that are easy to pick up and put in your mouth so your guests don't get that oh-my-god-is-everyone-watching-this-hard-to-eat-salad-fall-out-of-my-mouth feeling. Lightly sprinkle with salt, freshly ground pepper, and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast the fruit for 10 minutes in a 375-degree oven. Or, if it's a crispy, apple-kinda seasonal fruit, just slice. Top with cheese. I used queso fresco. Any cheese may apply. Serve to good friends.

By the way- new classes are up at The Cheese School of San Francisco. There are some mighty fine ones this semester!

Hope to see you at one of mine (looks like there's a little space in my Pink & Beyond class on Sept 18th, hint, hint), and I'll announce book events soon!

Getting Our Cheese Recipes On

If, unlike me, you've been keeping up to date with this blog, you have noticed that I've been away for a while. Sorry guys. This is because writing my cheese book kicked me in the booty. While I'm sure there's still a little gentle kicking action in my future, the big part is done. I think. I've heard? I'm afraid to ask my editor? At least, I interviewed or visited 40 or so cheesemakers, wrote their cheese up, created 16 recipes, tested them, and turned the first draft in just in the nick of time. I'm seeing a very, very fuzzy light at the end of the tunnel. I've even seen a low resolution draft of my cover (also fuzzy).

When I asked readers and my twitter followers a few months back what they wanted to hear more about on my blog, many of them said that they wanted to hear about the process of writing this book. Well, here I am. Waiting to get my first draft back. Almost hoping that I don't get it back for a month or more because seeing the edits is scary, but knowing that getting it back in two or three weeks means that someday indeed it will be published, and that this is a good thing.

Part of the process of writing the book was recipe testing. The main part of the book is writing- cultural, historical cheesy background about cheese types and specific cheeses, but there are also 16 original recipes, created for a particular cheese or cheese style.

So I thought I'd go into how I created these recipes as part of exploring the book writing process, and include pictures of a testing-tasting party that I threw to get recipe feedback. All photographs were taken by my good photographer friend Molly De Coudreaux, who I would highly recommend for any of your photo endeavors. She takes amazing photos, plus she's just a cool girl to have around. The photos are of recipes that will be included in my book when it's published in November 2012. We'll see if I can pre-publish any recipes here, but I'm not sure how that works in the biz with rights and all that.

First things first: People often ask how I come up with recipe ideas. Here goes:

1. I get inspired. I let inspiration strike anywhere. I eat a lot, at a lot of different places. I think seasonally. I go to farmer's markets. I read cookbooks, magazines, and look at menus. I think about how flavors and ingredients I taste might work with specific cheeses. Again, I let inspiration strike anywhere- if I had a delicious dessert custard that especially touched me, I won't rule it out as inspiration for a cheese recipe just because cheese doesn't often get put in sweet custard.

2. I think about what a specific cheese needs and let it speak for itself. I hold therapy sessions with the cheese. "What do you want?" I ask it. "What would make you happy?" "Do you feel like having a partner would make you more complete, or do you want to go out and experiment and discover things on your own?" I make no assumptions. After tasting and talking to the cheese, I determine whether the cheese would rather be paired to matching flavors or contrasting flavors. This can be apparent right off the bat- if a cheese tastes dead-on like chantrelle mushrooms, there's a fair chance that I'll make a recipe that includes chantrelles. Of course, it can be fun to go the opposite direction too.

3. I ask how I can highlight the ingredient- the cheese- or include the cheese in a fun recipe that introduces the cheese in a new way. One of my favorite people that introduces cheese to people in new ways is Chef Fromager Tia Keenan- girl made white chocolate bacon ganache to pair with Winnimere for pete's sake. That's awesome. So I'll keep some recipes classic, and then get a little fun and crazy with others.

The main point though, is always creating a recipe that lets the cheese shine. Once I think I've done that, I test the recipes. Sometimes they come off without a hitch. Sometimes I have to work on them, testing them anywhere from one to eleven more times. Very occasionally (thank god) they completely crash and burn.

One thing I like to do is make four or five recipes all at once and then invite friends to come over and eat the food. And critique it. If I'm asked to serve seconds, I know I'm doing okay.

How do you come up with your cheese recipes?

On Writing: 5 Things Not to do When Visiting Cheesemakers for Your Book

Some of you have asked me talk about my experiences writing a book. Of course you still want to hear about what fabulous cheesemakers I've visited and see photos of the cheese, and photos of me getting drunk off the cheese, and hear about what they do to the cheese that makes one drunk (is it the B.linens, is it the raw milk, is it Everclear?), but you also want to know about the book in action.

What's it like to write a [cheese] book? What's it like to travel to visit cheesemakers for research? How do you get a book deal? How do you write a book proposal? How do you kick start the writing process? Well, since I'm still figuring all what to do, I thought that the best way to get started was to first write about what not to do. Let's you and I both say a little prayer that I'm a quick learner.

What Not to Do When Visiting Cheesemakers for Your Book.

If you happen to be visiting cheesemakers (or heirloom bean farmers, or butchers or cobblers, or fashionistas) for book research, the following are things I learned to not do. I hope this advice fares us all well.

1. If you have to rent a car to visit people, don't rent a car from the airport if at all possible. Like buying a burrito for $9 or a yogurt parfait for $6.73 on your way to the plane, it's going to about 5,000 times more expensive here than what it needs to be. Why? Because they know they have you by the ovaries. I saved nearly $200 renting a car around ten miles away from the airport. True, getting from the airport to the car rental place can be a little tricky, but sometimes it's worth the effort. Sometimes you can get a relative to drive you.

2. Sometimes it's not worth the effort. Don't overbook yourself. You think that you're doing you and and your book a service by packing in as many cheesemaker visits that time will allow. It can only make your book better because, oh my, think of the things you will learn! Yet it's important to leave yourself enough time to ask the questions that develop naturally during an appropriately timed visit rather than aim to get through the five you managed to write down in your notebook at stoplights on the way over. If you pack too much in, you're overextending your time, and the cheesemaker's time. And they ain't got much time. And when will you have the time to be there with them again? Plus, if you end up too enthralled during your short visit to leave one place on time, you might be late to your next appointment. Which leads me to number three.

3. Don't think your maps will always work. Leave enough time to get lost. You will get lost. And freeway exits and streets you need to drive on will be closed so you'll need to figure out alternative routes if your GPS doesn't register the closure. Psst.... it won't register the closure. Also, leave yourself enough time to figure out how to use your GPS you just bought before driving.

4. Don't leave your camera manuel at home. When taking photos for your blog, you'll need your camera to work. As statistics show, 9 times out of 10, your camera will malfunction when on a trip. So keep your manuel with you. Your amazing photographer friend MollyD may not be there to answer the phone next time you press the wrong button and mess up your camera for your first two cheese stops. Bless you, Molly.

5. Don't think you won't need "Kirstin time," or "Jennifer time" or "Josh time." Leave enough time to breath. This brings us back to number 2. Not only should you not overbook yourself because it's hard to get the info you need during visits when you're always in a rush, it's also hard to get what you personally and professionally need from the trip when you barely have time to fill up your tank. Or empty your tank. Stop, stretch out your legs, and leave yourself a day to go on a walk around a city or sit in a coffee shop and write. Remember, there are coffee shops and wine bars everywhere that need your support.

Have any writing advice of your own to add?