Monger Musings 019
Cultivating creativity amidst crazy constraints
My goodness I’m a sucker for an alliteration! But in all seriousness, my creative juices are flowing these days. But in all reality, I can’t do much about it because 82% of my waking hours involve a baby on my boob. This is the season of life I’m in. It’s ok!
How do I take this maker-of-life-style creative energy and bottle it up for later use? I’ll tell you how: during the precious windows of time when both children are asleep and I am fully awake (this is key), I’m going to pop open my laptop and tippy-type some musings for Substack so I can revisit these thoughts at a later date. Plan? Plan!
Let’s get into what has been rolling around in my cheese-addled brain lately.
🧀 The Hot List is here! The Hot List is here! Culture’s 2025 Hot List: 20 Cheese People to Know was published this week and I am always so impressed by the creative people in and around cheese. I love reading about what inspires them and what they’re dreaming up next. Some highlights:
Education: Olivia Haver wants to document cheese caves and share knowledge between affineurs. Jake Heller has morphed from monger to maker and is eager to educate others. Tracey Johnson runs the “Learn to Make Cheese” Facebook group, guiding tens of thousands of aspiring makers around the world. Chris Roelli aims to parlay his master cheesemaker status into a consulting role. Matt Pattillo is eager to keep learning and tasting.
Accessibility: Madelyn Varela is working on a fun book of unhinged cheese pairings. Amye Gulezian is working on expanding cheese production in Massachusetts and giving people more ways to connect with it. Scott Robbins & Andrea Siefring-Robbins of Urban Stead Cheese are growing their distribution footprint. Joshua James Franklin is on the small-but-mighty distro team at Ripe Specialty Foods, spreading great cheeses across the DMV area. Lissa Knudsen is on a mission to address the environmental impact of cheese packaging. Anne-Marie Pietersma is a sensory-storyteller that bridges agriculture and food culture.
Inclusivity: Julia Fox-Birnbaum dreams of opening a lesbian cheese bar. Benita Kasbo is working toward scaling production through a co-packing model that will allow her to bring Syrian cheese to mainstream grocery stores. Daybar Lisa Bugler runs the only Black-owned cheese shop in New England. Jessica Galen preaches “lactose and tolerance” at her shop Bloomy Dobbs.
Community: Tommy Amorim is working on a a cheese pairing interview show to expand conversations about cheese. Austin Banach wants to host events that connect consumers, mongers, chefs, and culinary professionals. Vanessa Tilaka Kalb wants to expand Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery globally. Sarah Simiele owns Curd Nerd and newly opened, The Wedge cheese bar, restaurant, and gathering space. Becky Collins Brooks want the Meeting of the Milkmaids to grow and serve even more women in cheese.
🧀 Despite all the good vibes radiating off Culture’s 2025 Hot List, I’ve still been dismayed to see a smattering of “closing shop / ceasing operations” posts across Instagram. These posts are coming from small, independent cheese shops such as Artisan Cheese Company in Sarasota, FL to Bedford Cheese Shop in NYC, to our very own The Grey Barn and Farm right here on the island. I’ve mostly seen “economic uncertainty” cited as the cause for closure, which has me wondering about the longer-term viability and sustainability of the current cheese shop model? We know cheese has been around for thousands of years, but what about the current “traditional” cheese shop? I have no doubt that cheese as a product will endure, but what about the method for getting the product to the people? I have many questions and no answers!
🧀 Which all leads me to this: Creative Energy + Substack Brain-dump = MV Cheesery Roadmap? Could this very post lead to a breakthrough in what could be the future of MV Cheesery? Are these Monger Musings in fact Monger Manifestations that may materialize some day? Today I am constrained by the harsh reality of parenting in America! But who knows what tomorrow (read: 5-10 years from now) may bring! So without any further ado, and in no particular order, and with a complete disregard for actual feasibility, I present to you my big, audacious dreams for MV Cheesery:
Cheese Boat: I want a boat, but not just any boat. I want this boat. It’s a Hinckley yacht and it’s peak luxury. I want to name her “Raclette”. Heck, I want to have a raclette machine aboard my boat. I want to host sunset charters where we cruise through Edgartown harbor and eat delicious cheeses.
Cheese CSA / Cheese Club: I want to curate a cheese CSA and/or cheese club. Curated Community Supported Agriculture could be one of the paths beyond a traditional cheese shop model. People could “join” the CSA/club, so payment could be made in advance and precise quantities of product could be ordered. It could be a weekly CSA in the summer months, and I could pop-up at the West Tisbury Farmer’s Market. Year-round, there could be a Cheese Club that could have a monthly box of cheeses and accompaniments. This actually feels somewhat feasible (or at least more feasible than a $1.7M luxury cheese boat…).
Cheese TV Show: I want to host a cheese TV show. I want it to be called “Milkers, Makers, and Mongers”. I want to be the Guy Fieri of cheese. I want to travel across the US and highlight all the diverse, delicious cheeses that America has to offer. I want to connect the audience back to the land, animals, and people that produce their favorite fromages.
Goat Farm: I want to have a small herd of goats and a micro-dairy that produces super seasonal cheeses. I want to partner with island conservation groups to identify land set aside for agricultural purposes, and help regenerate that land. Can goats do this? Haters will say no, goats will destroy everything. But these are my dreams so let me dream!
Cheese Classes: I want to expand my educational offerings to include more experiential classes. Cheese + Writing? Yes! Tasting + Meditation? Obviously! Bites + Breath Work? Splendid idea! There are so many ways that we can combine cheese tasting with creative and meditative pursuits. I want to explore this, while also honing my standard cheese 101 repertoire.
So there you have it. My list of cheesy hopes and dreams for the future. I’ve written down my ideas. I’ve planted little seeds. Who knows what kind of roots they will grow? That’s part of the unpredictable fun of cultivating creativity. So glad you’re along for this journey. Now toodaloo! I hear a baby stirring!
Here for the cheese boat and cheese classes! Sign me up!
You are amazing Morgen! I love all those ideas!