Monger Musings 031
Less than 5 weeks until the Certified Cheese Professional Exam!
Hi hi hi! Summer is here! The island is abuzz with visitors, summertime regulars, and seasonal businesses opening. We’re finally having some solid stretches of warm (dare I say, hot) weather and I’ve worn shorts for three days in a row. Wheee!
My summertime hobbies have picked back up. Playing alto saxophone in the Vineyard Haven Town Band and playing alllll the positions for the Rug Sox in the MV Women’s Softball League. This means that four nights a week I’m off doing “me things” while Alex navigates the dinner-bath-books-bed vortex solo. Luckily for everyone involved he’s a very capable captain.
Oscar is officially a one year old! Not quite walking yet but it feels like it could happen any day now. Aurora is turning into quite the social butterfly, lining up playdates nearly every other day. We’re looking forward to all sorts of fun summer activities. Swim lessons at our friend’s pool, after school beach days, walks into town for ice cream, weekend mornings on the water in Katama Bay. I had the pleasure of writing up a few of our favorite summertime activities for the latest issue of The Vine. Little did I know that one of the accompanying photographs would wind up on the cover! So cool!
And of course, as if my plate wasn’t full enough, I’m in the throes of studying for my Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) Exam. This comprehensive exam tests the candidate’s understanding of all aspects of cheese production on through to the final consumer. Honestly, I’m really enjoying the process of studying and the subject material. I’ve always been a strong test taker so I’m not necessarily stressed about the exam. I’m just a little bummed out that my most critical study time is coinciding with the uptick of my hobbies and all the opportunities for summer fun. Woe is me.
The American Cheese Society (ACS) has provided exam candidates with a list of ~100 cheeses to know. I’m in the process of compiling my research on these cheeses into a database and making flashcards. I’m working my way through the behemoth “The Oxford Companion to Cheese”. I’m all in. Naturally, as I’m researching, I find myself wandering down all sorts of cheesy rabbit holes. Here are a few for your reading pleasure:
🧀 Legendary cheese writer/academic/historian Paul Kindstedt has a new (is it actually new or just new-to-me?) website Cheese, Culture and Beyond.
🧀 Two write-ups on rind ecology of Jasper Hill’s Bayley Hazen Blue cheese that highlight the delicate balance between cultivating and culling molds and microbes (here and here).
🧀 Discovered the work of Jim Wallace and the folks at New England Cheesemaking Supply. Not sure if he’s still running his workshops but man, that would be cool to attend.
🧀 The blog of the iconic Zingerman’s Deli highlighted the work of Jeff Roberts. Adding his books “The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese” and “Salted and Cured: Savoring the Culture, Heritage and Flavor of America’s Preserved Meats” to my rapidly expanding TBR list. Another neat interview with Jeff, here.
🧀 The Oxford Companion of Cheese also includes contributions from cheese writers/educators, Laura Werlin, Anne Mendelson, and Adam Centamore. These folks have been writing about cheese, hosting lectures, facilitating workshops, collaborating with makers for years (decades?!). I think it’s always great to connect with/learn from people who have walked the path before you. Inspiring!
Ok I’ll leave it at that for now. Gotta squeeze in a bit of studying while Oscar naps.
Thanks for letting me muse and thanks for reading 💛
wait there's actually 100 types of cheeses!! wow good luck with your certification, I know you're going to ace it!
Good luck on the exam!!