As this is our first newsletter since Christmas, this is our opportunity to say, Wow! What a rush that was! It is no exaggeration to say that from the moment we opened our doors wayyyy back on October 11th, every single day was better than the last. I know I've said it before, but once again and forever, thank you for your support.
Our customers are so fun and your energy and positivity towards us and what we created was honestly, pretty cool. Whether you are someone who has travelled extensively and is familiar with the majority of the cheese we carry, or you arrive at the cheese deli feeling overwhelmed and unsure, but game to try anything, it's always an experience for us to serve you. We strive to be open and available to our customers, to be patient and answer your questions no matter how busy we are. Never feel overwhelmed or afraid to ask a question.
Ankia and I took a short "break" after New Years. And while I would love to say it looked like that, loungers on a beach, it was in fact just an opportunity to take a breather, reorganize and restock after hitting the ground running in October. We were pretty depleted stock-wise and anyone who came in post-Christmas noticed that the shelves looked a little bare and the cheese was almost non-existent!
It was so nice to welcome you back mid-January with stocked shelves and renewed energy, even if the cheese deli wasn't as full as we would have liked.
Post-Christmas cheese is always a bit of an issue. Our main distributors also take a bit of a break, so our big order doesn't typically arrive until the end of January. We were on cheese fumes (and not the good kind) when it finally arrived. And even then, things were slow as producers restocked after their own mad holiday rush. But now that we are heading towards Valentine's Day, the supply is matching the demand and we are anticipating few hiccups (you know, other than port strikes, tariffs and shipping delays crossing the Atlantic.).
We are not immune to the chatter about tariffs and buying Canadian. We sometimes laugh to ourselves in a panicky sort of way, "what a time to open a gourmet food store". 99.999% of our products are sourced from companies based in Canada and Europe, so we hope to avoid any tariffs on imported goods. And if you are very focused on only buying Canadian, we carry a LOT of Canadian cheeses.
Upcoming Events!
Please join us on Saturday, February 22 from 10am-5pm for our Customer Appreciation Day. We wanted to take some time to show our customers how much we appreciate your business, your positivity and your kind words. While we don't have all of the details ironed out, we can say that yes, there will be cheese to try, discounts and prizes! So please come visit the shop and say "Hi"!
We our also planning our first Wine & Cheese event at the store. We hope to make this a semi-regular event, with wine and cheese parings, music and art. Our Newsletter subscribers will be the first to know when tickets go on sale, so watch your inboxes if this is something you are interested in!
Cheese
As I said, it can take some time to get back to normal after the holiday rush, I'm still waiting on our Stilton...UK cheese is almost as hard to get as Danish cheese.
The other shortage we are currently experiencing is goat cheeses out of Quebec. Some of our favourite suppliers are down for a break while the babies are being born and nursing. But thankfully, there is France and it's never ending selection of goat cheeses to choose from.
And I did. Choose them, I mean. I chose a lot of them, maybe too many. It's just that I can't say no to a wrinkly surface ripened cheese. They sometimes look scary, but those looks are deceptive. Inside is a bright, white and creamy center. So if you like goat cheeses, come see us tomorrow evening or Saturday because we will be overflowing!
Beaufort d'Alpage AOP has finally arrived!
I've always hesitated to bring in this particular cheese because it is the most expensive cheese I've ordered, but I thought it was time to give it a go. Made with raw cow's milk, it is produced in the Alpages, the Alpine fields in France, where cattle migrate to in the summer to eat fresh grass and flowers. A single round of this cheese requires the milk of 35 cows.
A firm cheese, it has a melting quality in the mouth, with a complex flavour. A bit savoury and a bit sweet, and the best way to enjoy it, according to the professionals, is with the best Pinot Noir you can find. Challenge Accepted!
Butter is back! We currently have the bulk butter in stock and tomorrow we will finally be refreshed with more Gros Sel Baratte and the Demi Sel rolls.
Grab'n Go Fridge
We finally got around to making our takeout Mac n' Cheese. Sorry for the oven temp confusion for those who have purchased it and were confused because your oven doesn't go that high! Ankia and I are on different sides of the Fahrenheit vs Celsius argument so it was some bad translation on my part. Made with a Italian pasta and a mix of cheeses, no two batches are ever the same.
We are also really looking forward to adding French onion soup to the take out freezer as well. Perfectly caramelized onions, rich broth, crispy bread and gooey cheese. We love it in our house and we hope you will too! It will be available in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian (mmm...duck fat!) Coming Soon!
Enjoy the rest of your February everyone! And if these frigid temperatures are bringing you down, might I recommend some cheese? The hot, melted kind of cheese?
Keep it Cheesy!
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