Whether you're a fromagier (cheese expert) or just a cheese lover (who isnt'?) you should really know about the Los Olivos Cheese Company. The company offers light catering, picnic baskets and gifts featuring a lovely selection of domestic and imported cheeses, including some of my personal favorites like Machengo, Mahon and Humboldt Fog.
Jim Thomas and Lindy Shelden own LOCC. He's a retired sheriff and she was the cheese manager at the Los Olivos Grocery (see earlier post) for several years, so she knows her stuff! LOCC has fresh cheese delivered every week and their lunches are available daily at the Gainey tasting room. They also supply cheese to Rideau, in addition to their other public and private events. Lindy is available to do tasting parties as well. She'll teach you and your guests about the origins of different cheeses and how to pair them with different wines and accoutrements. I've had one of these parties and they are really fun.
As cheese experts, Jim and Lindy offer the following advice:
- Jim says, "try them all!" Everyone has different taste and there's a cheese for everyone.
- Lindy says, "only buy freshly cut cheese" and avoid those pre-packaged, shrink-wrapped cheeses you see in stores. Who knows how long they've been around?
By the way, her favorite is Eppoises, a very strong french, washed rind variety with a creamy interior, and his is a mild cheddar, English Cotswald, which they tell me is also great melted over potatoes. Mmm. One final tidbit...Jim and Lindy own six goats, so I had to ask: are they going to make their own cheese? A longing sigh from Lindy, who says she'd love to one day, but not yet. For now their six goats will remain pets.
See their current list of cheeses at http://stores.locc.biz/-strse-Cheese-Department/Categories.bok
