Artisan Cheese Company
Artisan Cheese Company is hardly the new kid on the block these days. Since opening downtown in 2012—and then relocating to The Rosemary in 2018—the fromagerie has gained quite the glowing reputation and community following. Much of this success can be attributed to the decisions made by Artisan’s proprietor and head cheese monger, Louise Converse.
Edible spoke with Converse about the accessibility of world cheeses; about pairing said cheeses not only with wine, but with stories; and about the importance of shopping local.
“We’re an independent hand-cut-to-order cheese shop, so we have the ability to spend time with the customer, explain where the cheese is from. We get to tell the story, and that’s who we are,” Converse says. And with a selection of cheeses that are in an almost constant rotation, the stories are important to connect the cheese with the consumer.
“I think people resonate with that because it’s more of an experience than walking to a counter in a supermarket where it’s grab and go, and things are pre-wrapped. We take care of the cheese, and in the process of that have an ability to engage with the customer,” Converse says.
There’s also something to be said about engaging with seasons. Behind the scenes, there’s a vast network of farmers and cheese mongers making sure the farm-to-table pipeline stays operating smoothly. “We follow seasons. It really depends on the month, the time of year, what’s happening. That, as well as knowing where the food comes from, and working with farmers. In our case, it’s working with our cheese makers, and understanding what’s really beautiful right now,” Converse says.
And although Converse is convinced “there’s a cheese for everybody,” she knows not everyone is ready to take the plunge into the delicate, creamy, salty, sweet world of cheeses. With that in mind, she’s stocked Artisan Cheese with a selection of small-batch items. “We have an amazing little tinned fish section (that’s my passion project), but we also have preserves, jams, and pickles. So if you’re vegetarian and cheese is not part of your world, we have other things for you as well. Our wines are natural—only natural—and we kind of pick those in the same way we pick our cheeses: with as little intervention as possible,” Converse says. “We have the same mind-set in our wine as we do with our cheese: We don’t like preservatives. We don’t like any additives (as much as possible). We have a small but very specific natural wine selection.”
As for what else is going on at the shop, well, Artisan Cheese Company has thrown its hat into the bakery ring. Or micro-bakery ring, I suppose. Although it’s not available every day, Converse is hoping to get sourdough on the menu full-time. “It’s a three-day process right now,” Converse says, but with a recently purchased professional-level bread oven, it shouldn’t be long before sourdough becomes a menu staple. And I think I speak for the entire cheese- and wine-loving community when I say: yes please.
Artisan Cheese also boasts a robust lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. On said menu, you’ll find cheese boards, melted cheese on toast, assorted drinks, soups, the occasional salad, and yes, even tacos with fresh ingredients sourced locally from the farmers’ market. You can order ahead of time online, by phone, or simply stop by the shop.
Aside from the wines, cheeses, and small-batch delicacies, Converse also wants the community to know about the shop’s events, like classes and a pairing event called Telling Stories. “We have about 14 people come in for our Cheese 101 class. We do them once a month with eight cheeses and pairings and wines. It’s a guided tasting to kind of take the intimidation out of cheese and hopefully get a person to understand where the cheese comes from, what it looks like, what it tastes like, how to identify it, and a little bit of history about that particular cheese, but also the shop and why cheese is important. Since we opened, we’ve done hundreds of classes … and they all sell out,” Converse says.
Her newest event seeks to bring together experts in a certain field to wax poetic on not only their knowledge and prowess of their field, but how food plays an influence. “With Telling Stories, we bring in six people from the community and give them a subject, like ‘food and something else.’ So, for example, our next one is food and design. I’ve got some architects and interior designers who are going to come talk about food and design … and then we have a three-course meal. It’s a fun, very lovely event. It’s kind of the wind in my sails because it brings people together around food and telling stories. And that’s who we are. And that’s a great thing.”
