Mardi

by Mary-Devon Dupuy

Dieters and vegans beware, it’s National Cheese Day! There seems to be a day set aside for everything from secretaries to bacon, but that won’t stop cheese lovers everywhere from gorging in honor of the tastiest mold around. If you have the afternoon in front of you and haven’t made luncheon plans, consider grabbing your favorite cheese, a baguette, and some friends to enjoy the beautiful weather.

For more on cheese, NoDef talked to Richard Stutton of the St. James Cheese Company about how they’ll be celebrating the occasion.

“Every day is National Cheese Day, we eat cheese all day long,” Stutton said.

 NoDef asked Stutton for some cheesy expertise, and he suggested Winnimere, an unpasteurized, gooey cheese from Jasper Hill, Vermont, with a little funk.

“It has a spectacular taste, it’s just coming up on the end of its season," he said. "It’s a wash-rhined, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. It’s special because it’s a rare category.”

Apparently, the guidelines in the US make it difficult to produce cheeses that are both gooey and unpasteurized.

NoDef also was surprised to learn that Winnimere, like many cheeses of its kind, pairs better with beer than with wine.

Stutton said that, although wine and cheese are often the perfect combination, beer is more forgiving for cheese lovers with a large selection in front of them.

“The flavor profile is friendly to beer. If I have a plate of six or eight cheeses, you’d be hard pressed to find a wine that could accommodate all of them.” 

To celebrate the day, Stutton is cutting off 10 percent off the price for all American cheeses, so swing on by 5004 Prytania if you’re Uptown.