Home

10%

The Little Bleu Cheese Shop

A Whole World of Goodness

By localfocus

A little cheese romance

According to Anthony Bourdain, famously irreverent roving chef and author, you have to be a romantic to invest yourself, your money and your time in cheese. If such words are true, then that makes Ann Duckett, owner of The Little Bleu Cheese Shop in Rochester, New York, one of the most romantic cheesemongers in town.

“I just really love cheese,” she says, “and feel such a deep appreciation for what the soil can give us.” And just like any good cheese, her decision to become a cheesemonger evolved and grew over time.

“I like to tell people that I gave up the cubicle for a cube of cheese,” she says, “because after 11 years in the corporate environment, I finally listened to my entrepreneurial instincts and pursued my dream of running my own business.”

getting started

A career in the home health care industry honed her public relations and communications skills - key to engaging customers and cheesemakers alike in her new chosen profession - and allowed her time to explore all aspects of the cheese industry.

“Initially things started very slowly,” she says. “I was spending my free time learning everything I could by traveling to food shows, visiting cheesemakers and taking classes but it was really only after reading an incredible article in Food & Wine magazine about a French affineur, or cheese ‘raiser’ that I realized I felt such a strong connection to cheese.”

Affineurs receive their cheeses from producers and ‘raise’ their cherished charges in their shops or in a cave until they are ‘à point’ or perfectly ready to eat. Caring for the cheeses includes moistening them if they become too dry or toweling them off if they become too wet. Most days they need to be rotated and shifted on their shelves and some require a wash on a regular basis to develop a particular flavor in the rind.

“I truly fell in love with this beautiful craft,” she says, “and knew I wanted to be a part of it and share it with others.”

“For me, cheesemaking is this wonderful mix of art and science on one hand and then, on the other, it has this lovely human side to it. It’s the perfect conduit for bringing people together and represents everything we believe in at The Little Bleu Cheese Shop.”

Duckett’s decision to enroll in the Cheesemaking Certificate Program at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese in 2011 gave her the sound technical knowledge she was looking for before taking the next step.

“I was fascinated by the complexity of cheesemaking,” she said “and learned what it is that makes one cheese soft, like a brie, and another crunchy or firm like an aged gouda. The crunch comes from crystallized amino acids as the moisture evaporates during the aging process and is not necessarily a flaw. There are other factors too that define the final product and include how an animal metabolizes its food. A goat won’t metabolize carotene in the same way as a cow, for example, and will produce milk which is snow white in color compared to a cow’s milk which can have a yellow and sometimes an orange tinge to it.”

moving forward

After completing the program as well as a cheese master class at the Artisanal Premium Center in New York, things moved quickly. Duckett opened a small cheese counter in Union Street Bakery at the Rochester Public Market and by September 2012, had signed the lease for her own store on South Avenue in the historic South Wedge neighborhood.

“We had a very ambitious timeline,” she says, “which included selling our home in the suburbs, moving to the city and opening for business that December, all in quick succession.” The store, which is located in a renovated building dating back to the early 1800’s, was previously home to a drug store, deli and, coincidentally, another cheese shop. “We like to think it came back to life in some way,” says Duckett, “and that really, we are connecting to another era, another way of shopping.”

Exposed interior brickwork and honey-colored maple wood flooring combine with schoolhouse-style lighting to create an open, welcoming space for customers to step into. European-style cheese cases with front and rear doors allow for easy access to the cheeses which must be taken out daily, inspected and allowed to breathe.

“There is no way to individually control the humidity and temperature for every cheese,” says Duckett “and this is why cheesemongers usually need to wrap each one.”

“Handling them, ‘facing’ or shaving each one and then rewrapping them each day takes time but this is when I am in my element and really enjoy the hands-on aspect of the cheese business.”

She adds that the see-through aspect of the cases also allows the conversation to flow backwards and forwards between her and customers.

“It’s as much about keeping the cheeses fresh,” she says, “as it is about engaging with people. It gives us time to slow down, converse and just talk cheese.”

Cream, custom-made sideboards and a matching check-out counter, together with cream-and-blue exterior paintwork, evoke the color of Duckett’s favorite cheese and a staple in her cheese cabinet - Point Reyes Original Blue.

“Point Reyes was truly the inspiration behind opening the shop,” says Duckett. “Before embarking on this adventure, I would bring home a wedge and slice and dissect it on the kitchen table just to appreciate its incredible variety of color and texture.”

Produced in Point Reyes, California by the farmstead creamery of the same name, Original Blue is made from raw cow’s milk and aged for six months. Demonstrating a creamy, tangy taste with a medium punch of blue flavor, the cheese’s rich, unique flavors are attributed to the high quality of the farm’s pastures and their situation close to the ocean.

the right location

The decision to locate The Little Bleu Cheese Shop in Rochester’s South Wedge district was a logical choice according to Duckett due to its proximity to the Public Market as well as the area’s rising visibility in an increasingly foodie-centric city.

The South Wedge neighborhood is one of the fastest-growing urban neighborhoods in the state outside New York City and is widely regarded for its strong sense of community. Boasting several neighborhood organizations and two newspapers, it is populated by an eclectic variety of locally-owned retail shops, restaurants, cafés and bars in a triangular area of land bounded by the Genesee River on its west side and the Erie Canal, now the I-490, on the east. Originating in the 1820’s as a series of small houses owned by families tied to the Erie Canal trade, the South Wedge grew in prominence in the 1840’s when George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry founded their nursery on what is now South Avenue. Ellwanger and Barry, two of Rochester’s most famous horticulturalists, are credited with endowing the city with its modern moniker, the Flower City. By the time Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and human rights activist, moved to South Avenue in the 1860s, the area was flourishing, with the city‘s first street railway, a plank road and a hospital. Douglass’ house still stands at the corner of Hamilton and Bond Streets.

“We really wanted to be a part of the local community here,” Duckett says, “because it’s all about making connections and growing the local economy. Small businesses are at the heart of that effort and and we all thrive when we support each other.”

She also credits the area with a ‘uniquely human’ atmosphere, something she says is distinctly lacking in big-store food shopping today. “In a way, we are moving full-circle and going back to traditional main street shopping,” she says.

“The whole field-to-table movement has been a big influence in that respect because customers want to talk over the counter and are curious about where their food comes from. People get a different sense of quality and service when they can visit unique stores in a small, concentrated area and the South Wedge is the perfect place to do that.”

Duckett’s food neighbors include the newly-opened McCann’s Local Meats, a traditional-style butcher’s with a focus on fresh, locally-raised and hormone-free cuts of meat and The Cub Room at the Edge of the Wedge, a new American restaurant with a big-city vibe and ambitions to cement the neighborhood’s status as a serious food destination.

Write your story here. (Optional)

“There really has been an explosion of interest in sourcing artisanal, locally-produced products thanks to the growing locavore movement,” says Duckett, “and we are in such a sweet spot in Upstate New York to be able to enjoy so much of what this area has to offer. We got our start by bringing a lot of cheesemakers up to the Public Market from the Finger Lakes to see how their products might be received and got a wonderful reaction. That’s when we realized that people wanted to know the story behind every cheese, how it was produced and to really be a part of something special. At that point we knew the time was right to open our own farmstead and artisan cheese shop.”

people-to-people

The first dedicated cut-to-order cheese shop anywhere in the Rochester area and the wider Finger lakes region, The Little Bleu Cheese Shop is committed to building and supporting a strong cheese community.

With a focus on supplying premium, micro-batch, artisan cheeses, Duckett says her goal is to connect customers with domestic craft cheesemakers. Many of her customers, she says, like to travel, and will come into the store looking for something they had enjoyed while away.

Write your story here. (Optional)

“Travel and food have always been incredibly important to me,” she says “and the shop really is an extension of those things. There is a beauty and magic to making cheese and I wanted to have an investment in that amazing story and let people know what is going on in our own backyard.

Compared to Europe, we have some catching up to do when it comes to cheese appreciation and understanding but I intend to bridge that gap and connect people to some absolutely incredible cheeses here in the US.”

She says that a good selection of international cheeses like a French camembert, a Spanish manchego or an English stilton, amongst others, are wonderful introductions into the domestic cheese world and open up the opportunity to connect personally with customers.

“We focus on what is produced by local farmers and creameries and find something that really appeals to them. Customers are delighted when they find a cheese they love right here in the store,” she says.

“It’s really all about having a conversation and just talking cheese. The most important thing is, we are dealing with a customer and not just a consumer. They have names and lives.”

“I like to think that when I sell a cheese, I am sending it to a good home.”

good. pure. cheese.

Duckett’s personal approach to building a cheese community naturally extends from her customers to her relationships with suppliers.

“Our business is all about our farmers and suppliers”, she says, “and about supporting wonderful cheesemakers who handcraft small, micro-batch lines of one, two or five cheeses with artistry, patience and a bit of their soul.”

Typically carrying some 50 different cheeses - her goal is to eventually offer between 150 to 200 - Duckett says she makes it a priority to feature handmade cheeses produced with as little mechanization as possible, apart from milking machines.

“There is a huge difference between mass-produced and small-batch, farmstead cheeses,” she says, “and most often it has to do with the milk used and how it is pasteurized. Mass production can make for very ‘vanilla’, standard cheeses which are quite the opposite of what we sell here.”

The shop carries an extensive variety of unique cheeses made from both pasteurized and unpasteurized, or raw, milk. In accordance with FDA regulations, any cheese made with raw milk and which is not pasteurized prior to use, must be aged for at least 60 days to eliminate harmful pathogens. Cheeses in this category include soft-ripened, semi-soft, firm, blue and natural or washed-rind cheeses. Fresh cheeses - those that have not been aged - such as Italian-style mascarpone and ricotta, chèvre, feta, cream cheese, quark, cottage cheese and other Mexican-style fresh cheeses must be made with pasteurized milk only.

food of the soil and soul

In addition to creating distinctly handcrafted cheeses, Duckett also says she gravitates towards farmers and creameries with a commitment to treating their cows, goats and sheep humanely.

“It’s very important to know we are dealing with producers who care for their animals,” she says. “They are part of the continuum we share with the soil and we have an obligation to treat them properly.”

In fact, Duckett has adopted a quote from French cheese master and maturing expert, Pierre Androuet, for her store brochure.

“Cheese is the food of the soul. Cheese is the most romantic link between humans and the earth.”

Great cheese, she says, really comes from well-cared-for animals that are free to roam and eat a variety of grasses, weeds and flowers, producing milk that has a depth of flavor and terroir that is hard to match.

Customer favorites include Honey Lavender fromage blanc from Nettle Meadow in Warrensburg, New York. Home to over 300 goats, their diet comprises a variety of natural ingredients including organic hay, grains and wild herbs, raspberry leaf, garlic, and kelp. Another favorite is the award-winning Purple Haze, made with lavender and wild fennel pollen from Cypress Grove Chevre in Humboldt, California. The dairy’s approach to herd and health management recently earned it the American Humane Certification with a perfect score of 100 percent.

The Little Bleu Cheese Shop carries a range of cheeses from local suppliers in addition to those sourced from across the country. Shtayburne Farms in Rockstream, New York is known for its range of cheese curds and its Buffalo Wing variety has become a store staple. 5 Spoke Creamery, just an hour north of New York city, specializes in cheeses made from raw milk. The milk comes from its own herd of Holstein cows and is used to produce Talcott, Tumbleweed and Redmond Cheddar amongst others, all of which reflect the climate, vegetation and soil of the farm. Hawthorne Valley Farm in Columbia County, New York was one of the first farms in the US to become a certified organic farm and produces a complex, English-inspired clothbound cheddar which pairs well with pale ale or a fruity red wine. Jake’s Gouda Cheese in Deansboro, New York produces an outstanding range of award-winning smoked, aged and baby goudas which it credits, in part, to the cool climate of Upstate New York. Chaseholm Farm, located just outside Pine Plains, New York produces a range of artisanal cheeses, mostly in the French tradition, including Red Beard, a smear ripened cheese in the ‘stinky’ family, washed with hard cider and finished with apple brandy.

Duckett’s relationship with First Light Farm and Creamery, owned and run by the Sandvoss brothers in Batavia, New York, lead to the creation of one of the first dairy CSA or Community Supported Agriculture pick-up points in the area. Each week customers can drop into the store and collect their share of organic Jersey Cow cream-top milk, yoghurt and cheese.

At the store, cheeses sourced from out of state include those from Maine, Vermont, Virginia, Utah and California, for example.

“Our goal is to provide a very unique range of cheeses to our customers,” says Duckett, “and staying nimble allows us to do that. We want our cheeses to be as optimally fresh and as tasty as possible and that means frequently turning over what’s in the cases. We advise customers not to buy more than they can enjoy in two to three days if it’s a soft cheese or five if it’s hard.”

Standout cheeses include national and international award-winners such as Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Creamery in Vermont and Barely Buzzed, an American Cheese Society winner, from the Beehive Cheese Company in Utah. One of the most unique cheeses you will ever taste, according to Duckett, this distinctive cheese is hand-rubbed with espresso and lavender and considered by many to be a true American original. It also won a Bronze Award at the World Cheese Awards in both 2012 and 2014.

Duckett’s commitment to variety and uniqueness has also paid off. In 2013, the store was named Best New Specialty Shop in Rochester.

“This award was very important to us,” says Duckett, “because it really confirmed that people understand what we are doing at The Little Bleu Cheese Shop.”

“Variety and seasonality are key to staying unique and our customers recognize that. When a wheel is gone, we like to bring in something new which is being produced at that particular time of the year.”

For spring and summer, Duckett suggests a range of fresh cheeses and fromage blancs. Made from grassy, fresh milk, they pair well with crisp breads, summer fruits and berries, nuts, figs and milder charcuterie cuts.

“Bloomy rind cheeses, like a local camembert, or a triple crème cheese, are also lovely choices for this time of the year,” she says, “and then maybe a snacking cheese like a baby gouda, colby or a lighter cheddar. We also carry some very soft, subtle blues as well and a great manchego which pairs so well with a mild chorizo or prosciutto.”

During the fall and winter months, most customers gravitate towards more robust cheeses she says.

“Usually, we suggest cheeses with big flavors at this time of the year like smoked goudas, cheddars and anything that melts. They’re great in everything from fondues to traditional mac and cheese.”

The store carries an extensive array of food products to accompany cheese as well as locally handcrafted wooden boards, knives and presentation items. Typically small-batch, handmade and organic, the range of food products includes jams, preserves and salsas from Beth’s Farm Kitchen in Stuyvesant, New York, fruit butters from nearby Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva, goats milk caramel sauces from Fat Toad Farm in Vermont and syrups from Quince and Apple in Wisconsin. Artisanal crackers and crisps are sourced from Potter’s Crackers, also in Wisconsin, and Jan’s Farmhouse in Vermont, with mustard locally supplied by Maggie’s Mustards in Canandaigua, New York.

Write your story here. (Optional)

A charcuterie case offers rillettes, a rustic pork spread, from The Piggery in Ithaca, New York as well as a selection of salami, sausage, chorizo and prosciutto ham.

“We are passionate about supporting small businesses,” says Duckett, “because we all share the same philosophy and commitment to good, pure food.”

a tasty future

And Duckett’s commitment to spreading the word about good, pure cheese extends well beyond her shop. As an associate member of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail, whose mission is to support and help drive business for small, artisan and farmstead cheesemakers in the area, she says her goal is to help build a vibrant cheese community.

“New York State currently ranks 6th in the US for cheese production but I believe we can be so much stronger than that,” she says. “If we can continue to build cohesion among producers and focus on educating customers, we can really move the industry forward.”

Tasting events are key to this effort and Duckett frequently partners with other local experts like Holly Howell, a Rochester-based wine specialist and sommelier, to promote cheese and wine pairings to a wider audience. Similar tasting events incorporate chocolate and locally-produced whiskey products from Black Button Distilling, the first grain-to-glass distiller in Rochester since the Prohibition era.