Starbucks Establishing Yet Another Trend with Cheese

From its inception, Starbucks has given more thought to the concept and the idea of their brand rather than their product itself, the coffee. This has certainly worked for them with their empire extending now to 49 countries. And in a new twist, the Seattle-based coffee trader is thinking up a new concept for their worldwide brand: adding wine, cheese and charcuterie to their evening offerings.



Really, how could you go wrong combining a coffee lounge with a soft-core bar atmosphere? Customers are always looking for a casual place to relax, read a book or meet up with friends. Some even do serious business in the plush cushioned couches of the quiet hum of espresso machines a-whirl. The company will start with a few stores in Seattle.

This is appealing for someone like myself who shies away from the bar scene, but occasionally would enjoy a glass of wine and a cheese plate for an evening meet-up with a girlfriend. Add to the luxuries of cheese, wine and coffee with music and art with a moderate pricing scheme, and you have a very chic and attractive environment indeed.

Just like the Americans to join the bandwagon late, but always with a loud bang. (Source: The Puget Sound Business Journal)

What do The Beatles and Cheeses Have in Common?

No denying it, English cheeses have proudly soared to the popularity of The Fab Four, The Beatles.



A recent study shows that British cheeses have outpaced their French counterparts at the rate of about two to one, as buying local has become the dominating ethos for the Brits and their longstanding love of cheese. The rise is also attributed to an evolved palate to make a larger place for Stilton, sheep's and goat's milk cheeses. (Source: The Telegraph.co.uk)

But they're not resting on their own laurels, the French think that English cheeses are worth importing with the latest export figures showing that the demand for English cheese, especially Cheddar and Stilton, has increased considerably. England still imports cheese, but more and more, the taste for their own wins over their love of Brie.

The Cheesy Culture of Kid's Birthday Parties

What do children's birthday celebrations say about us as a people?

I can honestly say that I have never been to a birthday party at Chuck E Cheese, but it seems to be almost a rite of passage for Americans to celebrate another year of life with second rate pizza, turn-in-your-token arcade, and corny Animatronics that beckon you to join them for a number on stage.

For the price of admission, and it's a pretty steep price for the average American, you get an overload of pinball and video arcade machines, the pleasure of singing with oversized mechanical stuffed animals (that are quite scary), and 3 slices of the most forgettable pizza you'll ever taste.

A birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese is loud, artificial, bright or should we say colorful, corny, overdone, sensationalized and excessive.

... And then, we have birthday party in let's say, Western Europe with raclette. Austere and ever-practical... the focus of the party is on the people, the relationships, the conversation.

Who's having the better time? Hard to say, but I think it's a tie. Amusement and entertainment seem to be important factors to a culture that gave birth to Hollywood. Food is only secondary. Doing more than one thing at once, running around wasting money on pinball, going to the table for a sip of a your never-ending soda is perfectly acceptable.

But when it comes to the food, the Swiss children are faring much better. They dine on a few high quality ingredients. The food is as memorable as is the conversation. The food and people sharing the food is prized above other excesses.

One thing though they both got right: Cheese seems to elevate a meal to a celebration.

The French Cowboy Tames the Wild West with Cultured Tastes

Laurent Bonjour, 'The French Cowboy", knows a lot about cheese. But you won't find him behind a cheese counter at your local cheese shop. Instead, you'll find him out on the range, the farmer's market circuit in Southern California with his refrigerated truck of cheeses.

Raised in the Swiss Alps Monsieur Bonjour has cheese in his blood, so selling the 75 varieties or so of cheeses and imparting the knowledge that goes with each one is like second nature to him.



Catch him in his Australian Outback hat at one of these outdoor LA locales where fresh vegetable and fruit stands comingle with The Cheese Corner. (Source: The Culver Patch)

Who Says Asians Don't Like Cheese?

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Cheese Quote of the Day

The Old Foodie uncovered a wonderful cheese quote gem in M.F.K. Fisher's, How to Cook a Wolf (1942):

"Cheese has always been a food that both sophisticated and simple humans love."

New Concept Restaurant, L'Art du Fromage, Stinkin' Up London

Introducing a concept-nouveau dining experience in London centered around French and Swiss cheese... cheese, and stinky cheese, please-- in all, about 100 varieties.

Kunal Dutta, from The Independent in London, writes, "The inebriating whiff of Roquefort draws one to the door of L'Art Du Fromage, the first speciality cheese restaurant in Britain. The menu is built around cheese-based dishes: there are fondues, raclettes, a glorified version of cheese on toast and even cheese ice cream."

Julien Ledogar and Jean-Charles Madenspacher are co-conspirators behind this revolutionary stirring in the world of culinary gastronomy. Cheese shoppes... London has, even some with "tasting cafes", but not until now has there been a restaurant entirely devoted to the milky way.

Endeared from the beginning of time, cheese is experiencing a resurgence, a Rennaissance, largely due to its increased accessibility to a well-travelled, wealthier worldwide audience. (Full article here.)