I Met The Pope Of Cheese Last Night And This Is What Happened
Most people love cheese — kind of the same way most people love brewed coffee. But there is a massive distinction between those who appreciate its fine print, its wafty aromas and the myriad of textures, and those who gobble it as a satisfactory vice without putting much thought into the history. I wouldn't necessarily put myself in either one of these camps although my ears did prick up when I heard that world-renowned cheese monger Roland Barthélemy — who serves as president of the International Cheese Guild and is widely known as the "Pope of Cheese" — would be in town launching his new cheeses from France to the U.S this fall. Runway fashion as that may sound, there is far more detail that goes into this kind of a launch than meets the eye, and that was obvious when I walked into the restaurant Gaby at the back of the Sofitel Hotel in New York.
It was a Thursday night when I brought a few buddies to join me in this experience. We sat down at a beautifully laid table with little plates that contained some unusual accoutrements to say the least. I mean I didn't expect to see a banana, nor a slither of cucumber sitting in a cup of water at a cheese tasting, but I wasn't complaining — I was in the presence of cheese greatness, so if ever there was a time to be malleable, now was it.
We all sat and dutifully obeyed the Pope's instructions of picking up each cheese, accompanied by the intended odd garnish (in the first instance an edible flower and cucumber slice) and complimentary wine while we listened intently as Barthélemy explained the subtleties of the first mouth-watering cow's milk soft cheese. He explained how this particular cheese — Le Montagnard des Vosges, paired with cucumber, edible flower had a very lightly washed saltwater rind — the liquid cultivates the growth of a specific orange-colored bacterium, and the process allows the exterior of the cheese to mimic the interior of the cheese. It was this point I realized just how intricate this world of cheese is and glugged back an overwhelmingly large sip of wine!
The second cheese, Esquirrou, was a hard sheep's milk cheese, accompanied pear and serrano ham. This was more in my wheelhouse — I'm a big fan of the harder cheeses. This cheese was made from the milk of black or red-faced Manech, who only produce milk for six months of the year and must be kept at a certain altitude in order to do so! I loved that idea of these high-maintenance sheep who demanded a temperate environment in order to perform — seemed perfectly reasonable.
At this point there was a nice buzz going in the room and everyone was becoming more and more curious about this banana. Lo and behold, the moment came and Barthélemy exclaimed, "Unpackage yourrra banana!" He went on to say that this is quite an unusual pairing, and as we placed a thin piece of banana along with the blue cheese onto the provided cracker a few eyes showed some reluctance.
When we were given the go-ahead to indulge, the room's skepticism was turned into complete delight — and Roland in that exact moment earned the full priestly respect of his endearing nick-name.
Not everyone gets a chance to meet the Pope of Cheese, but you can still learn more about cheeses with our list of the 10 craziest facts about cheese!
The brand new to the U.S. cheeses, brought in by worldwide specialty cheese leader Savencia are now available in the NY area at Wegmans, Murray's Cheese, Zabar's and Gelson's Markets.
Natalie Lobel is a Recipe Editor at The Daily Meal who enjoys navigating the food space with a compass and a wooden spoon. You can follow her food adventures and diet experiments on her Instagram @natlobel.