Winter 04

Say Cheese, Say Flavor

Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant and food writer whose is currently writing a book, to be published by Simon and Schuster, on the history and evolution of American cheese, says stories like Burgerville’s are being told in casual restaurants nationwide. He calls cheese the “most unperishable perishable.”

“Really good cheese gives you the benefits of a very perishable and therefore precious food,” Wolf says. “But you have a lot more time and a lot more room to work with it. You can cut it up and put it on a plate, you can pair with fruit, or you can make brilliant macaroni and cheese. Cheese is the ultimate crowd pleaser in that the least experienced person and the most sophisticated person can enjoy the same thing.”

Side bar: “The Basics of American Artisan Cheese.” “Five years ago, cheese was where wine was in the 1970s,” agrees Clark Wolf, a restaurant consultant and food writer who is writing a book about the history of American cheeses. “The difference, I think, is that we’ve learned we don’t have to know as much about cheese. It’s easier to develop an appreciation for cheese. The cheeses made in large production are actually very good. Then there are those cheeses that are just amazing that can be made only in small quantities.”