From Corporate to Artisan

I’m always a little hesitant eating a cheese that has added flavors to it. I usually find the cheese to be underwhelming in both taste and quality.

Well, the boys at the Beehive Cheese Company prove me wrong…way wrong. Pat Ford and Tim Welsh (brothers-in-law!) have quickly made a name for themselves in the cheese world. Back in 2005, both Pat and Tim decided to leave the fast-paced world of software and real estate and seek a simpler (and cheesier) way of life.

The boys traded in their commutes and laptops for quiet pre-dawn mornings sitting with 500 gallons of farm-fresh milk carefully mixing and warming it for hours to develop their unique cheese. Pat and Tim quickly fell in love with the natural rhythms of making cheese the old fashioned way. The long days of polishing their recipe and the months spent waiting with an artisan’s patience for wheels to ripen to perfection have made Beehive Cheese some of the best in America. The Beehive Cheese Company is one of the only artisan cheese makers in Utah!

The Beehive boys only use Jersey cows milk in all of their cheeses. So what? Jersey cows, despite their small size, produce milk with the highest protein and fat content. Higher fat and protein means the milk is creamier (a.k.a. more delicious!)

Promontory.

The patriarch of the Beehive family! A relatively young Irish-style cheddar with buttery, full-bodied texture and snappy, citrus-like fruit notes. Pairs great with full-bodied reds, ales and IPAs. Try Promontory in your next grilled cheese, mac ‘n cheese or simply with apples and honey.

Awards

1^st place at the American Cheese Society: 2011

Bronze Medal at World Cheese Awards: 2010

Barely Buzzed.

A true American original! The Beehive boys start with Colorado Legacy Fine Coffee beans and French Superior lavender buds. Next? The two premium ingredients are freshly ground onsite, diluted with oil to suspend the dry ingredients in the rub. The result? Rubbing the cheese produces notes of butterscotch and caramel near the rind, which find their way to the center of the cheese.

Pair with medium to full-bodied wines, ports, ales, stouts and ciders. A great match with fresh fruit or charcuterie.

Awards

1^st place at the American Cheese Society: 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011

3^rd place at the American Cheese Society: 2012

SeaHive.

Hand-rubbed with local honey and Redmond RealSalt, SeaHive is a beautifully balanced treat. A full-bodied cheese with a smooth, creamy texture—a true expression of the local flavors, superior quality and creativity! RealSalt is harvested from an ancient sea bed near Redmond, Utah! Great with hoppy ales or fruity white wines, and perfect shaved on salads and soups.

Awards

3^rd place at the American Cheese Society: 2011

TeaHive.
The newest member of the family! The soothing qualities of tea and the relaxing properties of bergamot combine to produce a lovely cheese with rich fragrances of orange blossoms.  The creaminess of the cheese is an immediate delight and the complexities of the tea-rubbed rind continue through the finish. Pair with fruit-forward wines, pilsners or chocolaty stouts. Try with savory scones, biscuits or marmalade!

Awards

1^st place at the American Cheese Society: 2012

Please join us for "Fromage with Friends" as American Cheese Month continues this Saturday from 12p-3p. We'll have all four BeeHive Cheeses for you to taste...which will be your favorite?

My Romance in Raleigh

I kind of feel like I’ve been on a string of dates with Raleigh. When I first met her, I was a little nervous, not quite sure what I thought and just hoping for the best.

But so far, she’s shown me a great time. Downtown Raleigh is full of life! Boutique shops have opened up left and right, eateries to keep you full for days on end, the craft beer movement is incredibly present here (there’s even a craft beer tasting bar/store), and there’s a great sense of pride among all the Raleighites for their city that’s almost contagious. Parts of Raleigh seem to be a little behind the rest of the scene, but read some of the blogs online and they all say to give the up-and-coming city a few more years. It does seem like Raleigh has a bright future ahead of it.

Seeing that I’m always wearing khakis at Shubie’s, you probably don’t know that I love jeans. A great pair of jeans is worth it to me (like a great bottle of wine for some of you). So I happen to come across The Raleigh Denim Co (no, seriously, I walked right by it without knowing it existed!). They actually make raw denim right on site. Raw denim is denim that has never been washed or treated with anything, so basically it’s up to you how it ages. It’s recommended to go swimming in the ocean, run in the rain, find some mud, etc…and not wash them for 3-6 months! Raw denim is a little tougher at first, but it’s up to you to break it in.

A few blocks up I stumbled upon Feelgoodz, a flip-flop company. Feelgoodz makes flip flops out of totally recyclable and biodegradable materials, using natural dyes and are ethically sourced. Cool company, cool idea, cool product (you should check it out).

The restaurant scene is booming in Raleigh. Each restaurant takes great strides to use fresh, local produce, eggs and meat. You can taste the difference. The beef all seems so much more tender and flavorful, the fruits and veggies all bursting with flavors. I’ve been fortunate enough to eat at four of Raleigh’s best restaurants, and each one shined in their own way; truly demonstrating fresh, quality ingredients is all you need. (I even had fish tacos, but they couldn’t rival Chef Lynne’s). I've dined at the following (feel free to email me or stop in and ask me about my meals if you want more details!):

• Gravy (where I met my rockstars of cheese)
• Battistella's (my favorite!)
• Capital Club 16 (great sandwiches)
• Dos Taquitos Centro (awesome atmosphere and margaritas)

After a few days with Raleigh, I’m getting used to her and she’s been taking me to all the right spots. I feel more comfortable and don’t even need Google Maps any more to guide me (my dad won’t believe that one!). But it’s true! I’ve also totally enjoyed all the service at each restaurant. Each server and bartender (two bartenders know my name already—not sure if that’s good or bad) is so attentive and genuinely seems to care to make sure I’ve had an exceptional experience, which is something I always appreciate.

When I was at Raleigh’s very own chocolate factory, Videri (I’ll get to that tomorrow in my blog), the tour guide said, “I’ve lived in Raleigh my whole life and it just keeps getting better and better.”

Would I be ready to move in with Raleigh, so to speak? I don’t know if I could live here permanently (it’s a little too hot), but after my inaugural visit, I’d gladly come back and visit her (and eat and drink my way through…who’s with me…first round is on me)!

Your Foodie Friend,

Dougy

Doesn't Happen Often

David (top), Cary (bottom)

I'm not one to get startstruck that easily. Seeing Maya Rudolph, David Spade, Maria Bello and the rest of the cast of "Grown Ups 2"during the filming this summer has definitely been fun, but I wouldn't say it has left me speechless.

But last night while out to dinner, I didn't meet one rockstar. Not two. Not even three. I MET FOUR ROCKSTARS. Of the cheese world that is (were you expecting someone else--I'm at the cheese show after all)! I'm sitting at the bar, enjoying a drink, and a group of four comes up next to me to grab a drink while waiting for their table.

I first noticed David Gremmels--co owner of Rogue Creamery (a.k.a. home to the Best Cheese in the Country for the last two years!!!). I didn't know what to do. Then I notice, Cary Bryant (other co-owner of Rogue), Sue Conley (co-owner of Cowgirl Creamery) and Kurt Dammeier (owner of Beecher's of Seattle). HOLY CRAP!

Do I introduce myself? Do I buy them a drink? Do I leave them alone? Well I didn't have long to think because Kurt turns to me and says, "Excuse me, do you live here? What do you call someone from Raleigh?"

"Great," I thought to myself, "he just had to ask me something I didn't know."

Kurt

I could feel myself getting nervous, my mouth getting dry, I could feel myself perspiring like a wheel of gouda that's been left out too long, but I somehow managed to spit out, "A Raleighite? That's just a guess. I'm not from here," pretty smooth, Dougy. (And Raleighite is the correct answer I found out later!).

Sue

I told them I was here for the cheese show and that I obviously knew they were here for the same reason. I felt like I was sitting next to cheese royalty. You might be thinking I'm overreacting here, but these four have changed the way cheese is made and enjoyed in this country. I grew up hearing about these four legends, I would read about them in trade magazines. These four people and their cheeses started the American artisan cheese movement. It doesn't happen often, but I was near speechless.

Is there such a thing as a cheese groupie??