Can you believe it’s going to be May tomorrow?! Time stands still and then it leaps forward and suddenly we’re smack in the middle of spring! Soon enough, it’ll be Mother’s Day, which I want to write about today for those of you who are really on top of your shiz and are already thinking about gifts etc. And as a reminder to the SOME OF US who tend to forget, Mother’s Day is less than two weeks away (remember this year, Kiri, gosh darn it!). If - no, WHEN I get my mom a gift, it’s going to be from the shop. I’m going to create my perfect mom-box from items on our website so those of you who are not nearby can still get your hands on the good stuff if you’d like. We can always put it together for you for curbside pickup if you’re local!

Ok, ok my perfect box. I MEAN, my MOM’S perfect box. We are currently quarantined together so, lucky me, I get to participate in eating my Mother’s Day gift, if she lets me of course (hi Maaaaam, can I snack with you?). I want softies, Cremont and Taleggio, firm favorites, Flory’s Truckle and Podda Misto, and a kick of the sweet-ish blue, Mycella. Oh heyyy that’s a real nice assortment there! The flavors range from mellow to punchy without alienating anyone who’s wary of cheese or anyone who LOVES IT!!! They are also versatile if we don’t finish them in one sitting (leftovers for us are unlikely, but I do recognize it is a possibility) – the Taleggio is awesome in a breakfast sandwich, the Podda can be used in place of Parm, Mycella melted into polenta is a friggin dream.

Since this is a celebration of my mom, I want to make a fancier cheeseboard than usual with extra goodies. Famille Perronneau Orange Blossom Honey which tastes like ripe citrus, V Smiley Smoky and Spicy Heirloom Tomato Jam for zip, Mario Fongo Mini Lingue crackers for something plain and crunchy, and COOOKIES will all be a part of this extravaganza. Yes, I want cookies on the side of my mom’s cheeseboard. Firstly, she might want something sweet, and secondly, I’m not saying you have to dip the cookies into the Cremont but I’m also not saying not to do it. A.k.a, DO IT. I happen to know she loves the chocolate and sea salt flavor of buttery Klara’s Gourmet Shortbread. She’s generally suspicious of bagged cookies, but these, she says, are addictive and she usually doesn’t want them in the house because she eats them all. This day, though, is a day for moms to eat all the cookies.

Now onto the drinks, and for my dear mother, it’s gotta be red wine. Here, I leave myself in the extremely competent hands of Susan and Molly, our wine experts, so I’m going to go with the Red Wine Lover Collection – three bottles of red wine they’re loving right now – because I know we’ll enjoy whatever they choose. If I were buying this for me (I really do understand this is not about me but shoot, here comes my opinion anyway), I would choose the Orange Wine Collection because it is such a cheese-friendly style of wine. The tannins add body so the wine isn’t overwhelmed by cheese, and the flavors tend to lean towards apricot, mineral, peach skins, honeysuckle, but dry dry dry, which pair well with a wide variety of cheese. And while Mum would tell me these are good arguments because she is a nice mother, she would not be swayed. Thus, red wine will show up at her door.

I’m going all out, clearly. I show my love with food and here comes a lot of it, Ma! Happy Mother’s Day to the moms, the grandmas, the great grandmas, the mother figures, and the moms-to-be! I know I speak for all of us when I say we appreciate you and love you and thank you for bringing us into this world!

 For the love of cheese and moms,

Kiri