There are certain advantages to working with your dad. One of them is if you’re sheltering from COVID-19 at his house, he can drive you to work. He can give you a ride home at the end of the day, so that’s also nice. Another advantage is if you happen to forget it’s Father’s Day and then you see it on the calendar at work, you can rush over and give him a hug right away, bottle of wine in hand and shout “Happy Father’s Day! I picked this wine out especially for you!” - even though you actually just yanked it off the shelf as you were running over to give him a squeeze. There, face saved. You’re still in the running as the favorite child (my brother is currently living in Bozeman, so I think I have favorite child all locked up anyway). If you read my Mother’s Day newsletter, I’m sure you’re sensing the pattern that I forget about important days and then try to cover it up. So this year I’m giving myself an entire week and a half to at least get him a friggin card. Maybe it will say, “You’re the best dad! Oh, and really appreciate the job, Pops!” Something poetic like that. And of course, we will most definitely have a cheese plate.

Dad is all about variety, so I want to get him four cheeses from different cheese families in the case. We’ll have an alpine, a gouda, a blue, and then something semi-firm and a little milder to balance out the stronger flavors:

Dad LOVES his alpines, so it’s hard to pick one, but he’s really been on the Hornbacher train recently. Michael Spycher produces Hornbacher at the dairy next to his house, which is on the banks of the Hornbacher River. His cheese is meaty and buttery. Some have described it as tasting like a baked potato in cheese form. UM YES PLEASE. 

Then, I’ll get him a chunk of the sharp, fruity one-year old gouda called Wilde Weide. Not only do Dad and I love the gouda, but we also like saying the name of the island on which it’s produced, Zwanburgerpolder.

The blue cheese must be Mycella Blue because it is the only Danish cheese we have in the case, and my dad’s mom was Danish so this is a nod to her. A thank you for bringing such a good son and eventually father into the world. Mycella also goes with everything, and you know what my dad likes? Everything. 

Finally, let’s bring things down a little bit to one of my personal favorites, Mendia. It is mellow and smooooooth and melts like a dream, and while my dad likes everything, he really likes melted cheese. 

And you know what, let’s get some salami in there and a mustard, too, for good measure. He’ll want at least one stick of Vermont Salumi and a jar of some interesting mustard, and so it shall be on Father’s Day. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t read this newsletter, so I think this all will even be a surprise – that there’s a pretty cheeseboard waiting for him and that I thought about it ahead of time! Happy almost Father’s Day to all the dads and father figures out there! There may just be some cheese waiting for you this year…

For the love of cheese and all those papas out there,

Kiri

Quick update on the cheesemaker search: I have emailed a bunch of people around the country looking for Black American, artisanal cheesemakers and am just waiting to hear back. Two organizations I emailed, The Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust and the Southern Foodways Alliance, really captured me if you want to check them out.