Describe your current position and your day to day role at f44?
My current title is Operations Manager, but all that really means is that I’m usually the most organized person in the room. I was the Cheese Buyer for three years, but now I work with our team of four monger-buyers to try and make sure the cheese case stays full, but not too full. On any given day I’ll be making signage, entering invoices, visiting our St. Paul shops, and generally moving cheese from one location to another!
What cheese do you have in your fridge right now?
Not to be a cheesemonger cliché, but a better question would be what cheese don’t I have in my fridge right now. Cheesemongers (we’re just like you!) are definitely guilty of letting stray bits languish in the crisper drawer for too long, at least I am. Drunk Monk is my ride or die snacking cheese. I always have a good supply of Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano for fresh grating. I’ve been really enjoying Veronica Pedraza’s goat cheeses from Blakesville Creamery lately. And I’d be remiss without a good chunk of Pleasant Ridge Reserve in my fridge; it’s perfect for any occasion, and I find it holds up to refrigeration remarkably well.
What’s your favorite season of Top Chef?
I tend to remember the people rather than the locations. I’m a sucker for the Voltaggio brothers. Brooke Williamson is a marvel. The All Stars seasons always make for good television. I miss the days of Hugh Acheson though; his zingers live rent free in my head now.
What’s your current favorite retail item in the shop?
Easily the Amour de Cerise. They’re these French cherry gummies coated in hazelnut praline and chocolate. I don’t even especially like cherries or chocolate, but I would eat these candies until I became ill for sure. The Inna Fresno Chili Jam is a staff-wide favorite for good reason. Despite the moniker, it’s not spicy at all, by any standard. As a native Minnesotan I genetically resist anything pepper-based, but once I tried it with soft cheese it became an absolute obsession. It has all the fruity notes of chilis without any of the heat, and it’s just the right amount of sweetness to balance out virtually any cheese.