Say Cheese!

by Diana Cercone

There’s a reason photographers have traditionally asked their stony-faced and scared subjects to say the word “cheese.” Saying “cheese” defies a frown, bringing a big, toothy grin on even the most grim faces. Same with eating cheese. It’s hard not to smile. Just thinking about cheese—with its myriad of tantalizing flavors, aromas and textures—brings one to my face every time. 

So when I heard of a new cheese shop in Bucks County—and of its cheesemonger/owner  who knows her curds from wheys—I had to stop by The Forager in Bristol Borough. 

Sitting on the corner of Mill and Wood streets, its owner and cheesemonger is Dana Pezza.  As I approach The Forager’s storefront, I suspect its sun-dappled windows on this day would be just as a welcoming beacon even on the dreariest of days.

One step inside the cheese shop confirms it. Enveloping me is the fresh scent of baked breads (delivered every day from Baker Street Bread in Chestnut Hill) and the sight of an undeniable promise of gastronomic delights found on its well-stocked shelves lining a wall. A large refrigerated case at the shop’s back brims with ready-to-eat homemade foods, such as  Dana’s meatballs, marinara sauce, seasonal soups and chicken salad, as well as food staples like artisanal butters. But the main attraction is The Forager’s cheese, prominently displayed in a temperature-controlled case next to the front counter. Like a treasure chest, it holds an array of delectable cheeses, many of them local.

At any given time, Dana says, there’s a variety of 25 cheeses in the case. All are award-winners. Come the holidays that number will swell. Dana prides herself in carrying handcrafted, artisanal cheeses from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York. Cheeses like the rich and buttery triple cream St. Stephen from Four Fat Fowl (NY). This is a very versatile cheese, Dana says, and can easily be spread on toast for breakfast, serve as an appetizer, or adorn with a mix of berries for a simple, yet, decadent dessert. 

Other New York cheeses come from Nettle Meadow Farm which is prized for its goat, sheep, and mix sheep and cow milk cheeses. Its sheep ricotta, Dana says, is ideal to mix with pastas because its curds are smaller and super creamy. It also pairs equally well topped on slices of pears and apples for a snack or to round out a cheese board. (More on cheese boards later.) Rounding out New York cheeses are the goat cheeses from Lively Goat Dairy—a goat cheese fan’s must buys.

Staples from New Jersey at The Forager come from Antonio’s Mozzarella Factory. 

From PA, there are the incredibly flavorful and award-winning goat cheeses from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy (near Pittsburgh); cow’s milk cheeses from Clover Creek Cellar (Williamsburg) and which makes one of The Forager’s best-selling cheddars. From Valley Milkhouse in Oley come the award-winning fresh, soft-ripened and aged cheeses made with milk from a nearby organic grass fed dairy. (Tip: its Witchgrass goes fast; so when you see it, buy it.)

In addition there are farm fresh, raw-milk cheeses in various milk types, including hard, triple cream and blue, from Calkins Creamery located in Honesdale, PA. And a variety of  cheeses, including a washed rind and a blue, from Birchrun Hills Farm in Chester County.

Closer to home in Newtown is the popular and American Cheese Society award-winning Washington Crossing from Ely Artisan Cheese. This, along with St. Stephen, should be a staple in everyone’s refrigerator, says Dana—and especially at holiday time.

Dana’s array of cheeses doesn’t stop at these four states’ borders. If there’s a cheese she thinks is just too good not to offer to her customers, she’ll carry it. Such as cheeses from Vermont’s Shelburne Farms, Grafton Village and Plymouth Artisan Cheese. From California comes Cypress Grove’s Midnight  Moon, an aged goat cheese that is nutty and buttery with a long caramel finish. “My customers would protest if I didn’t carry it,” Dana says. Same goes for her 24-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy.

If looking for a pecorino cheese, Dana says, she has Pecora Nocciola from Landmark Creamery in Wisconsin. An aged pecorino-style cheese, it’s both nutty and savory with a bright finish. Equally at home as a grating cheese or on a cheese board. 

And from Oregon, there’s Rogue River Blue—Special Reserve, a semi-soft blue wrapped in local Syrah leaves and macerated in pear brandy. The small-batch cheese is only hand made once a year during the autumn equinox. A coup for even the most nationally celebrated cheesemongers, Dana managed to snag 60 pounds. Just don’t wait to buy a wedge of this luscious blue. It’s flying out fast.

This past fall, Dana attended the international Bra Cheese Festival in Italy where she tasted some incredible cheeses, she says, from Switzerland, Spain, Italy and France. Expect to see some of her finds this holiday season, such as Dolce Gorgonzola and Bocconcino di Langa from Italy, Manchego from Spain, Comte from France and Jumi Natur Grossvatu Raclette from Switzerland. 

For the holidays, nothing makes for easy entertaining like cheese, says Dana. Whether it’s an impromptu get together, a last-minute holiday party or for when unexpected guests come  calling, as long as you have a few good cheeses tucked in the fridge, she says, you can relax and enjoy your company. Dana recommends having Washington Crossing, St. Stephen, Midnight Moon and Cowboy Coffee from Goat Rodeo for just such occasions.

When buying specifically for the holidays, be sure to pick up a couple of the new, imported cheeses Dana will be showcasing as well as Rogue River Blue-Special Reserve (before it’s gone). And when building a cheese board, Dana says, choose three different milk cheeses or choose by texture or type of rind. But whatever you choose, she says, “Don’t forget to include a blue.”

If you’re serving cheese as an appetizer or at the end of the meal, Dana recommends, buying 1-2 oz. per person. For serving cheese as the main offering, she says, opt for 4-6 oz per person. Dana also recommends adding a meat or two such as Di Bruno Brothers pepperoni and prosciutto.

To round out your cheese board, make sure to include complimentary items such as jams from Eat This! and first field from New Jersey, white truffle honey from Di Bruno Brothers, assorted crackers and tinned fish from Fishwife. All of which can be found at The Forager, as well as cheese knives and boards, cheese storage boxes and mini raclette sets, as well as gifts and stocking stuffers for the cheese lovers on your list.

Dana also owns the popular Itri Wood-Fired Pizza Bar up the street and in Dublin. So why open a cheese shop?

Simple, she says. She grew up appreciating good food from her mom and still remembers her first taste of cheese: Irish Dubliner, when she was 10. “That started my love affair with cheese.” Late last December, she opened The Forager.

Coming up with the name for her cheese shop was also simple, she says. “A forager is a person who goes out seeking food or provision of any kind. My mission is to provide my customers with the most quality, local products that come from the wonderful farmers and creameries around us. My job is to seek out the best of the best. Hence, The Forager.”

The Forager is located at 300 Mill Street, Bristol, PA. It is open Monday & Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.forageronmill.com.

Diana Cercone is an area freelance writer who specializes in food, art and travel.