Last Thursday, I attended a Cheese 101 class at Scardello Artisan Cheese on Oak Lawn.
Scardello, lovingly named after the owners grandfather, is made up of Cheese Enthusiasts who love cheese and pass that excitement on to their guests. The shop focuses on handcrafted cheeses, and carries about 150 cheeses from American and Texas farmsteads and a number from Europe.
The small, intimate class was led by owner and cheesemonger himself, Rich Rogers. We were given a plate with 18 different cheeses that were organized into eight different cheese types: Fresh, Semi-Soft, Soft Ripened, Surface Ripened, Semi-Hard, Hard, Washed Rind and Blue.
During the class we learned how the different cheeses are made, the proper way to taste cheese and what foods and wines pair well with each type. Rich answered everyone’s questions and gave us background on how he got started and developed his love of cheese.
Scardello regularly holds classes at their shop and even organizes Cheesemaker Tours where you can spend a day touring local farms and milk parlors sampling cheese right from the source.
For a full list of Scardello’s upcoming classes, visit their website. Most classes are $30 per person unless otherwise noted, the Texas Cheese Tour is $95 per person with lunch, and reservations are highly recommended. You can even schedule a private class for a group of 12 or more of your friends. You can follow Scardello and all the cheesy fun on Facebook and Twitter.
Scardello Artisan Cheese
3511 Oak Lawn Avenue
Dallas, TX 75219
214-219-1300
www.scardellocheese.com
The soft ripened cheeses were the best!! It’s definitely the perfect place to go for a crasher course on all things cheese-Great article Angela!
I love this place. Plus they carry one of my favorites Zingerman’s!