Wholesale Cheese from Kennedy MTI - Now Selling In The DC Area

[milkmaid]

Hello folks!

Just wanted to let you know about an exciting new wholesale cheese program in the DC area. After over a decade working as a cheesemonger, cheesemaker, and educator, I am now selling cheese wholesale with a small specialty food distributor called Kennedy MTI. We bring outstanding cheese made by highly skilled artisans to DC area chefs and cheesemongers. We work with very talented but smaller cheesemakers and importers, and some are exclusive to Kennedy MTI in this area.

The cheese in our portfolio is made by hand in small batches by skilled artisans and aged by either the producers themselves or trained affineurs (cheese agers). They are very special and are not widely available. But we have some for you! Please email me at katie.kennedymti@gmail.com for more information.

Check out some of our producers:

Vulto Creamery is relatively new to the cheese scene but has quickly gained in recognition of chefs and mongers. The one man operation is run by Jos Vulto, a quiet and focused Dutch gentleman who moved to the US twenty five years ago as an artist. Jos, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, makes four cheeses in small quantities in his Walton, New York creamery with raw cow's milk (Jersey, Holstein, Montbelliard breeds) from a local farmer. I can't stress how small his production is in comparison to other cheesemakers; he makes cheese only twice a week. His work is rarely found outside of New York. Of his cheeses, we carry Ouleout, a soft washed rind; Miranda, a smaller format cheese made with extra curds from Ouleout and washed in absinthe; and Walton Umber, a semi-firm tomme style. The fourth, an Alpine style named Andes, will be ready next spring when they reach proper maturity. Read more about Vulto Creamery here!

Crown Finish Caves is also a very new project out of Brooklyn, New York. Crown Finish Caves is a cheese aging facility located 30 feet undergound in a former beer lagering tunnel in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Currently, they are aging cheese from just one producer but plan on working with other cheesemakers. Affineur Benton Brown and his wife Susan Boyle have spent years renovating and modernizing the underground cave, outfitting it with specialized equipment specific to cheese care. The farm they are working with is Parish Hill Creamery, a small creamery in Vermont run by the great Peter Dixon. Peter Dixon is responsible for helping to start many creameries in Vermont including Consider Bardwell Farm. He also consults for many, many cheesemakers around the country and has authored a few cheesemaking books, as well. Parish Hill is making raw cow's milk cheeses inspired by Italian classics. At the moment, we carry their Humble Herdsman, Reverie, Suffolk Punch, and Kashar. Here is a bit more on Crown Finish.

Caromont Farm is one of our local gems! Cheesemaker Gail Hobbs-Page is a former chef who makes excellent cheese with milk from her own herd of goats and with a neighboring farm's cow's milk near Charlottesville, Virginia. Her award-winning Esmontonian is an aged raw goat's milk cheese, and offers a clean herbaceous flavor profile with a delicious minerality. Her Red Row is a semi-soft raw cow's milk cheese that is washed in Albemarle Ciderwork's hard cider. She makes a killer fresh chevre, as well.

Essex St. Cheese Company was started by one of my early cheese mentors, Daphne Zepos, in order to import better (and now arguably the best) Comte into the U.S. They travel every six weeks to the caves at Marcel Petite Fort St Antoine in France to personally select each wheel of cheese that comes to us based on a specific flavor profile, not age or price. Daphne wrote of their Comte, "Aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries shine over an undertow of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. There is a humble, everyday perfection in these wheels; herbaceous and fruity, and kissed with deep, heavy cream, this Comté has you coming back for more." Essex also hand selects and imports L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Brabander Goat Gouda, Wilde Weide, Cravero Parmigiano, and Manchego 1605.

These are just a few of the great cheeses we are working with. We strive to support cheesemakers and importers whose work is exemplary and exciting. Give me a shout if you're a chef, cheesemonger, or retailer looking to serve superb cheeses. Thank you and have a wonderful day!

Cheese for Life.

Katie Carter

[TheMatt]

Give me a shout if you're a chef, cheesemonger, or retailer looking to serve superb cheeses. 

What if you're a simple man who just likes cheese? I mean, sometimes, all the cheese I eat, I think buying wholesale would save me money... 

[ol_ironstomach]

Essex St. Cheese Company was started by one of my early cheese mentors, Daphne Zepos, in order to import better (and now arguably the best) Comte into the U.S. They travel every six weeks to the caves at Marcel Petite Fort St Antoine in France to personally select each wheel of cheese that comes to us based on a specific flavor profile, not age or price. Daphne wrote of their Comte, "Aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries shine over an undertow of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. There is a humble, everyday perfection in these wheels; herbaceous and fruity, and kissed with deep, heavy cream, this Comté has you coming back for more."

PLEASE tell me who retails this in the area, particularly if there's one on the MoCo side of town!  I picked up a piece at Zingerman's about 8 years ago; their cheesemonger would not stop raving about it, and they were right.  I haven't had its equal in a Comté or Gruyère yet.  I've kept the little paper strip label on my fridge ever since ("Comté Marcel Petite Le Fort . Comté de Montagne ."), but haven't found it...this remains a lousy county for cheese lovers.

[milkmaid]

Ol_Ironstomach, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this Comte so much! The Wine Source in Baltimore is getting a whole wheel this week, in fact! Society Fair in Alexandria also carries it, as well as Right Proper in Shaw. Give them a call before going, just to be safe. Thank you, glad you love the cheese!

TheMatt, thanks for your support of great cheese and cheesemongers! Give me a call when you open TheMatt's Cheese Shop!

[DonRocks]

Ol_Ironstomach, I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this Comte so much! The Wine Source in Baltimore is getting a whole wheel this week, in fact! Society Fair in Alexandria also carries it, as well as Right Proper in Shaw. Give them a call before going, just to be safe. Thank you, glad you love the cheese!

TheMatt, thanks for your support of great cheese and cheesemongers! Give me a call when you open TheMatt's Cheese Shop!

I love Comte with crystals in it. For it to be "the best I've ever had," that's a minimum requirement.

Katie, could you go to a retailer and/or a restaurant and hold a tasting for our members? On an off night maybe? To maximize your business, we don't need to limit it to our members.

Do you have any major clients yet you can discuss?

[milkmaid]

I love Comte with crystals in it. For it to be "the best I've ever had," that's a minimum requirement.

Katie, could you go to a retailer and/or a restaurant and hold a tasting for our members? On an off night maybe? To maximize your business, we don't need to limit it to our members.

Do you have any major clients yet you can discuss?

Hi Don!

I love your idea of having a cheese tasting for DR members! I have spoken with the fine folks at Society Fair and we are planning a really fun, educational, and delicious event special for DR members. I will let you all know more when the plans come together. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about what makes these cheeses and producers so special.

Though we consider all of our accounts major, we are extremely pleased to work with Restaurant Eve, Society Fair and most of the Eat Good Food Group in Alexandria. They love excellent cheese and are great supporters of the cheese and cheesemakers we represent. We also work with 1789 in Georgetown, Arrowine in Arlington, and Righteous Cheese in Union Market. I am also very proud to work with Broad Branch Market in upper northwest DC. It's a great corner store that sells really nice beer, wine, prepared foods, and lots of other provisions. I grew up going there back in the '80's and '90's before it was renovated so it's pretty special to me.

[DonRocks]

Hi Don!

I love your idea of having a cheese tasting for DR members! I have spoken with the fine folks at Society Fair and we are planning a really fun, educational, and delicious event special for DR members. I will let you all know more when the plans come together. It will be a great opportunity to learn more about what makes these cheeses and producers so special.

Though we consider all of our accounts major, we are extremely pleased to work with Restaurant Eve, Society Fair and most of the Eat Good Food Group in Alexandria. They love excellent cheese and are great supporters of the cheese and cheesemakers we represent. We also work with 1789 in Georgetown, Arrowine in Arlington, and Righteous Cheese in Union Market. I am also very proud to work with Broad Branch Market in upper northwest DC. It's a great corner store that sells really nice beer, wine, prepared foods, and lots of other provisions. I grew up going there back in the '80's and '90's before it was renovated so it's pretty special to me.

This is wonderful, and I'd love to do something to support you, Cathal, and Meshe all in one evening - especially when it comes to something I hold so dearly as cheese.

Let me know what you all decide, and I'll do the best I can to rustle up the cattle. Folks, please tuck this into the backs of your minds - I suspect it will occur sometime in 2014.

I'm very happy you've found a professional position in your area of passion, Katie. If people here don't know you, they'll soon meet a passionate artisan, and a bonafide expert in the field. Consider also doing one of these with Righteous Cheese as the following event - we're good friends with Carolyn also and would like for her to take her bow also. Hell, and Arrowine as a third one - Doug Rosen, Perry Soulos, et al, are friendly with us, too. Let's rock these things, and I'm ready to help you. Finally, considering doing one with Alex Elman.

[milkmaid]

Alright Cheese Lovers! We have a very special Cheese Dinner planned and you are all welcome to join!

Wednesday, November 19 at 7:30pm:

Please join us for a very special cheese dinner at Restaurant Eve featuring the Essex St. Cheese collection. This six course dinner with beverage pairings will be prepared by the very talented Chef Armstrong, who is a great lover and supporter of artisanal cheese. Essex St Cheese Company is the exclusive importer of a small, focused, and highly sought after collection of cheese, including L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Marcel Petite Comte, Cravero Parmigiano, Wilde Weide, Brabander Goat Gouda, and Manchego 1605. This is a very special event and I do hope you can join us! For more information, please click here!

Seats are limited so make your reservations today! Hope to see you there, be sure to let me know you are a DonRockwell.com member!

Cheese for Life!

[saf]

For more information, please click here!

So, i clicked to check this out and got a mailchimp info page. No cheese info.

[DonRocks]

So, i clicked to check this out and got a mailchimp info page. No cheese info.

Hey Katie, aside from answering Sarah's question (if you know anything about it), could you answer this:

Why in the hell has cheese gotten so expensive?

Does anyone remember Jarad Slipp's $9 Cheese Plate at Nectar? Sebastian Zutant used to serve something similar at Komi, too which I vaguely remember costing $11, but it was a *huge* amount of cheese. Now, CityZen is charging $22 for probably half the quantity? What gives?

(Way, way, wait, whazzat? Sebastian Zutant worked at Komi? Yes, he did, and it was a very, very different restaurant than it is now - does anyone remember the donut holes you could dunk in chocolate?)

[porcupine]

 (...Komi... was a very, very different restaurant than it is now - does anyone remember the donut holes you could dunk in chocolate?)

Yes it was, and yes I do.  That was about what, 11 years ago?  I miss the early and middle-age Komi.

[milkmaid]

Cheese Lovers of DC!

Kennedy MTI and Society Fair would like to invite all DonRockwell.com members to a very special cheese tasting at Society Fair in Alexandria Tuesday, December 9 from 7-9pm. We will be featuring four of our favorite cheesemakers, Caromont Farm, Vulto Creamery, Crown Finish Caves, and Essex St. Cheese Company. Special guests Gail Hobbes Page of Caromont Farm and Leah Lewis of Essex St. Cheese Company will be here to talk about their line of cheeses and answer any of your questions. This is a nice and casual event where you can grab a drink at the bar and taste the cheese at your leisure.

Here's a bit more about the cheesemakers:

Caromont Farm is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. Gail Hobbes Page, a former chef, was tired of sub par chevre, so she set out to make it herself. She bought a farm and goats and is now an award winning cheesemaker. In addition to goat's milk, Gail uses cow's milk from a neighbor to create aged cow's milk cheeses. These are really beautiful cheeses and Gail is one spunky lady! Come say hi to Gail and ask her if she's excited about Coca Cola's newest venture into dairy!

Vulto Creamery is relatively new to the cheese scene but has quickly gained in recognition of chefs and mongers. The one man operation is run by Jos Vulto, a quiet and focused Dutch gentleman who moved to the US twenty five years ago as an artist. Jos, a resident of Brooklyn, New York, makes four cheeses in small quantities in his Walton, New York creamery with raw cow's milk (Jersey, Holstein, Montbelliard breeds) from a local farmer. I can't stress how small his production is in comparison to other cheesemakers; he makes cheese only twice a week. His work is rarely found outside of New York.

Crown Finish Caves is also a very new project out of Brooklyn, New York. Crown Finish Caves is a cheese aging facility located 30 feet undergound in a former beer lagering tunnel in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Currently, they are aging cheese from just one producer but plan on working with other cheesemakers. Affineur Benton Brown and his wife Susan Boyle have spent years renovating and modernizing the underground cave, outfitting it with specialized equipment specific to cheese care. The farm they are working with is Parish Hill Creamery, a small creamery in Vermont run by the great Peter Dixon. Here is a bit more on Crown Finish.

Essex St. Cheese Company was started by one of my early cheese mentors, Daphne Zepos, in order to import better (and now arguably the best) Comte into the U.S. They travel every six weeks to the caves at Marcel Petite Fort St Antoine in France to personally select each wheel of cheese that comes to us based on a specific flavor profile, not age or price. Daphne wrote of their Comte, "Aromas of hazelnuts, fried onions and spring berries shine over an undertow of cut grass, wet earth, and straw. There is a humble, everyday perfection in these wheels; herbaceous and fruity, and kissed with deep, heavy cream, this Comté has you coming back for more." Essex also hand selects and imports L'Amuse Signature Gouda, Brabander Goat Gouda, Wilde Weide, 

and Manchego 1605.

We do hope you can stop by! This is a rare opportunity to taste many special cheeses. You will be able to purchase cheese during the event for your holiday (and everyday) needs. Grab your friends and come have a drink and taste some cheese, it'll be fun! Also, THANK YOU to all that made it to that wonderful cheese dinner at Restaurant Eve. It was so fabulous and we are so happy that some of you could make it!

Cheese for Life!

[milkmaid]

Hey Katie, aside from answering Sarah's question (if you know anything about it), could you answer this:

Why in the hell has cheese gotten so expensive?

Does anyone remember Jarad Slipp's $9 Cheese Plate at Nectar? Sebastian Zutant used to serve something similar at Komi, too which I vaguely remember costing $11, but it was a *huge* amount of cheese. Now, CityZen is charging $22 for probably half the quantity? What gives?

(Way, way, wait, whazzat? Sebastian Zutant worked at Komi? Yes, he did, and it was a very, very different restaurant than it is now - does anyone remember the donut holes you could dunk in chocolate?)