Actually this is an interesting string. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Mike Bowers, and my family has owned and operated the cheese shop at Eastern Market since 1964. My grandfather was the originaly "cheeseman." I am usually at the shop on Saturdays, so if you have a chance to stop in, please do so, I would love to meet you and give some samples of what’s new that week.
In our inventory, we usually keep about 250 varieties of cheese, and rotate the selection a bit to keep it interesting. This month for example, if you are into fondue's we have in stock Vacherin Fribourgeois, which is an incredible raw milk cheese from Switzerland. On the other end of the spectrum, for our buddies from Wisconsin we have "cheese curds." They come vacuum packed, and if you a beer lover and you are having a causual Superbowl party, this is definely something you would want to consider, paricularly the hot pepper or cajun seasoned curds.
Now just to set the record straight, the older fellow you have been referring to is not the owner, but a long time, trusted good friend, of my family. His name is Jack. Yes, he can be a bit cranky, but believe me, he does know his cheeses. He has the Customer’s he has been working with for years, and they all love his candor and character. I have known Jack personally about 25 years (or so), and we always have a great time working together. It is interesting and ironic, Jack actually helped train the eastern european gal you were referring to at Petite Gourmet, "Tessa."
Tessa had worked at our shop for about 15 years. She has gone into business with another previous employee of our’s, Phyllis and another gal (3 Partners in total). We all remain good friends, and in fact, I just stopped by their shop yesterday when I was attending to some management meetings for the market.
As for competition on the Hill, over the years, Eastern Market (our cheese shop included has created ample business on the hill), and it continues to grow. And while yes, Petite Gourmet will be focusing their sales on a selection of cheeses and other items (they have some awesome Polish Sausage) we do wish Tessa and her partners the very best. Personally, I am hopeful these types of shops will be a draw to bring more business to the 7th Street corridor outside the normal growth we have received. We would like nothing more than the entire area to continue to develop and make this section of town the “mecca” for incredible food!
Anyway, it is a pleasure meeting you, even in cyberspace. If you have any questions, or if you are looking for any particular types of cheeses, please let me know, I will see what I can do to get them in for you. Kind Regards!
