Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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BelGioioso's cheesemaker uses Italian summer truff les, fold- ing them into the creamy heart of the burrata. First-year sales have been strong, reports Jamie Wichlacz, marketing manager for the Wisconsin creamery. The unopened package's 37-day shelf life takes some of the fear factor out of menuing such a perishable item. Cypress Grove Chevre Bermuda Triangle & Mini Truffle Tremor This acclaimed California goat cheese producer debuted Bermuda Triangle several years ago but recently increased the size, from 1 pound to 1½ pounds, to slow the ripening. The pyramidal bloomy- rind goat cheese was designed for chefs and is still foodservice only, notes creamery founder Mary Keehn. "Chefs want presentation," says Keehn. "They can cut Bermuda Triangle with a thin wire, have a beautiful piece for a cheese plate, and get the drama." The new 1-pound size for Truff le Tremor, a truff led goat cheese (whose original is 3 pounds), gives chefs greater portion control, says creamery sales director Bob McCall. The mini wheel is easy to cut into 16 one-ounce servings, and the small case count (two wheels) makes sense for small wine bars and brewpubs. Grafton Village Smoked Chili Cheddar Introduced last summer, this 5-pound loaf is a departure for Grafton, which doesn't produce many flavored cheeses. "The combination of heat and smoke is what's exciting," says Meri Spicer, vice president of sales and marketing for the creamery. "How great would this be on a burger at a brewery?" The raw-milk cheddar is laced with three chiles (pasilla, haba- nero, and jalapeño), aged 90 days, and then smoked with maplewood chips. A good melter, the cheese has a f lavor profile that would enhance quesadillas or grilled sandwiches. "We've had some fun making cornbread with it," Spicer reports. LaClare Farms Martone This small Wisconsin creamery recently introduced a new "chef's pack" for its popular Martone, a mixed-milk (part cow, part goat) soft-ripened cheese. The 6- to 8-ounce cheeses were packed indi- vidually in wooden boxes, but chefs disliked having to unwrap and dispose of all the packaging, says cheesemaker Katie Fuhrmann. For chefs, the creamery now packs six cheeses per box, cutting the packaging cost while still protecting the fragile disks in transit. Rogue Creamery Crumbles & Blue Heaven Cheese Powder Produced from Rogue's Oregon Blue and Smokey Blue, and occasional- ly with other rindless blues from this creamery, Creamery Crumbles are hand-chopped cheesy bits that are easy to scatter on salads or sprinkle on burgers. Crumbling cheese reduces its shelf life, says Rogue marketing director Francis Plowman, but chefs make that tradeoff for convenience. For Rogue, the 1- and 5-pound bags of crumbles provide a way to monetize the trim from its precut program. And as a foodservice- only item, the crumbles don't require costly packaging or labeling. Responding to demand for a shelf-stable version of blue cheese, Rogue introduced Blue Heaven Cheese Powder three years ago. Wheels that don't meet the creamery's quality parameters are sent to a processor, who dries, grinds, and packs the powdered cheese in retail and foodservice sizes. "We expected it to be a retail item," says Plowman, "but our 4-pound and 25-pound bags have been even more successful." A popcorn manufacturer is a big customer, as is a chip company. "It's like a finishing spice," says Rogue co-owner David Gremmels. "It's all umami." Gremmels says chefs are sprinkling the powder on french fries and nut mixes, and adding it to mayonnaise and compound but- ters. One chef puts Blue Heaven on the rim of her bloody marys. Roth Ultimates, Grand Cru Reserve & 6th Pan Ultimates are new grated cheese blends aimed at chefs and deli per- sonnel who prize convenience, says Emmi Roth sales director Jodie Wische. Packed in 5-pound bags, they capitalize on the lively market for "shreds" with three distinct melanges for macaroni and cheese, flatbreads, and grilled sandwiches. Also new from Roth is Grand Cru Reserve, the company's award-winning alpine-style cheese, in a 7-pound loaf intended for slicing. For deli managers who want to give their sandwiches a qual- ity boost, that's a breakthrough. 6th Pan are new 20- to 26-ounce plastic pouches designed to fit a sixth-size steam-table insert. The four options include Grand Cru shreds and crumbles of Roth's Buttermilk Blue, Buttermilk Gorgonzola, and goat cheese. Many chefs have a hard time using a 5-pound bag of crumbles before they mold, says Wische. The smaller inserts mean less shrinkage at many establishments. Cheesemakers say that one key to success with chefs is versatility— providing product that works both on cheese plates and in cooking, for example. Even more important, perhaps, is reliability and consis- tency. "You can give the snowflake excuse only so many times," says McCall. "After our 30 years in business, restaurants expect us to be more professional." cheese focus Janet Fletcher writes the email newsletter "Planet Cheese" and is the author of Cheese & Wine and Cheese & Beer. PHOTO: MARK FERRI Cypress Grove Chevre Bermuda Triangle 32 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com