Love Cheese? Learn How You Can Love It Even More
Cheese club is very much a thing, and now we are members.
We found the mecca of world class cheeses, gourmet foods and wines. And Kent Torrey is your man! Located in Carmel Plaza in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, The Cheese Shop offers over 200 types of cheese. And that’s just the beginning. The scent of cheese aromas greet you at the doorstep, and friendly faces at the counter happily let you sample a selection of some of the house favorites. I took my typical approach “I judge a good wine by its label,” and applied it by pointing at a French cow’s milk Epoisses (St. Marcellin) cheese. It was as expected: divine.
Phase II of The Cheese Shop is the Wine Shop, which is conveniently under the same roof. You may either choose your tasting or “Roll the dice with Owners (Kent’s) Choice.”
Option A: glass of wine with chunk of cheese; Option B: multiple tastings with chunk of cheese—you do the math. I spent two hours in the shop and exited up with a happy-go-lucky spirit, two pounds of cheese (try Seascape, East of Edem and Beny!) and a half case of local wine Madeline (local producer) which we sampled at La Bicyclette Restaurant (a few blocks down the street) the night before.
But before we exit for good, back to Kent. His knowledge about worldly wine is literally out of this world. His storytelling makes you feel like you’ve personally visited each vineyard and tasted the grapes off the vine. He and his team participate in myriad food and wine events, like Big Sur Food & Wine Festival (early November), LA Food & Wine Festival (end of August), and numerous others. Here’s a great Bon Appetit article in preparation for your meet and greet with Kent: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Sommelier.
On our way out, even with hands full of cheese and wine, the wall of gourmet foods made us stop in our tracks as we contemplated stocking our Airbnb pantry with all the unique goodies in catch-your-eye packaging. I wish more towns/cities had authentic cheese shops like this. Everyone who worked in the shop was so knowledgeable and happy to ply us with samples and explain what we were tasting. The best part (I know you’ve been reading the whole article to get to this part!) is that you can sign up for their cheese and/or wine club membership and get your favorites shipped to your home. Cheese of the Month membership is $35.95/month + shipping, last time we checked. It’s the gift that keeps on giving—delight your friends or surprise yourself with a mouthwatering, cheesy surprise every month.