American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World

by Joe Berkowitz, Charlie Thurston (Read by), Graham Halstead (Read by)

Overview

From the author of Away with Words, a deeply hilarious and unexpectedly insightful deep-dive into a cultural and culinary phenomenon: cheese.

“Who knew it was possible to enjoy reading about cheese as much as eating it? Remarkably entertaining, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious, American Cheese goes far beyond the plastic yellow slices we all know, and some love, revealing a community as quirky, passionate, and creative as the cheese they put into the world.”   — Jim Gaffigan, comedian/actor and New York Times bestselling author of Food: A Love Story

Joe Berkowitz loves cheese. Or at least he thought he did. After stumbling upon an artisinal tasting at an upscale cheese shop one Valentine’s Day, he realized he’d hardly even scratched the surface. These cheeses were like nothing he had ever tasted—a visceral drug-punch that reverberated deliciousness—and they were from America. He felt like he was being let in a great cosmic secret, and instantly he was in love.

This discovery inspired Joe to embark on the cheese adventure of a lifetime, spending a year exploring the subculture around cheese, from its trenches to its command centers. He dove headfirst into the world of artisan cheese; of premiere makers and mongers, cave-dwelling affineurs, dairy scientists, and restauranteurs. The journey would take him around the world, from the underground cheese caves in Paris to the mountains of Gruyere, leaving no curd unturned, all the while cultivating an appreciation for cheese and its place in society.

Joe’s journey from amateur to aficionado eventually comes to mirror the rise of American cheese on the world stage. As he embeds with Team USA at an international mongering competition and makes cheese in the experimental vats at the Dairy Research Center in Wisconsin, one of the makers he meets along the way gears up to make America’s biggest splash ever at the World Cheese Awards. Through this odyssey of cheese, an unexpected culture of passionate cheesemakers is revealed, along with the extraordinary impact of one delicious dairy product.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781799942429
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x (d)

About the Author

Charlie Thurston is an actor and Earphones Award–winning narrator. He holds an MFA in acting from Brown University / Trinity Rep and has appeared on stages across the country with Trinity Repertory Company, Chautauqua Theater Company, Creede Rep, and at Riverside Theatre and Redmoon Theater, among others. His favorite roles include Edgar in The Completely Fictional—Utterly True—Final Strange Tale of Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen in The Long Christmas Ride Home, Tuzenbach in The Three Sisters, and Tony in You Can’t Take It with You.

Joe Berkowitz Joe Berkowitz is an editor and staff writer at Fast Company, covering entertainment and pop culture. He is the coauthor of You Blew It. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and an ideal tuxedo cat.

Table of Contents

Introduction: A Glimpse of Dairy Narnia 1

Chapter 1 The Big Cheese Bang 13

Chapter 2 A Man Called Mr. Moo 29

Chapter 3 Consider the Platypus 49

Chapter 4 The Cheese Internet 69

Chapter 5 Between the Farm and the Table 91

Chapter 6 What I'm Talking about When I'm Talking about Cheese 114

Chapter 7 The Trojan Horse Cheese Course 137

Chapter 8 The Succulent Funhouse 157

Chapter 9 Playing with Your Food 179

Chapter 10 Tour de Fromage 201

Chapter 11 The Cheese Oscars 228

Chapter 12 The Cathedral 254

Epilogue: Exit Through the Cheese Shop 274

Acknowledgements 277

Editorial Reviews

08/10/2020

Berkowitz’s relationship with dairy proves to be obsessive in this exposé that reveals the hidden, overlooked, or simply ignored world of artisanal cheeses, the mongers who love them, and the gatherings that celebrate their abundance. Berkowitz (You Blew It) provides a brief history of cheese carts, reveals that New York City’s famous Murray’s Cheese shop has a secret volunteer program to help with their cheese classes, and chronicles the 2018 Cheesemonger Invitational held in Brooklyn. In Austin, Tex., he visits the Cheeselandia exhibit at the 2019 SXSW festival with its “fondue pots simmering like unoccupied Jacuzzis.” He travels California’s Cheese Trail of some 83 creameries and farms, and sits down at Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Research for a hard look at curds. In Philadelphia, he attends the Cheese Ball, that city’s “largest cheese party,” an affair hosted by an influencer who calls herself Madame Fromage. Indeed, cheese has always provided a healthy environment for low comedy, and Berkowitz cannot resist flavoring his authoritative knowledge with playful turns of phrase. More endearing is the “nasal distress” caused by his less-than-expert nose for aromas, and the “existential cheese crisis” he experiences after realizing his vegetarianism might be good news for milk cows, but baby male cows pay the price by being raised for beef or veal. Ripe with fresh perspectives, this well-molded collection is a delight. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Who knew it was possible to enjoy reading about cheese as much as eating it? Remarkably entertaining, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious, American Cheese goes far beyond the plastic yellow slices we all know, and some love, revealing a community as quirky, passionate, and creative as the cheese they put into the world.” — Jim Gaffigan, comedian/actor and New York Times bestselling author of Food: A Love Story

“An entertaining book for cheese lovers, food enthusiasts, and those looking for a fun read. Much like a good ricotta, it is light and airy with a hint of sweetness.” — Library Journal, starred review

“A delicious read… I thought it was impossible that I could be more impressed by cheese, but this book proved me wrong. Between starting and finishing this book, I signed up for a Cheese of the Month subscription. You may say, no way is it that good! Yes, whey. I am more excited by cheese than I have ever been.” — Alexandra Petri, author of Nothing is Wrong and Here is Why

“Smart and funny…Joe Berkowitz makes a brilliant guide to the strange corners of the cheese world you’d never otherwise know about.” — Dana Schwartz, author of The White Man’s Guide to White Male Writers of the Western Canon

“Ripe with fresh perspectives, this well-molded collection is a delight.” — Publishers Weekly

“Berkowitz writes with unbridled glee…The result is a thorough, fascinating and hunger-inducing (but never cheesy) examination of the culture of cheesemaking.” — BookPage

From the Publisher

Smart and funny…Joe Berkowitz makes a brilliant guide to the strange corners of the cheese world you’d never otherwise know about.

Dana Schwartz

A delicious read… I thought it was impossible that I could be more impressed by cheese, but this book proved me wrong. Between starting and finishing this book, I signed up for a Cheese of the Month subscription. You may say, no way is it that good! Yes, whey. I am more excited by cheese than I have ever been.

Alexandra Petri

Who knew it was possible to enjoy reading about cheese as much as eating it? Remarkably entertaining, deeply insightful, and downright hilarious, American Cheese goes far beyond the plastic yellow slices we all know, and some love, revealing a community as quirky, passionate, and creative as the cheese they put into the world.

Jim Gaffigan

Berkowitz writes with unbridled glee…The result is a thorough, fascinating and hunger-inducing (but never cheesy) examination of the culture of cheesemaking.

BookPage

★ 10/01/2020

This book is cheesy—quite figuratively so. For Berkowitz (Away with Words), it all started at Murray's Cheese in New York with Rogue River Blue. This led to a cheese epiphany and Berkowitz's indulgent odyssey through the artisan cheese world. As he explains, the United States is fairly new to artisanal cheese. The American Cheese Society was founded in 1983, but it wasn't until 2003 that the nation become known for its award-winning cheese: Rogue River Blue. This odyssey of artisan cheese delves deep, from various animals one might milk to make cheese (including platypus, moose, and whale) to the Cheesemonger Invitational to a journey through California Cheese Trail in Sonoma County. The story comes back around to Rouge River Blue as it wins the top prize in the 2019 World Cheese Awards; the first time an American cheese has won. VERDICT An entertaining book for cheese lovers, food enthusiasts, and those looking for a fun read. Much like a good ricotta, it is light and airy with a hint of sweetness.—Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland

Library Journal

Narrator Charlie Thurston embraces the fast pace of this entertaining cheese-focused romp. His rhythm, cadence, and ability to mimic make this informative audiobook special. His narration captures the wit, grit, and glamour of this energized travelogue on cheese competitions, cheese shops, and cheese makers, and gives the listener a spirited rendition of the author’s fine descriptions, clever banter, and wordplay. Thurston voices the sometimes manic style and smartass tone of the author, a writer/editor at FAST COMPANY, who begins knowing little about the complexities of cheese. When he’s finished his odyssey, he has tried the world’s best, met cheesemongers galore, hung out with icons Madame Fromage and importer and impresario Adam Moskowitz—and gained 20 pounds. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Narrator Charlie Thurston embraces the fast pace of this entertaining cheese-focused romp. His rhythm, cadence, and ability to mimic make this informative audiobook special. His narration captures the wit, grit, and glamour of this energized travelogue on cheese competitions, cheese shops, and cheese makers, and gives the listener a spirited rendition of the author’s fine descriptions, clever banter, and wordplay. Thurston voices the sometimes manic style and smartass tone of the author, a writer/editor at FAST COMPANY, who begins knowing little about the complexities of cheese. When he’s finished his odyssey, he has tried the world’s best, met cheesemongers galore, hung out with icons Madame Fromage and importer and impresario Adam Moskowitz—and gained 20 pounds. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile