Cheese is not my profession. It may be my passion, but it’s not what I was trained for. One of my sons is transferring to the University of Maine at Orono. I went there too. I got a degree from Orono after 7 years of undergraduate education at 5 different schools and 3 different majors. My degree is a B.S. in Education, with an art education major. I have no idea what that means, but I bet we all can have a laugh at a “B.S.” degree. I taught school and didn’t like my fellow teachers. I couldn’t see spending the rest of my life doing that. I farmed for 10 years. During that time, I also worked at my father’s smoke house, Horton’s Smoked Seafood in Waterboro, Maine, which – yes, he’s my Dad, but it was the finest smoked seafood business in the country. I’m still trying to get his secret recipes out of him. My children were raised on kohlrabi and smoked salmon. Farming and the smoke house were my real education.

My father and I opened the shop to sell his salmon 11 years ago. We brought in cheese to accompany the salmon. They do go great together, particularly a soft goat cheese or a triple crème. We found more people ate cheese than salmon. At the time, I could tell the difference between Gouda, Cheddar, Brie, and Swiss Emmental, and that was about it. My dad retired and I took over the shop. From then on, I learned about cheese by saying “YES” to absolutely every suggestion my distributors made, at least once. So my training is 11 years of buying and tasting and saying “YES.”
Why say all this? I know the taste of over 400 cheeses, very well. I choose about 200 to keep in the shop. I love to help people to find their way to the right cheese, for them, for the occasion. My experience is entirely hands on, and I appreciate the artistry of the cheese makers, particularly of the Maine Cheesemakers and their dedication. I know many of them personally and how hard they work. I adore teaching about cheese, and so, I guess, I’ve come full circle to being the teacher my degree says I am, but I am happiest to be known as the Cheese Lady.

Filed under: Cheese and Meats by kris