June 2007
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A Cheese in a Day of a Life
by Celia Cheng
One of the most fortuitous meetings I’ve had this year was with Max McCalman, a.k.a. “the cheese guy.” Max is known as the youngest of the “three tenors of cheese” in the City, along with Steven Jenkins (cheese expert of Fairway markets) and Rob Kaufelt (of Murray’s Cheese). As maître fromager at Picholine, Max is more than a mere cheese-lover; he is a cheese advocate. In addition to orchestrating the cheese program at Picholine and promoting cheese through his books and seminars, Max spends much of his time teaching and selecting cheeses for the Artisanal Cheese Center — founded by Artisanal and Picholine chef owner, Terrance Brennan.
I say fortuitous because I can’t recall the last time I met someone who was so passionate about his work. Max loves cheese! Not only is he constantly learning more about it, but he also shares his love with the public through education. Had I not spent several afternoons and evenings getting to know Max, I would have thought that it was just a commercial pursuit to sell cheese. But many a cheese and beverage pairings, a class and several discussions later, I am wholeheartedly in awe of Max’s devotion and dedication. As a food geek, it’s amazing to meet someone else who is absolutely fanatic about food, and in Max’s case, with a specialty in cheese.
I’ve always liked cheese, but found it a bit intimidating. Much like the world of wine, it’s so vast yet specific. Where does one even start? So even as I approached Max to work on this feature, I felt like a timid amateur in the presence of a master. The amazing thing about the whole experience though, was that Max never once made me feel like I was an amateur, neither during private tastings nor in his class. He is completely open to discussion and wants to engage people in a dialogue about the cheeses and pairings he’s selected. He’s made cheese approachable and opened my eyes to the possibilities of pairings — not just the pairing of cheese and wine, or cheese and other beverages, but the concept of how food and drink complement or detract from each other.
One of the current cheese flights offered at the Artisanal bistro is a three-course cheese and sake pairing, called East Meets West. This is a new concept Max has been playing with. Sake’s hot, so everyone wants a piece of the action, so naturally, I had my doubts as to whether this was just another trend chaser. But as Max and I progressed through the tasting of this unique flight, I was really impressed by how well the sakes and the cheeses worked together. I was even more impressed by Max’s endless capacity to experiment. Throughout our encounters and discussions, Max was consistently more open-minded than I was, and I’m pretty liberal when it comes to food!
I now crave a little bit of cheese every day, and I have become fascinated with experimenting, rather than intimidated by cheese and its infinite variety. The right mentor can open a whole new world of experiences. And in the world of cheese, I’m glad that I’ve found a mentor in Max McCalman.
Enjoy Cynthia’s tasting notes on the myriad cheese and beverage pairings ranging from coffee to gin cocktail, and sake to pale ale!
