The Bookmark bookstore in downtown Oakland, CA is a great
little indie with new and used books that supports their public library. A few months back I picked up a copy of
“Cheesemonger – A Life on the Wedge” by Gordon Edgar. It finally made it into my summer reading
rotation this past week. Edgar is a
punker turned cheesemonger-of-the-highest-degree. He notes that it was thought provoking how he
went from someone who simply needed a job, and found one at San Francisco’s
famed Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, to a speaker at the American Cheese
Society’s annual conference. Who knew
there was a cheese conference? Who knew
there was a cheese society!
And then the next day, by coincidence [though metaphysics
teaches us there are no coincidences; only synchronicities] the Pittsburgh
“Post Gazette” featured a story on two Pittsburgh cheesemongers attending this
year’s ACA Conference. And
interestingly, their description of their first conference echoes stories Edgar
relayed about his early attendance: awe over the cheese knowledge gathered and
being star struck by the culinary firepower.
Here’s the link to the P-G story.
http://www.post-gazette.com/life/food/2014/08/21/Local-cheesemongers-take-a-cheese-field-trip/stories/201408180112
What’s great about the P-G piece is that it was 20 years
ago that San Franciscan Edgar attended his first cheese conference, returned to
his grocery cooperative and raised the bar on the City’s food culture. That’s now happening in Pittsburgh. All things happen in their own time so
Pittsburgh might be 20 years behind the City by the Bay when it comes to food
appreciation, but by my observation, it’s catching up fast. From what I see, read and eat in Pittsburgh,
the food culture has practically exploded.
What took other more recognized foodie towns decades to develop,
Pittsburgh has taken on in the space of about 5 years. Goodie foodie for us. The momentum is unstoppable and it all goes
to making Pittsburgh, like any city, a more livable and enjoyable place.
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