that's a big hunk a cheese...

that's a big hunk a cheese....

    When Bernard Kroger started his neighborhood grocery store in Cincinnati, Ohio 137 years ago, Chester A. Arthur was president of the United States.

  When Michael Raymond began his career with today's version of the same company, Georgia's favorite son, Jimmy Carter was chief executive of this country.

  HUH? What's up with that?

  Michael has not retired, nor is he even close to calling it quits.  But, he has remained with just one employer most of his adult life and he's had what he describes as a most interesting career.  He's worked in all areas in the store too.  I started out as a stock boy, and from there was at one time or another moved from department to department, he said. 

  Did you bag groceries too?  Bagger, stock boy, cashier, produce department, the deli and bakery, and anything else you're asked to do over a 40 year period, he replied. 

  While it isn't unheard of today, it is unusual to say the least to find anyone in the retail world who has remained with one employer that long.  Mike says he wouldn't have it any other way.  

  It's been a great partnership for both of us, he said.  I've always been reliable, aggressive, I'm an honest person, and I'm punctual.  I can't imagine being anyplace else.  

  Today, Mike is a cheese master and manages one of 400 Murray Cheese Shop's which are all located inside Kroger supermarkets.  This one is in Louisville, Kentucky.  

  Murray Cheese is an artisanal cheese and specialty foods retailer and wholesaler based in Greenwich Village in New York City.  It was founded in 1940 by Murray Greenberg.

   The Kroger Company wanted Murray's renowned customer experience and work ethic, so they partnered with the management of Murrays several years ago.  The cheese shops were managed by both companies for a few years, until Murray's current ownership sold out to the food giant in 2017.  

  By the time management approached Mike about becoming their choice to run the Murray's shop in a particular store, Mike had done almost every job required to help run the multi-million dollar a week outlet and was ready for a challenge.  

  I was really excited because I knew I would learn a whole new world, he said.  

  The corporation sends all potential cheese masters to a series of intensive training seminars where they learn the properties of over 120 domestic and imported cheeses.  It takes a while and you learn every day, Mike said.  But, eventually you learn about the nature of the product and the do's and don'ts and its history, he continued.

  

  It is thought that cheese was first discovered around 8000 BC around the time sheep were first domesticated.  Rennet is the enzyme used to make cheese and it's naturally present in the stomach of sheep.  Cheese-making was considered an art form back then.

  Wine has not been paired with cheese for all those years, but the two do have a centuries old tradition together.  

 

  According to winecoolerdirect.com, records dating back hundreds of years indicate that wine and cheese from the same regions have been served together for generations.

  Mike said a good part of his training included which wines go with what cheeses.  I've been working on that for seven years, Mike revealed.  We have over 120 varieties and some very unique cheeses and I'm asked about pairings all the time, he said.

  

  How often?

  There's no doubt the most frequently asked questions we get aside from how a particular cheese tastes, pertain to which wine should I buy with this particular cheese, Mike said. 

 

  There are a few common wines that are paired with particular cheeses.

  Pinot Noir and Gruyere, Aged Port and Blue Stilton, Champagne and Brie, Sauvignon Blanc and Goat Cheese, to name a few.  Mike can recommend just about any pairing and most times a second or third choice.  

  Mr. Raymond said he has learned a lot of other things about cheese.  Textures vary, tastes are different, fragrance, and smoothness.  They are all characteristics that affect a cheese purchase.  It just depends upon the reason a consumer chooses a particular cheese.  

  What about another country's food safety standards.  Does that play a role in which cheeses you will find in a Murray's Cheese Shop?

  Oh, you bet, said Mike.  He continued, Because of safety concerns related to bacteria, the FDA has banned cheeses made with raw milk and aged under 60 days.  When asked for examples, he cited, Brie de Meaux, Reblochon, Valencay, Roquefort and Camembert de Normandie.  If you want those, you'll have to go to France, he said.   

  Unlike what most of us think, not all cheeses are pasteurized.  The cheese master said, Chemo patients, pregnant women, and young children should always avoid raw milk cheeses.  In other words, immune systems that haven't been fully developed or have been compromised.  

  One of the downsides to exotic cheeses to many people is the smell.  Mike calls it, The fragrance.  Washed cheeses are more pungent, he says.  Many are aged and washed with a solution to help with the aging process.  Liquor or beer are the most common solutions and they don't speed the aging process, but serve as enhancements.  

  Probably the most fragrant cheese you can buy is Epoisse de Bourgogne from Burgundy, France. Mike and other cheese aficionados say hands down it is the worst smelling, or in Mike's language, the most fragrant smelling cheese in the world.  

  Aged for six weeks in brine and brandy, it's so fragrant, I heard it's banned on French public transportation, Mike related.  

  

  One of Mike's favorite cheeses is Manchego.  It is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from sheep's milk and is aged between 60 days and two years.

  Is any one cheese considered the King of Cheeses?

  You bet, says Mike. That would be Parmigiano Reggiano.  It comes to us in an 85-90 pound wheel and we cut into a new one every four to five days.  

  That's a big hunk a cheese!

  Yessir! He added, It takes a while to learn to cut one of those bad boys.  He went on to say, A big part of my job is to train my employees and one of the toughest parts of the job to them is to cut a Parmigiano.   

  What it comes down to is the customers, Mike said.  It's all about the customers.  I love to talk to them about their parties and special dinner occasions, anything I can do to enhance their experience through serving cheese, he said. 

  I love what I do.  You want a sample?  He was smiling as he turned around to help a customer.  

  Coming up in the near future, you will meet several Encore Performers and hear from some stay at home workers who never imagined their circumstances.  Plus, a future post will feature those expressions we no longer say.

  One more question for Mike.  What would you pair with a good ole grilled cheese sandwich, he was asked. 

  Open a can of tomato soup, he responded.  

  HUH? What's up with that?