Whole Food's Fromagerie

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Apr 16, 2007

There has been a lot of talk about the newest New York Whole Foods that opened up a few weeks ago on the Lower East Side. The store features Whole Foods' first ever Fromagerie. Though they have always had a reasonably large cheese selection, I?ve never been impressed with the cheese departments at other WF stores. There?s simply too much precut (great for the grab-and-go consumer, not so great for the cheese itself) and lackluster cheese. After hearing that both French affineur extraordinaire Herv? Mons and England's Neal?s Yard Dairy were involved, my interest was suitably peaked. I had to investigate.

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Hi all! As one of the Fromagiers from Whole Foods, I'd first like to thank Patrick for coming to check us out! I wish I'd been there that day! The morning time is definitely quieter, so it's always exciting when we get a customer. In the evenings, we're a little more busy and give people a bit of space to look around.

The cheeses are in fact "top shelf" - great analogy! Affinage is expensive! Our American artisanals are about the same as anywhere else, but the Europeans are definitely pricier because of the affinage. I think it's worth it, personally.

I do think we're a unique shop, even if NYC has a good amount of them. We've had a ton of customers that live in the LES that are excited to have a local spot now, and it's such a beautiful, peaceful room, technically a cave, that really changes the experience. We've had quite a few "average people" genuinely say they'd come back for gifts or when they have dinner parties, even if they're not buying pieces for self-consumption.

Now if only we sold wine or beer... cheflaura on Apr 17, 2007

I admit I was extremely disappointed by the giant Austin WF's cheese selection, which really isn't much bigger than a normal WF's cheese dept. Maybe one day they'll renovate and put a Fromagerie in. We're seriously lacking when it comes to good cheese in town. verily on Apr 16, 2007