Day three at VIAC and I felt as though I was floating in a different dimension. Some things have gelled. Some things are more confusing. My future in cheese making comes with a huge commitment to this lifestyle. That is clear. That is what needed to become clear to me. Retirement, Phase One for hubby, finances, lifestyle changes. All things worthy of serious consideration.
The two worlds, that of becoming a cheese maker (no, becoming an exceptional cheese maker!) and being a top cheesemonger, are so close to what I love, yet are on opposite ends of the Universe, really.
For me I’ve learned that I don’t have the temperament to make cheese. I don’t want to wake up every day and say, “Hey. I wonder how today’s cheese make will go. Will I get it right? Will today be the day I get close to making the type of cheese I want to make and have it resemble what the World thinks of when conjuring up a vision of brie, or chevre or gouda?"
Standards are the bane of my existence but I can’t live without them. I love them as much as I hate them. As much as I love and hate rules. But when it comes to food (safety and sanitation are pretty important, don’t you think?) or decorating, what works and what doesn’t work on the color pallet, there’s a right way and a wrong way. Humbled by my cheese education, cheese lovers know this – I will always do right by my, by our, cheese. To that I committed a long time ago. I just don’t have to torture myself by adding another completely excruciating dimension of self-deprecation by not “getting it right” time after time to the process.
On to retail!
Originally Posted September 15, 2011 on The Little Bleu Cheese Shop Web Site