12 Influential Cheese Accounts to Follow on Instagram
“Behold the power of cheese,” was a slogan developed by America’s Dairy Farmers in the 1990s to accompany advertising scenarios that revealed the awesome sway that cheese has over its devotees. (Inspiring space travel, affecting political campaigns, etc.) In the age of social media, this rings as true as ever.
For curd nerds, quesophiles, or any other clever nickname given to lovers of the dairy arts, cheese is more than just a favorite snack, it’s a lifestyle, and consumption for the cheese obsessed is not solely limited to savoring it by ingestion. Reading about cheese, making cheese, and cooking with cheese are worthy pastimes, but for those whose obsession delights even in simple cheese voyeurism, we’ve rounded up 12 Instagram accounts to help you literally behold the power of cheese.
Prime Dairy Education: For those who like to pair their cheese imagery with information...
Tenaya Darlington is the madam behind Madame Fromage, the author of Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese, the self-proclaimed Cheese Courtesan, and, according to her Insta bio, is “hell-bent on helping people find the hunks of their dreams.” If that kind of cheese charm wasn’t convincing enough, then I can’t begin to know what moves you. Look to Madame Fromage for a wealth of how-tos on pairings, storing cheese, and cheese tools, among others. She also deserves a round of éppoisses for her facility with cheese-based word merges and other curd play.
Cheese Insider comes from the team at Insider, an offshoot of Business Insider tailored to lifestyle media. (I rest my case. Cheese = lifestyle.) The Cheese Insider ‘Gram is heavy on the intel, with deep dives into history and how-to in a series of videos categorized as Regional Eats. Cheese close-ups abound, and other content covers cheesy restaurant offerings worthy of lining up around the block for, from the gooiest pizza and cheeseburgers, to the jiggliest cheesecakes.
Janet Fletcher @janetfletchernv
The “nv” at the end of @janetfletchernv likely stands for Napa Valley, a nod to her regional pedigree, a land known for its cheese as well as its wine. But it may as well indicate “non-vintage,” for her timeless and on-going approach to cheese appreciation and education. The author of several books including those on pairing cheese with not only wine but beer, she is especially effective at highlighting the work of California’s and other American cheesemakers.
Cheese Plate Envy: The intersection of dairy and design...
That Cheese Plate @thatcheeseplate
Marissa Mullen is the mastermind behind That Cheese Plate, whose hobby-turned-empire is documented in her recent book, That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life. Her methodical approach to cheese plate building known as @cheesebynumbers, in which the now-trending hashtag #salamiriver was born, can help anyone find the intersection between snack time and craft time, creating cheese plates almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.
Lady & Larder is the work of twin sisters Boo Simms and Sarah Simms Hendrix, dedicated to the catering creation of gorgeous boards featuring cheese, cured meats, fruits, and crudités, a companion operation to their Los Angeles-based brick and mortar store, Lady Bodega. Vibrant and colorful cheese plates feature heavily on their Instagram account, as well as the occasional, multi-tiered cheese “cake.”
More cheese board inspo from the rightfully self-coronated Cheese Board Queen Emily Delaney. Delaney’s invariably elegant plates demonstrate that any occasion can be celebrated via cheese plate, including occasions such as “Thursday,” and that just about any ingredient hiding in your pantry or fridge can have a space on a well-curated plate.
The Sensual Side of Cheese: For the gooiest, meltiest cheese pulls, etc...
Cheese Sex Death @cheesesexdeath
You could just as easily categorize this site under education above, but the cheese-sensual content from Chicago’s Cheese Preacher, Erika Kubick, is billed as “an erotic guide to life’s greatest pleasure,” so here it is. Just this side of NSFW, close ups of the runniest, creamiest, gooiest cheeses of the land might have you drooling on your smartphone nonetheless.
The Grilled Cheese Chef @thegrilledcheesechef
If you can think of no better moment in lunch history than when a perfect grilled cheese sandwich is pulled apart, strands of melted goodness desperately reaching across the void to not be separated from the whole, then this is the spot for you. Approximately 90% of the The Grilled Cheese Chef’s content could be easily summarized with the hashtag #ooze.
The dramatic cheese reach isn’t limited to just grilled cheese, however. Cheese Pulling seeks out foodstuffs that celebrate the glorious cheese pull moment in all of its many forms: mozzarella sticks, quesadillas, lasagna, mac and cheese, queso, egg sandwiches, pizza, nachos, french onion soup...have I made you hungry yet?
Cheese Mongering: Brought to you by the people who sell cheese...
Murray’s Cheese @murrayscheese
An easy way to show support to your local cheese markets, cheese bars, and creameries is to follow them on Instagram. (Go ahead, I’ll wait.) That being said, I’ve selected a few of the many sellers nationwide that are especially worthy of your cheestagram attention. For example, Murray’s, the largest cheese store in the largest city in the U.S., for stacks on stacks of cheese imagery, inspiration, and information.
Props to Northern Virginia’s Cheesetique for originality in naming, befitting the originality of its founder, Cheese Lady Jill Erber. Erber’s Friday Night Cheese Board series is a wealth of information and entertainment, as she tastes her way through thematic cheese groupings.
Counter Cheese Caves @countercheesecaves
Charleston, SC has long been gaining attention for its imaginative food scene, and its cheese scene is very much a part of that. Counter Cheese Caves is a natural hub for drawing attention to the excellent work of Southern U.S. cheesemakers—see Janet’s Fletcher’s article The Rise of Southern Cheese for all the convincing you may need—with an emphasis on beer and wine pairings to accompany them.