Cheese Shops We Love: The Cheese Shop of Salem

Location:

Cheese Shop of Salem

45 Lafayette St, Salem, MA 01970

Champions of New England Cheesemakers

The collection of cheeses at The Cheese Shop of Salem is a study in the joys and possibilities of curds. “We don’t have a geographic criteria, we don’t have a milk type or cheese type criteria; we’re more shoot from the hip,” says owner Peter Endicott, who opened the store in September of 2015. Endicott had a first career in construction but eventually decided he wanted to turn his love of food into his life’s work. To learn the ropes, he spent a few years at the venerable Cheese Shop of Concord. He also hired another knowledgeable expert, Brie Hurd (who co-chairs the education committee of the American Cheese Society) as his cheese buyer.

Endicott and Hurd champion local New England cheesemakers as much as possible. Ask them about their favorite cheeses, and they’re likely to tell you about the Alpine-style Alpha Tolman from Jasper Hill or get you excited about Peter Dixon’s “cornerstone” project at Parish Hill. That said, they also offer a wide variety of European cheeses (including all the standards and classics), and they’ve developed relationships with cheesemakers across the globe, like the team at Meredith Dairy in Australia. “This is why we’re in the business,” says Endicott. “It’s that personal connection to these folks who really have a passion for what they’re making, and then we’ll get behind them and go with it too.”

The Store:

Cheese Counter credit Richard Mandelkorn Photography

The Cheese Shop of Salem sits close to the center of town, not far from the Peabody Essex Museum and other local attractions. The building was originally a commercial laundry that served hotels in Boston in the 1930s, and the space has high ceilings, an industrial feel, and lots of light. Walk through the door and the first thing you’ll see is the main cheese case, set in the middle of the room, facing the door and highlighted with red pendant lamps. To the left is another cheese case, containing blues and goat cheeses, and past that more cases with charcuterie and paté, pickles and kimchi, and smoked fish. To the right of the case is a large, highly curated selection of wines. The shop also carries crackers and other accompaniments, as well as baguettes from the bakery just behind the building.

Top Selling Cheeses:

“Aussie Magic”

This best-seller, made by Meredith Dairy in Australia, is a marinated goat-sheep blend sold in olive oil with garlic and herbs. While the cheese is available commercially in small jars, the shop buys the 5-gallon tubs meant for restaurants and sells it by the cube, so customers can choose how much they get. “It’s the kind of thing that goes out in almost every cheese customer’s bag,” says Endicott. He compares the cheese (which the company just calls “marinated sheep and goat cheese”) to a souped-up cream cheese and recommends putting it on bagels, crackers, and sandwiches.

L’Amuse Signature Gouda

“This sits right in the middle of our main case, and it’s an eye catcher,” says Endicott. The rich, nutty gouda, made by the well-known affineur Betty Koster, in Holland, is naturally ripened for two years and develops a velvety texture and some crunchy protein crystals. When the cheese shop is able to offer tastings of their cheeses, the staff often offer customers a slice to try, and many end up taking a wedge home with them.

Cato Corner's Aged Bloomsday

This popular cheese has a dense but creamy texture and a sharp bite. “We've got lots of customers who come in asking for our sharpest cheddar, and while it is not made like a cheddar (it's got a more open texture), it's got a cheddar bite,” says Endicott. The staff also likes to recommend this cheese as a way of introducing customers to Cato Corner’s wonderful (hard to find) raw cows-milk cheeses from Connecticut.

Also Look For:

While the shop is best known for cheese, Endicott also carries a significant number of wines. The collection, curated by wine buyer Susan Ulbrich, is entirely focused on small producers, and all of the wines are natural and biodynamic. “No large producer gets in here. Nobody who’s modifying wine with any sort of additives to get a consistent product,” says Endicott. While most of the wines come from Europe, there are offerings from most parts of the world, and a good number of options from the Democratic Republic of Georgia.