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CHEESE WHIZZES
Local experts spread their love of cheese.
WRITTEN BY SUE EDMONDSON
PHOTO BY JEFF ROSS
If you were to put Katy Arias, Laura Conrow, and Nyna Weatherson in a room and try to figure out their connection, you might have a hard time. That is, until you say the word cheese. Instantly, all smile widely and seem a bit dreamy, as if imagining paradise.
The three are Reno-Tahoe’s cheese experts — locals whose love of the cultured food has culminated in work that revolves around their passion. Arias is a specialty cheesemonger at Reno’s Whole Foods Market; her energy is focused on the store’s massive cheese department. Conrow owns Wedge Cheese Shop in Midtown, Reno’s first (and still only) dedicated artisan cheese store. Weatherson and her husband, John, own Truckee’s Restaurant Trokay, where, not surprisingly, cheese is a big highlight on the menu.
They could talk cheese for hours, and do — everything from taste to texture, types to serving tips, detailing the science and centuries-old craft of creating their favorite food. Each brings something unique to the table, the result of their journeys from cheese lover to virtuoso.
First steps
Arias spent summers helping her grandmother, who catered for a living when she wasn’t cooking for a legion of relatives.
“From her, I learned what it’s like to add flair to a plate, to create special memories of a special occasion with food,” Arias says. “I decided I wanted to do that, too.”
Her introduction to fine cheese began while attending the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. She worked at Chef’s Touch, an upscale deli with high-end cheeses in Martinez, Calif. That experience turned her love of everyday Cheddar into an appreciation of the history, creation, and variety of fine cheeses. With Chef’s Touch, she also catered concerts at Lake Tahoe. Her specialty: crafting cheese plates for rock stars.
Conrow’s interest in artisan cheeses began in an unusual way: with a food allergy. She discovered she was allergic to cow’s milk, and was forced to look for cheeses from other sources.
“I lived in the Carson Valley, but had to go to California to find goat’s cheese,” Conrow says. “As I learned more, I considered becoming a cheese maker. I finally bought goats and tried my hand at it. I was excited about cheese making, but knew I couldn’t do it for a living. I flirted with the idea of a store, and started learning everything I could about the business.”
Weatherson first worked with fine cheeses while employed at the Prairie Table gourmet kitchen/food store in Iowa City, Iowa, which she juggled along with studying linguistics and Spanish at the University of Iowa. On weekends, she hosted wine-and-cheese pairings for friends.
“They were always surprised by how good everything tasted,” Weatherson says. “They said I should open a restaurant. I just laughed.”
Discovering the whey
All three were on parallel tracks to cheese expertise, starting with its origin — milk. They worked at or visited farms, made cheese themselves, and attended innumerable classes, workshops, and food shows. That’s all in addition to their jobs.
Arias landed at Reno’s Whole Foods Market’s catering department in 2010 after experiences on many food fronts, including running the test kitchen while executive research chef for Port of Subs.
Despite living in Nevada, Conrow volunteered for two years at the California Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma before taking a position with the festival’s marketplace. She traded that job for one at Whole Foods Market in Reno, where she continued to hone her skills. Her four-year stint there ended with the opening of Wedge Cheese Shop in 2012.
When the Weathersons moved to New York in 2009, so John could attend The Culinary Institute of America, Weatherson jumped at a job offer from Murray’s Cheese, where she progressed from the deli to head cheesemonger.
“Murray’s is the most coveted place to work in the cheese world,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to learn everything about cheese, from its origins to sales.”
Her transition from New York to California started when visiting with family at Tahoe. During a drive through Truckee after skiing, the Weathersons spotted a restaurant for sale, and impulsively made an offer on the spot. Although that deal fell through, they persisted, first by opening a casual eatery, Café Trokay in 2011. Eighteen months later, they leased the former OB’s Pub & Restaurant space. After extensive remodeling, Restaurant Trokay opened in 2013.
“I guess I was supposed to be in the restaurant business after all,” Weatherson says.
Wheel Deal
None would trade her job, despite the time and energy commitment. For all of them, the joy is in educating customers and staff about everything cheese, from its use in cooking to exploration of artisan varieties.
The work also offers them a connection to their core values. Arias still makes occasions special with cheese plates. Conrow’s contact with cheese makers allows her to stay connected to dairy farmers, whom she values as stewards of the land. Weatherson promotes the local food renaissance — her cheeses come primarily from California, and restaurant food is sourced within a 400- to 500-mile radius.
On top of that, Arias and Conrow are study partners for the prestigious American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional exam. The certification is the only one of its kind, and requires applicants to have a minimum of 4,000 hours of cheese-related work and education before taking the test. It is rigorous, requiring extensive knowledge of every aspect of the cheese business, including cheese making, safety regulations, nutrition, and marketing. Of the 230 who took the test in 2014, only 153 passed.
The three may know their cheeses, but don’t ask any of them for a favorite. They groan when asked the question.
“It’s just too hard to pick,” Conrow says. “But I admit that Gruyere makes me swoon!”
Freelance writer Sue Edmondson has written for various publications in Nevada and California. She will never look at cheese the same way again.
Resources
Restaurant Trokay
10046 Donner Pass Road, Truckee
Serving dinner. Call for reservations at 530-582-1040 or make reservations at http://www.Restauranttrokay.com
Wedge Cheese Shop
16 St. Lawrence Ave., Reno
For hours, classes, and other details, visit http://www.Wedgecheeseshop.com or call 775-737-4078
Whole Foods Market
6139 S. Virginia St., Reno
Ask for Katy Arias in the cheese department
Cheese and drink pairing
Restaurant Trokay’s Nyna Weatherson offers tips.
Sweet reduces saltiness, bitterness, and acidity. Pair a creamy, sweet cheese — such as a Brillat-Savarin or Explorateur — with a tannic or hoppy beverage.
Acidity enhances sweetness. Pair high-acid white wines, dry rosés, and Champagne with fresh goat’s- and sheep’s-milk cheese or washed rind, hard, and semi-hard cow’s cheese such as Cheddar, Tomme de Savoie, or Saint Nectaire.
Salt reinforces bitter. Roquefort and Sauternes make a delicious pair. Avoid pairing Roquefort with a young, tannic California red wine.
RECIPES
Wedge Cheese Shop Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(courtesy of Laura Conrow. Serves 6)
“This is very rich and incredibly flavorful. Half a sandwich is plenty! Pair with Deschutes Brewery’s Not the Stoic quad-style beer,” Conrow says.
1 wheel Époisses cheese (French, washed rind, cow’s milk cheese — a staff favorite)
6 slices sourdough bread
1 to 2 tablespoons Friend in Cheeses Tart ’n’ Spicy Tomato Jelly
⅓ cup pecans, chopped
Butter
Spread one side of each of three pieces of bread with layer of ripe Époisses cheese (about 1/3 wheel per sandwich). Spread layer of tomato jelly (about 2 teaspoons per piece, or to taste) on one side of each of remaining three pieces. Sprinkle pecans over jellied bread. Put sandwiches together.
Butter outsides of each sandwich. Grill until toasted golden brown and cheese is melted.
Serve with spicy arugula salad lightly dressed with elderberry shrub vinaigrette and topped with raspberries.
Blue Cheese and Peach Toasts
(courtesy of Katy Arias. Serves 4)
“Serve with great friends and family, and with a glass of chardonnay, syrah, port, or Vouvray Moelleux,” Arias says.
2 large ripe peaches, such as Frog Hollow organic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
4 slices crusty-style bread
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
4 ounces blue cheese (such as Roquefort or Saint Agur), room temperature
2 cups loosely packed, trimmed baby arugula, such as Nevada Fresh Pak Organic baby arugula
Black pepper, freshly ground
Using tip of paring knife, score X in bottom of each peach. Cook in large saucepan of boiling water just until skins start to peel back where scored, about 1 minute. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl of ice water; let cool. Peel (and discard peel) and cut over small bowl into wedges, collecting juices. Add lemon juice and honey, and toss to combine.
Toast bread, brush with 2 tablespoons oil, season with salt. Spread cheese on toast and top with peaches, reserving peach juice. Whisk 4 tablespoons oil into reserved peach juice. Toss arugula with enough dressing to lightly coat in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange over toasts.
