You Say “Tomato,” We Say, “Pétales de Tomates Confites”
Did you know that our logo is a tomato? Customers have scratched their heads over our logo for years, is it a peach? A cherry? Nope, it’s a tomato. And for good reason; we love tomatoes! We have DOP canned San Marzano Tomaotes for Neapolitan Pizza, semi-sundried...
The Handee Cheese Cutter: Our Favorite Tool of the Trade
If you have ever been to our warehouse for a cheese tasting, you know that one of our most prized non-edible possessions is our trusty cheese wire. The Handee Cheese Cutter is the universal standard in the cheese industry, and was a tool of the trade that Katie...
Monger’s Choice: Fontina Val D’Aosta
Rich and creamy, with a gooey melt and just enough earthy funk to hit home, Fontina Val D'Aosta may as well be a perfect cheese. Often imitated but never replicated by cheaper alternatives like wax rinded Danish Fontal, or Fontinella; Fontina Val D'Aosta is the real...
Heirloom Chandler Walnuts from Old Dog Ranch
Organically Grown Walnuts from a 5th Generation San Joaquin County Family Farm This might seem obvious, but after a few years in the business we've found that we like working with likable people. And if they happen to make a great product, well then it's...
Quince and Apple Pear Mostarda
At Great Ciao, we've never been keen on the “cheese with stuff in it” genre. We'd prefer to source the tastiest cheeses, and pair them with delicious accompaniments. As luck would have it, we have some delicious new “stuff” to put on our favorite cheeses....
French Comté: Your New Kitchen Staple
There’s something downright practical about a cheese that has the utility of being just as good for cooking as it is for noshing. Comté is an AOC protected French cheese that has unparalleled (and delicious) versatility in both applications.
Quattro Latti – A Menagerie of Milks
Our fearless leader, Scott, just got back from judging the World Cheese Awards in the coastal Basque town of San Sebastian... poor guy. He came back to Minnesota laden with a few great versions of classic cheeses from new producers, as well as a couple of new...
New At Great Ciao: Fresh Chèvre From Cedar Grove Creamery
Bob Wills (not to be confused with the eponymous country singer) is legendary in his own right as something of a living patron saint to Wisconsin cheesemakers. You might recognize some of his protiges: Mike Gingrich from Uplands Cheese (makers of Pleasant Ridge...
Farmstead Sheep Milk Cheeses from Green Dirt Farm in Missouri!
The key to Green Dirt Farm’s success is in the name, they believe that “raising [their] sheep on carefully tended pastures not only produces happy sheep and high-quality, flavorful milk; it also prevents soil erosion and helps to build top soil.
New Award Winning Cheeses! Raw, Farmstead cheeses from Sequatchie Cove in Tennessee!
We just got back from this year’s American Cheese Society Conference (or Cheese Prom, as we like to call it) which was hosted in Des Moines, Iowa. Every year hundreds of cheesemongers, makers, distributors and “enthusiasts” get together to celebrate American cheeses,...