Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1491491
78 culturecheesemag.com C O O K I N G W I T H C H E E S E 202 3 SHEA CHEESE 10880 N 32nd Street, Suite 19 Phoenix, Ariz. sheacheese.com Jenny Zink and Izaak Myers Opened: November 15, 2022 While everyone else was learning how to bake sourdough bread during the pandemic, Jenny Zink was busy learning how to make cheese. Zink has always been a cheese lover, but it wasn't until she found herself with the extra time that she took her interest to the next level. She studied cheesemaking and mongering online but realized when it came to experiencing cheese in person, there was something missing from where she lives in Arizona. "We don't have a cheese shop in Phoenix, how can this be?" she thought to herself. A natural entrepreneur, it didn't take long for Zink to decide she and her husband, Izaak Myers, would be the ones to bring a cheese shop to their city. "We had always talked about it, but once I started getting into cheese during the pandemic, we thought it might be time to open our own." Shea Cheese launched in November 2022 and has been met with lots of excitement. "The support from this community has been incredible," she says. "We have customers who have never been in a cheese shop. Going up to the counter and tasting is new and exciting. I love getting to be a part of people's first cheese memories." Shop Talk W ITH THE WORST of the pandemic hopefully behind us, there seems to be a collective yearning for togetherness after such a long period of isolation. Perhaps this is what's driving the return to brick-and-mortar retail. Cheese shops have always been a place to chat with the monger, try something new, and feel connected to your community. We spoke to the owners of six shops that opened in 2022, some of which are in cheese deserts, a.k.a. towns and cities that previously didn't have a cheese-centric retail store. The one thing they all have in common is the warm welcome they've received from their respective communities. WRITTEN BY JOSIE KROGH PROVISIONS WILLIAMSTOWN 4 Water Street Williamstown, Mass. provisionswilliamstown.com Peter and Diane MacGillivray Opened: October 27, 2022 When Peter MacGillivray left his hometown of Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1987, he had no idea he would return decades later to open his own specialty beer, wine, and cheese shop. "I grew up here with my six brothers and sisters," he says. "It's a magical town, a stunningly beautiful, tight-knit community." He and his wife, Diane MacGillivray, purchased a single-story building downtown without a plan. "We weren't sure what direction to go, but when the town office said a beer and wine license had become available, we jumped at the opportunity." From there, Provisions Williamstown started to take shape. "You can't have a craft beer and fine wine store without cheese," he says. "I'm an accidental cheesemonger, so to speak." He's enjoyed researching cheese, especially local varieties from Massachusetts and nearby New York and Vermont. "We're a stone's throw from Four Fat Fowl farm and literally in the shadow of Cricket Creek Farm. They've all been so supportive of us and are happy to have another cheese shop in the neighborhood." Since opening in October 2022, MacGillivray says the shop has experienced an enthusiastic welcome from the community. "Lots of people have come by and said how excited they are for us to be here. We've been so busy, we're just scrambling to stay on top of everything!"