S H O P TA L K
62 culturecheesemag.com I N N OVAT I O N 202 3
JESSICA GALEN
BLOOMY CHEESE AND PROVISIONS
Jess Galen may have recently opened Bloomy,
but she's no newcomer to the cheese world.
She started working in cheese in 2012 while
enrolled in a food studies program at New York
University. "I got a job in a cheese shop in New
Haven and it totally blew my mind," Galen says.
"The idea of having a tasting experience with
the customer was really exciting to me. That's
how I got bit by the cheese shop bug."
And boy did she get bit. Jess went on to
write her master's thesis on FDA guidance for
pregnant people eating cheese, apprenticed
with a cheesemaker, and worked at the famed
Lucy's Whey cheese shop. In November 2021
Jess opened Bloomy, a pop-up cheese shop,
to test the waters before committing to a
brick-and-mortar space. "The pop-up helped
me build out the store and plan education,
programming, and events," she says. After a
successful year, she decided it was time to go
all the way. In November 2022 she officially
opened the doors to Bloomy's full-time brick-
and-mortar location.
Bloomy offers cheese pairing classes, prepared
cheese boards, inspired home goods, and of
course, a thoughtfully curated cheese selection.
What is your favorite pairing?
"Ossau-Iraty and Spread-mmms Orange
Marmalade is a flavor explosion unlike anything
else. [The maker] puts olive tapenade into the
marmalade, so unexpected and so good."
What is a cheese trend you see on the
horizon?
"Putting flavors before looks. The 'charcuterie'
board trend of everything being super perfect
and Instagram-able might be waning. I think
we're going to see people having more fun with
pairings and flavor profiles."
Advice to anyone looking to get into cheese?
"Walk into a cheese shop and ask if they're
hiring—they probably are."
BLOOMY CHEESE AND PROVISIONS
3 Cedar St.
Dobbs Ferry, NY
bloomydobbs.com
Eating eir Words
MONGERS DISH ON FAVORITE PAIRINGS
WRITTEN BY JOSIE KROGH
