Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1512297
62 culturecheesemag.com ENTERTAINING 202 3 Shop Talk written by Josie Krogh WILD PETALS BEND 930 NW Brooks St. Bend, Oregon wildpetalsbend.com Owner: Nancy Zadoff Tucked away on a magical street in Bend, Oregon, is Wild Petals Bend, a new cheese shop opened by Nancy Zadoff. Nancy and her husband left the United States 19 years ago to travel the world for their careers, but they always knew they would make their way back to Bend. From Sweden's markets to Australia's intimate larders, Nancy's diverse experiences have shaped her deep appreciation for cheese. "In Sweden I would put the kids on a bike and leave them outside while I ran in [a shop] to grab a fresh loaf of bread or piece of cheese," she reminisced. "No matter where we lived, charcuterie boards were a part of the culture, no matter what they called it." After moving back to Bend in 2019, Nancy missed her daily trips to the market and decided to open her own specialty cheese shop. Wild Petals Bend offers a large selection of international and domestic cheeses, charcuterie, flowers, beer, and wine, along with thoughtfully crafted charcuterie boards. "We eat with our eyes first," Nancy says. She considers each board a work of art, and is particularly focused on details such as the placement of fresh rosemary and thyme from her own flower farm. Go-to party/entertaining cheese pairing? I am madly in love with our local Rogue Creamery. The Bluehorn, as far as I'm concerned, is the finest blue cheese. It's gorgeous, and it tastes even better than it looks. I like to pair it with chili fig spread. Do you have a favorite "holiday" cheese? Having lived in Australia, I love Meredith Dairy Marinated Sheep and Goat Cheese. You can do so many different things with it. I cook with it, eat it on local sparrow crackers, or smear it on fresh sourdough bread. Everything about it is divine. CASK & CLEAVER CHARCUTERIE CO. 1534 Market St. Redding, California caskcleavercharcuterieco.com Owners: Kaitlyn Rodney & Opal Berry Two years ago, Kaitlyn Rodney launched Cask & Cleaver Charcuterie Co. as a small charcuterie board business in her hometown of Redding, California. But it quickly became apparent that the town wanted more than just cheese boards. With some encouragement from her mother, Jennifer Berry, who is the chef and owner of LuLu's Jams and Jellies, Kaitlyn and her sister, Opal Berry, decided to open a cut-to-order-cheese shop. "If my community didn't ask for a shop, it probably wouldn't have happened," Kaitlyn says. Opening the shop has been a learning curve, though. "I had no background in cheese, but I had a lot of passion for it and ran with it when I saw how the community embraced it and really wanted it," Kaitlyn says. She has thrown herself into the cheese world, taking every online class she can find to learn as much as she can. Cask & Cleaver offers cut-to-order cheese, charcuterie, catering services, and private and public classes. Go-to party/entertaining cheese pairing? My party pairing is a pepper jelly from my mom's line of preserves and Jasper Hill's Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Cheddar is a cheese everybody recognizes and loves, but this one is a little more complex. Do you have a favorite "holiday" cheese? I am in love with a fresh chèvre pillow with a black mission fig jam. It's perfect for fall and tastes like Christmas. I can sit at the table and eat it all at once.