The Cheese Chronicles - by Liz Thorpe (Paperback)

From the Back Cover

The Cheese Chronicles is an insider's look at the burgeoning world of American cheese from one lucky person who has seen more wedges and wheels, visited more cheesemakers, and tasted more delicious (and occasionally stinky) American cheese than anyone else. Liz Thorpe, second in command at New York's renowned Murray's Cheese, has used her notes and conversations from hundreds of tastings spanning nearly a decade to fashion this odyssey through the wonders of American cheese. Offering more than eighty profiles of the best, the most representative, and the most important cheesemakers, Thorpe chronicles American cheesemaking from the brave foodie hobbyists of twenty years ago (who put artisanal cheese on the map) to the carefully cultivated milkers and makers of today.

Thorpe travels to the nation's cheese farms and factories, four-star kitchens and farmers' markets, bringing you along for the journey. In her quest to explore cheesemaking, she high-lights the country's greatest cheeses and concludes that today's cheesemakers can help provide more nourishing and sensible food for all Americans.

Steve Jenkins, author of the celebrated Cheese Primer, calls this "the best book about cheese you'll ever read." The Cheese Chronicles is a cultural history of an industry that has found breakout success and achieved equal footing with its European cousins.

Review Quotes

"What a great cheese guide book [Murray's Cheese Handbook] is, from one of America's greatest cheese shops!" - Emeril Lagasse

[Murray's Cheese Handbook] is a definitive work. . . . I will gaze longingly and inappropriately at its pages by flashlight long after bedtime.'' - Anthony Bourdain

''Murray's Cheese is a longtime supplier of the finest cheese in my restaurants. [Murray's Chees e Handbook] is to cheese what Zagat's is to restaurants: very informative, very practical and user friendly. With this guide, no one should be intimidated by any cheese, but rather inspired to go out and taste them all.'' - Daniel Boulud

"I love Murray's Cheese Handbook . . . this is a seriously informative book." - Thomas Keller

"From industrial to iconoclastic, Liz Thorpe alluringly describes how American cheesemakers reinvented Old World traditions for New World consumption: the good, the bad, and the unpasteurized. The Cheese Chronicles does more than just introduce us to America's rediscovered culinary frontier--it offers everyone from novice to affineur an informative and unconventional context for what can only be described as a revolution in cheese." - Dan Barber, Executive Chef and co-owner, Blue Hill at Stone Barns

"[The Cheese Chronicles]'s overall scope, humor, and affection will both entertain and educate its audience. Recommended for foodies, especially those with a passion for cheese." - Library Journal

"[Thorpe] zips engagingly from tasting notes and the best makers to the aging process. Through Thorpe's eyes, readers will truly behold the power of cheese." - Town & Country

"Liz's knowledge of cheese has been invaluable to us at The French Laundry and Per Se. Whether working with our chefs or teaching classes to our staff, her passion is contagious and has helped us to elevate our cheese program through the years. - Thomas Keller, Chef, The French Laundry and Per Se

"The Cheese Chronicles does more than just introduce us to America's rediscovered culinary frontier--it offers everyone from novice to affineur an informative and unconventional context for what can only be described as a revolution in cheese." - Dan Barber, Executive Chef and co-owner, Blue Hill at Stone Barns