What's the deal with affinage?

There’s a lot of discussion going on in the cheese blogosphere right now about affinage. For those unfamiliar with the term, affinage is the process of aging cheese to bring out different characteristics of the cheese. One who practices affinage is called an affineur, and you can find them in almost any stage of cheese production and distribution. Some cheesemakers do their own aging (Beecher’s does this). Some affineurs, the simplest form of them, are effectively middlemen who buy young cheese from the cheesemakers and, at best, meticulously care for them as they reach the ideal age to be sold to a cheese shop.  They’re also found in cheese shops themselves, as many stores have decided to buy direct from the cheesemaker and doing their own aging.

The question floating around is whether affinage is a legitimate, value-added part of cheesemaking, or if it is just a way for the industry to jack up prices for the consumer. Those in favor of affinage suggest that aging cheese goes beyond the science of temperature maintenance and mold cultivation. For them, there is an element of art and intuition: the affineur is uniquely capable to aid the cheese in its ripening process. That’s one side of the argument, and opinion ranges all the way to its contrary, which says that all the delicate care espoused by the pro-affinage camp is merely a marketing gimmick. Although I’m not sure how interested people are in my opinion about it, I’ll offer my opinion for the sake of spirited debate.  As with most divisive issues, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It’s not magic, but I think affinage is an incredibly useful part of the industry and its proper growth immensely beneficial.

Ultimately, cheese is a living thing. Each type of cheese has its own life, all of various lengths. How it gets treated before it gets to your mouth has a huge effect on the quality when it gets there. That isn’t to say that how it’s stored provides the majority of the flavor. On the contrary, if we were to have the nature versus nurture debate about cheese, I would staunchly advocate that it’s pretty much all in the nature, the milk and the cheese-making. The nurture side can’t make the cheese any better than it would be, but it can certainly ruin it. The best practices for maturing cheese include temperature and humidity control, and rotation. There is also the skill of knowing when the cheese is at its ideal age to be put out on the shelves to be sold. Not everyone ages their cheese the “best way” for the “best time,” but a lot do a really good job. It’s important to clarify that it’s not all or nothing, it’s not “best” versus “bad.” The key is that cheese is not really difficult to care for. They are fairly durable creatures. After all, everyone does some sort of affinage, even those who buy a block of cheese and forget it in their fridge for a year. When it’s done well, you can tell from the quality of the cheeses that those caring for it have an excellent sense of a cheese’s maturation process. They are very in sync with the trajectory of the cheeses under their care, knowing the ideal point for them to be eaten - à point, as they say.

Great affineurs, at whatever point in the supply chain you find them, play a really important role in the marketplace as both partners and consultants for small-scale cheesemakers. They buy the cheese young and directly from the cheesemaker, and pay close attention to providing a stable environment for the cheese to reach its ideal maturity. Digging deeper into what they do, they are essentially a type of distributor. Before the cheese even gets to their cave, the affineurs provide working capital for the cheesemakers, most of whom would be hard pressed to hold their entire inventory until perfectly ripe. They also relieve the cheesemakers of responsibilities that might be outside of their particular core competencies. The true affineurs are their own kind of distribution channel, who specialize in fitting the cheese to the market. They are more able to identify market trends and opportunities than the small-scale cheesemaker who may be logistically limited to regional farmer’s markets. They can provide constructive feedback for the cheesemakers on how well certain cheeses are performing in the marketplace, helping them valuate their product and improve their processes. They are not the cheese world’s version of negociants, who create entirely new wines from those brought to them. Great affineurs do not create new cheeses from the un-ripened specimens that they purchase; they cultivate them to their full potential.

Everyone benefits from great affinage. The cheesemaker gets more fluid working capital, more expansive market insight, and greater distribution. The cheesemonger gets higher quality products that bolster their reputation and their revenue. The customer, in turn, gets a more diverse selection of even better cheeses.

I'd love to hear what people think about this. Let me know in the comments below!

Pizza is not a vegetable

There are a lot of things sparking debate in DC right now, but there’s one issue that has me really concerned. The spending bill that was passed last week, H.R. 2112, included a section regarding the national school lunch program that will:

-Confirm four tablespoons of tomato paste as a full serving of vegetables
-Prevent limitations on sodium content until further research can be done about its health impacts
-Prevent regulated inclusion of whole grains until the USDA can officially define them
-Prevent further limitations on starchy vegetables like corn and peas

These mean that the already unhealthy school lunch diet mandated by our federal government will continue to reinforce the poor eating habits from which so many Americans suffer: high sodium, starch and carb consumption without the balance of healthy nutrients and vitamins. The first bullet point alone makes a slice of plain, frozen pizza count as a serving of vegetables to our kids as long as it has one quarter cup of processed “tomato” paste on it!

Good nutrition, particularly for our kids, has been a driving value in my personal and professional life. I’m absolutely incensed that the government would try to undercut the well-being of our children for political gains, whether it’s about budget cutting or Big Agra subsidies. This bill is yet another example of how those representing us in government don’t really represent us at all.

I’m going to write my representative to let them know how upset I am about this plan. I encourage everyone to do the same. Let’s make it clear that THIS PRECEDENT IS UNACCEPTABLE. Future school nutrition legislation must reflect our sincere concern for the nutritional health of our school population, not the deep pockets of lobbyist groups.

Below, I’ve drafted a sample letter for your convenience. The best way to get your legislator’s attention is with an actual letter, so please print up a copy and mail it to your congressional representative.

I’d love to hear your input directly, so when you send a letter, please let me know in the blog comments or on my facebook page.

Dear Representative  [senator’s name],

                I’m writing you to express my disappointment in the proposed amendment to the Senate Bill H.R. 2112. The modifications to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act outlined in Section 743 are explicitly destructive for the health of our youths in public school. With obesity in kids and teens in the U.S. reaching the level of nearly 30%, poor nutritional habits during the formative years are a direct threat to our nation’s health. Cutting costs by redefining health standards is downright insulting, both to our intelligence as constituents and to our responsibilities as parents. What’s more, it suggests that legislative decisions are influenced more by the interests of lobbyists than by the well-being of the citizens. I understand that H.R. 2112 as a whole is intended to balance the budget and keep the government solvent from day to day, but sacrificing the health of our public school student population is not an appropriate way to improve the national finances.

Thank you,

[Your name here]

Walkabout of BCNY - 4 months later!

Wow! It's hard to believe that it's been a scant four months since the doors of Beecher's Cheese New York first opened to the public. If you've been following me on facebook or twitter for a while, you might remember the "20 Hours And Counting" video I posted those many moons ago. It's been a whirlwind of great food, wonderful guests and all those exciting "first times" that go along with a restaurant opening.
But you don't have to take my word for it. Watch for yourself!

Have you visited the Beecher's in New York yet? Tell me what you thought in the comments!