Patrick Oconnell
Whole Foods Market is a popular destination for cheese lovers, with its vast selection of cheeses sourced from around the world. The market boasts over 350 Certified Cheese Professionals and countless trained cheesemongers across its stores, ready to assist customers in finding the perfect cheese. From soft and salty cheeses like Taleggio to aged and nutty varieties like Gruyère, Whole Foods has something for every taste preference. Their exclusive offerings include limited-release cheeses, such as Jasper Hill Farm's spruce-wrapped cow's milk cheese, and award-winning selections like Midnight Moon, a Gouda-style goat cheese with a crystalline crunch. With its global cheese buyer, Cathy Strange, curating an extensive collection, Whole Foods has earned a reputation as the nice part of the store for cheese enthusiasts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of cheese professionals | Over 350 |
| Cheese types | Cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, mixed milk |
| Styles and textures | Firm aged, soft-ripened, fresh, blue, salty, hard, semi-soft |
| Cheese expert | Cathy Strange |
| Best cheese | Midnight Moon, according to a former specialty buyer |
| Other popular cheeses | Gruyère, Morbier de Scey, Surchois, Parmesan, Jasper Hill Farm's spruce-wrapped cow's milk cheese, Robiola, La Tur, Roth Buttermilk Blue, Taleggio, Sweetgrass Thomasville Tomme, Enraptured Blue, Cana de Cabra, Manchego, Lamb Chopper, Humboldt Fog, Capricho de Cabra, St. Albans, Point Reyes Original Blue, Cambozola, Brebirousse |
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What You'll Learn
Best whole food cheeses for a cheese board
Whole Foods offers a wide range of cheeses from around the world, curated by their award-winning cheese ambassador, Cathy Strange, who has been with the company since 1990. With over 350 Certified Cheese Professionals across their stores, you are sure to get all the help you need to select the best cheeses for your cheese board.
The Cheeses
When creating a cheese board, it is recommended to pick 3 to 4 varieties that include an array of milks, styles, and textures. Here are some cheeses available at Whole Foods that would make a great addition to your cheese board:
- Midnight Moon: This is a Gouda-style goat cheese that has been aged for a minimum of 6 months. It has an off-white, dense paste with a slight tang from the goat's milk and an occasional crystalline crunch. It tastes of nuts, brown butter, and sea-salt caramel.
- Robiola: This is a square, soft-ripened cheese from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Robiolas are typically made with flavorful spring and summer milk from any grazing animal.
- La Tur: This is another cheese from the Piedmont/robiola family. It is a mottled little cheesecake.
- Roth Buttermilk Blue: This blue cheese is made by the Roth dairy in Wisconsin. It is a raw cow’s milk, young blue cheese with a creamy and mellow flavor and only 2 months of aging.
- Taleggio: This is a soft, salty, and meaty cheese.
- Gruyère: This cheese is aged for twelve months in sandstone caves, giving it a fruity tanginess and clusters of crystals that satisfyingly melt on the tongue.
- Jasper Hill Farm's spruce-wrapped, soft-ripened Harbison: This cheese has a sweet, creamy paste balanced with flavors like citrus, mustard, and mushrooms.
- Gouda-style aged goat cheese: This cheese has a golden hue, brown butter notes, and tingly protein crystals.
Pairings
In addition to the cheeses, you can also add some charcuterie items, starches, and other pairings to your cheese board. Here are some suggestions:
- Rustic Bakery Organic Olive Oil & Sel Gris Flatbread
- Bonnie’s Jams Cranberry Cherry Cabernet Conserve
- Whole Foods Market Organic Sliced Genoa Salami
- Pâté de Campagne: A rustic, coarsely ground pâté made with pork, herbs, spices, and often cognac or brandy.
- Pancetta: This cured meat can be added thinly sliced or as crisped-up lardons.
- Beef bresaola: This lean, air-dried beef has a rich flavor that pairs well with roasted nuts and dried fruits.
- Prosciutto: This light and slightly nutty meat pairs well with spring fruits like melon and berries.
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Whole food cheeses for cooking
Whole Foods Market is a cheese lover's paradise, offering anywhere from 250 to 1,000 varieties of cheese sourced from around the world. The market employs an expert, global cheese buyer, Cathy Strange, who is a member of several professional cheese and culinary societies.
Taleggio
A soft, salty, and meaty cheese that is not too pungent. It has a goopy-soft texture and pairs well with honey.
Mahon
A Spanish semi-soft cheese with a savoury, open texture, perfect for grilled cheese sandwiches or as a topping for meat and crackers.
Aged Pecorino Toscano
A harder Italian sheep's milk cheese with a nice saltiness and light barnyard-y notes.
Keen's Cheddar
An underrated, meaty, savoury clothbound cheddar with robust mustard or horseradish notes depending on its age.
Midnight Moon
A goat cheese made in the style of gouda and aged for a minimum of six months. It has an off-white, dense paste with a slight tang from the goat's milk and an occasional crystalline crunch.
Mt. TAM from Cowgirl Creamery
An organic cheese with a complex taste and rich texture, produced using a gouda-like technique. The curds are scooped softly by hand to preserve the rich flavours, and the cheeses are turned by hand twice a week for optimal aging.
Borough Market Stilton
A traditional British blue cheese made with pasteurized cow's milk and vegetable rennet. It has a rich mineral tang and buttery texture, making it a perfect match for port or potatoes.
When selecting whole food cheeses for cooking, consider the flavour profile and texture that will best complement your dish. Don't be afraid to ask the cheese experts at Whole Foods for advice and recommendations!
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Whole food soft cheeses
Soft cheeses are a great option for those who prefer a creamy texture and more subtle flavours. Whole Foods offers a wide range of soft cheeses, from fresh goat cheeses to aged goat cheese with crystalline crunch. Here are some of the best Whole Food soft cheeses:
Robiola
Robiola is a square, soft-ripened cheese from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. It is typically made with flavorful spring and summer milk from any grazing animal. Guffanti's due latti, or "2 milks," is a variation made with both cow's and sheep's milk, aged for a few weeks, resulting in a full-flavoured yet approachable soft cheese with a bloomy rind.
Capricho de Cabra
Capricho de Cabra is a fresh goat cheese, or chèvre, that is a step above most selections in supermarkets. The milk for this cheese comes from Murciana goats in Jumilla, Spain, and it is higher in both protein and fat content, resulting in an exceptionally rich, creamy, and robust cheese. It is coated with fine herbs like parsley, chives, chervil, and tarragon, adding a continental touch.
Taleggio
Taleggio is a soft, salty, and meaty cheese that is widely available. It is produced in an Alpine valley in Lombardy and is a washed-rind cow's milk cheese. After being aged for 45 days, it develops a creamy, marshmallow-like interior with a mildly funky finish. It pairs well with soppressata and prosecco.
Jasper Hill Farm's Spruce-Wrapped Cheese
Jasper Hill Farm's limited-release cow's milk cheese is wrapped in spruce bark, washed in prosecco, and aged in the Vermont creamery's vaults. When warmed in the oven, it becomes a self-contained fondue with a floral and woodsy finish.
Midnight Moon
Made in a gouda style with goat cheese and aged for at least six months, Midnight Moon has a dense, off-white paste with a crystalline crunch. It has flavours of nuts, brown butter, and sea-salt caramel, with a slight tang from the goat's milk.
In addition to these suggestions, Whole Foods offers a vast selection of soft cheeses from around the world, including fresh goat cheeses, sheep milk cheeses, and mixed milk cheeses. Their trained staff can provide expert advice and recommendations to help you find the perfect soft cheese to suit your taste preferences.
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Whole food hard cheeses
Whole Foods Market offers a wide range of cheeses, including hard cheeses, sourced from around the world. The retailer employs an expert, global cheese buyer, Cathy Strange, who has been with the company since 1990 and has a wealth of cheese credentials.
One of the most popular hard cheeses at Whole Foods is Midnight Moon, a Gouda-style goat cheese. Aged for a minimum of six months, it has an off-white, dense paste that tastes of nuts, brown butter, and sea-salt caramel, with a slight tang from the goat's milk and the occasional crystalline crunch.
Another option is Robiola, a square, soft-ripened cheese from the Piedmont region of northern Italy. Robiolas are typically made with flavorful spring and summer milk from any grazing animal, resulting in a full-flavored, approachable, and supple cheese. Guffanti's due latti, or "2 milks," is a variation made with both cow's and sheep's milk and aged for a few weeks, creating a bloomy-rind cheese.
For those who enjoy aged Gouda, Whole Foods offers a variety of options, including the Robusto, which is noted for its hardness and saltiness. The retailer also carries other Gouda-style cheeses, such as the award-winning Lamb Chopper and Humboldt Fog from Cypress Grove.
In addition to these, Whole Foods offers a selection of hard sheep milk cheeses, such as Manchego, which is known for its salty flavor. The retailer also provides bite-sized cheese pieces, including a variety that resembles Parmesan but with a smoother texture and a less salty taste.
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Whole food cheeses for dessert
Whole Foods Market often acts as an artisan cheese shop for its community, employing an expert, global cheese buyer to curate its cheese collection. Here are some whole food cheeses that can be used for dessert:
Midnight Moon
A goat's cheese made in a gouda style and aged for a minimum of 6 months. It has an off-white, dense paste that tastes of nuts, brown butter, and sea-salt caramel, with just the slightest tang from the goat’s milk and the occasional crystalline crunch.
Robiola
A square, soft-ripened cheese from the Piedmont region of northern Italy, robiolas are typically made with flavorful spring and summer milk from any grazing animal.
La Tur
A mottled little cheesecake from the Piedmont/robiola family.
Taleggio
A soft, salty, meaty, creamy, and unctuous cheese, similar to custard. Taleggio is a washed-rind cheese, so it has a slightly stinky smell, but it’s one of the milder options out there. It pairs well with something heady and sweet, like brandied cherries.
Sweetgrass Thomasville Tomme
A semi-soft, earthy, and salty cheese that pairs well with honey.
Chevrot
A lightly aged goat cheese from the Loire, with a mildly funky flavor profile. It has a tangy, pleasantly chalky texture.
Enraptured Blue
A whole foods exclusive, made by Rogue Creamery.
Von Trapp Oma
A mellow, sweet, washed-rind raw cow milk cheese from Vermont, made by descendants of the Von Trapp family. It has notes of fermented fruit.
In general, goat cheeses, super-aged goudas, mountain cheeses, and fresh cheeses
Goat cheeses are often a good choice for dessert because of their bright flavors and palate-cleansing abilities. Super-aged goudas, mountain cheeses, and fresh cheeses also have varying degrees of sweetness, with notes of caramel, burnt sugar, and sweet, fresh milk.
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Frequently asked questions
Robiola is a good option for those new to whole food cheese. It is a soft-ripened square cheese from the Piedmont region of northern Italy and is made with flavorful spring and summer milk from any grazing animal.
Jasper Hill’s spruce-wrapped, soft-ripened Harbison is a great gift for cheese lovers. When the top rind is cut away, what remains is a natural, scoopable fondue with a sweet, creamy paste balanced with flavors like citrus, mustard, and mushrooms.
For a cheese board, it is recommended to pick 3-4 varieties that include an array of milks, styles, and textures. Some options for whole food cheeses to include on a cheese board are:
- Sweetgrass Thomasville Tomme
- Enraptured Blue
- Cana de Cabra
- Midnight Moon
- Gruyère
