Owning a deli is one thing. Understanding the centuries-old soul of artisan cheese is another entirely.
On a busy Saturday morning at Pork Ewe Deli, the shop hums with a vibrant energy. I am wrapping wedges of triple cream, listening to a customer tell me about the anniversary dinner they are getting ready for, and I feel completely at home. Food has always been my love language. Growing up, I was the kid who ran toward the pungent Parmigiano our Italian neighbour brought over, while everyone else ran away. That early hunger for real flavour eventually led me to grow this deli.
But as our community grew, a quiet voice in the back of my mind grew louder. I loved what I have built at Pork Ewe Deli, but I wanted to strip away any lingering feelings of imposter syndrome. I didn't just want to sell beautiful cheese. I wanted to understand its life cycle intimately. I wanted to know the science, the soil, and the hands that shaped it, so I could bring those stories directly back to your dining tables across Newcastle and the Hunter Valley.
There was only one place in the world for me to do that: Mons Formation in France. While institutions exist in Italy and the US, the prestigious Mons Formation stands as the global pinnacle of dairy education. Founded by a celebrated Meilleur Ouvrier de France, this revered institution delivers immersive, highly specialised instruction right within the cool, subterranean depths of active commercial maturation caves. Taking the leap to train there wasn't just a business decision. It was a pilgrimage to the absolute heart of my craft.
Next notebook entry, I am taking you inside the mysterious world of affinage, the invisible art that makes French cheese the best in the world.