Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…

Vivant Fine Cheese

I was able to spend some quality time in Paso Robles this past July. Paso is the heart of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County’s wine region. It’s become the powerhouse behind California’s Central Coast Appellation, helping to raise the quality of the wines near the level of Napa/Sonoma. For wine lovers, it’s a great place to add to any wine tasting adventure; the area is more laid back than Napa, and the wineries not as crowded. There are more than two hundred wineries within about an hour of each other, located near the downtowns of Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. These towns are divided by the Santa Helena Mountain Range; Paso is to the East, San Luis Obispo to the West.

I had not visited the region before, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wines I found. Not a lot of variety; most of what I tasted was GMS, along with some killer Zins from Turley.

Planning for the trip, I did a pretty intensive search for cheese makers and shops, and was only able to come up with a couple; Dairy Goddess, Central Coast Creamery, and Vivant Fine Cheese. Central Coast sent samples, Dairy Goddess and I hooked up at the San Luis Obispo farmer’s market, and I hit Vivant one day during my tasting travels. It was worth the visit.

Market, Paso Robles City Park

Vivant is downtown, near what passes for a village green (City Park). My visit was on a Tuesday, when a market runs in the park. I am a big fan of local markets, and visit when I find them. Vivant is a pretty typical urban cheese shop, with displays of cheese in cold cases and on counters. They have tables and chairs inside and out on a shaded terrace, where you can have lunch or a glass of wine (or both). The shop carries about 150 cheeses, nicely weighted to local producers, with a good mix of other American and European Cheeses. Like many shops, they offer a selection of salads and sandwiches, and wine by the glass.

This type of operation, where the shop has gone beyond cheeses, is become almost critical for smaller shops to survive. It’s definitely a step up from the typical cut and wrap operation, because it not only gives customers more reason to stay in the store, but also to try new cheeses and pairing combos. It is a great place to have a light lunch (with cheese) and a glass of wine.

Vivant's Cheese Counter

The owner of the shop is Danika Reed, a veteran of the cheese business. She opened Vivant in 2006, using her degree in Dairy Science from Cal Poly and her experience as a cheese maker for them, as well as a strong background in sales and marketing with Hilmar (one of the country’s largest cheese producers for private labeling and food service). Between Vivant and Hilmar, she worked in a variety of other positions in the cheese business, giving her a very wide range of experience. Its been put to very good use.

Vivant’s first incarnation was as a mobile cheese tasting room, with Reed at the wheel. Her target customer were local restaurants; chef’s could come to the truck and taste her variety of cheeses, purchasing them on the spot. This gave local foodies a new dimension in cheese courses, beyond the typical Brie, Provolone, and Manchego, that make up most menu options. It also helped the restaurants to control  their costs by working with smaller quantities of cheese, something that large distributors are not able to do. After selling the truck in 2007, she continued to work with local chefs to provide exciting cheeses for their menus, gaining name recognition with diners; Vivant is branded on menus so that diners know where the cheese came from – and where to go if they want more. Reed took that model one step farther, creating similar relationships with wineries in the SLO area. If you’re tasting through SLO, and the winery offers a tasting or pairing menu, chances are Vivant’s cheeses are there.

I am a HUGE advocate of building relationships between local restaurants and cheese retailers, because there is such potential in moving away from the distribution model of buying cheese. When a restaurant has to buy 3 pounds of cheese (resulting in around 25 servings) the potential to lose 10%-20% of that purchase to spoilage is pretty high. If you figure that the wholesale cost of a good cheese is around $15 per pound, it can get pretty expensive. That’s why you mostly find Brie (factory brie…), Manchego, Provolone, Gruyère, Comte, and other mainstream (read boring) cheeses as the cheese course. If cheese shops would recognize the potential in cross-marketing with restaurants, and sell cheeses in small quantities in return for branding, everybody would win – especially the consumer, who would see a much bigger and better selection of cheeses on the menu.

Fingers crossed…