Saxelby Cheesemongers in NY

As far as mongers go, cheesemongers are one of the more benign. Whore-, war-, scandal-, noise-mongers peddle in flesh, misery, schadenfreude and din. Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, on the other hand, sells farmstead cheeses from the Northeast out of a small stand in the Lower East Side's Essex Market. American cheese brings to mind sallow yellow slices of pasteurized cheese food product but the real thing ain't so bad. Anne Saxelby preaches the Gospel of Made-in-America cheeses. "They're really coming into their own," she says and by way of evidence, proffers up a sliver of Ouray, a raw cow's milk cheese made in Poughkeepsie that tastes halfway between Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses. She should know, though young (ok, we went to college together) Anne has worked at the Murray's Cheese (the epicenter of New York's cheese scene, and yes, there is a cheese scene) and then took a year to travel France and Italy, learning the art of goat's milk cheese. Now she's back statedside, tucked into her corner among Essex Market's wonderful butcher shops and produce stands.

Saxelby Cheese
Saxelby Cheese Blog

[photo: JDS]

Previously: Cheese in Amsterdam, Mac N' Cheese in New York, Bicoastal Cheesery, Damn Fine Cheeseburger in Brooklyn