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SAYING 'CHEESE' BRINGS A SMILE TO IMPRESARIO'S FAC
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Sondi Sepenuk
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CUPID’S ARROW hit Barrie Lynn, and she became a passionate lover of cheese.
Excellent! My assignment today is to eat some of the most luscious cheese the world has to offer. Now that’s MY kind of story.
I arrive rooftop with an empty stomach and a willingness to learn, and my instructor is ready to teach. Her name is Barrie Lynn, otherwise known as “The Cheese Impresario,” and she is feverishly dedicated to her line of work—cheese, cheese and more cheese.
Back in 2002, the Hancock Park resident was burning the midnight oil as an advertising executive. One day, she and a client attended one of the Slow Food organization’s cheese-tasting events, and from that day forward, the ad exec in her disappeared, and the cheese aficionado was born.
“Cupid’s arrow hit me and I fell in love with cheese. One second I’m me and the next second I’m a passionate cheese lover,” gushes Barrie Lynn over our first sampling of goat cheese. “I started studying, taking every class, traveling, reading, tasting every cheese that I could.”
Lynn also attends many conferences, like the American Cheese Society Conference, where she has the potential to taste up to 1,200 samples. She adores meeting the farmers who produce the cheeses and to share those personal relationships with cheese lovers back home.
For instance, my next one ounce tasting is a rich rind washed cheese from Crave Brothers in Wisconsin. “One brother grows the food for the cows, one cares for the cows, one makes the cheese and one does the marketing.” She knows them all, of course.
Lynn’s wealth of knowledge paid off in 2006 when The Cheese Impresario’s “artisanal wine and cheese experience” was included in the Academy Awards celebrated goodie bag for that year’s winners and presenters. Yes, she now includes rapper musicians Three 6 Mafia as fans.
“Everybody just went crazy over it. Cheese is such a blast. It’s so fun to talk about!”
Lynn’s business expanded to host corporate and individual tastings, weddings, baby showers, fundraisers and classes for up to 500 people. She has also appeared on TV and radio, most recently on E! Entertainment’s “That Morning Show.”
Along the way, Lynn discovered that many people suffer from “cheese paralysis.” They don’t know what to buy or how to pair the cheese. “Emily Post, the etiquette expert, ruined our lives. She taught us to eat separately and drink separately. Horrible! In Europe, they put everything in their mouths and swirl it around. Europeans get the magic of pairing… we really missed the boat.”
To remedy the situation and re-teach Americans how to enjoy their food, Lynn invented her signature tasting method, which she calls “The Cheese Highway.” It’s a way to enjoy every lip smacking bite of the gooey, moldy, yumminess we call cheese.”
For my next cheese sampling, a raw milk Foenegreek Gouda from Wisconsin, I am ready to travel “The Cheese Highway.”
“Breathe in the cheese, and now the wine,” instructs Lynn. “Now, eat the cheese, really chew it up so that it’s on your tongue and then take a swig of your drink. Throw it down ‘The Cheese Highway!’”
I’m a good pupil, and I do exactly as I’m told. And can I just say… wow. No, not wow. WOW!
Lynn laughs. “See? You now understand the magic of pairing cheese with wine. It’s like a great relationship. One plus one equals more than two.”
In our short time together, Lynn teaches me many things. She teaches me that cheese can be paired with beer, rum, whiskey, scotch, wine—you name it. But most importantly, I learn not to be afraid of cheese.
Lynn is delighted. She’s thrilled that people like me are learning to love the art of eating, and that she has something to contribute to it. “I feel like I’ve done something. When people are tasting, eating and laughing—it’s a huge payoff.”
For more information, contact Barrie Lynn at TheCheeseImpresario.com.
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