What brought you to the France 44 Cheese Shop?
I’ve been working at France 44 for about a year now. When I moved to Minneapolis, I was looking for a job and was open to all kinds of opportunities. I heard that there was a cheesemonger role open at France 44 and had to learn more - it was so intriguing that I could be a cheesemonger! And the rest is history.
What have you learned working as a monger?
So my background in food is mainly just eating a lot of it — this is my first actual job in food. I used to be just a sharp cheddar from the grocery store kind of person. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’ve gotten to try and learn about so much more here. I’ve learned about cheese styles from around the world, and could never go back to just eating grocery store cheeses. My favorite at the moment is Vallee Brebidoux, an organic sheep’s milk cheese from France. It’s got a hint of funkiness, a nice texture, and the right amount of tang. Perfect for snacking.
Speaking of favorites, what is your favorite France 44 sandwich?
I’m a vegetarian, so I haven’t had them all, but I love the mozz melt. For all the vegetarians out there: I make the best veggie surprise sandwich. My ideal would be: avocado, our house portobello bacon, mayo, Sriracha, onion, jalapeño, and a thick chunk of house mozz.
How do you spend your time outside of work?
I have a music production hobby, I like to make electronic music on my laptop. I read the news a lot, always have my face in an article. And of course like any Minneapolis resident, I love to bike around the lakes in the summer!
So you’re fairly new to Minneapolis, what are some of your favorite finds so far?
I was lucky to land in the Uptown area, and I really love it. It’s got the best of both worlds, nestled between the shops and restaurants on Lyndale, the Walker/Sculpture Garden, and the lakes!
What’s something that would surprise us about you?
I have hiked part of the Appalachian Trail! I hiked it for a month with my girlfriend, until we had to leave the trail in Massachusetts because of an injury. But it was an incredible experience, I learned that I am capable of so much more than I had thought, and I can’t wait to finish the trail someday.