Food outlets

New York property values are often to blame for the mark up in some of the products commercialized in the city. The amount of rent that retailers have to pay is directly passed on to the consumer. This often means that some of the best located outlets also have some of the highest prices in the city. For this reason I am in constant search for cheese stores in less desirable neighborhoods, so I can pay a lower price. However, this also means that those cheaper cheese stores have worst selection or cater to a market that is not interested in artisanal cheese.

Then artisanal cheese is categorized as a premium product and access is limited. This is not the case in Europe, where good quality cheese is available at many places and the price does not include real estate and transportation cost.

Price obviously discourages people to try some of the best cheese. The main concern of people is that a cheese may be too expensive and unless you know what you like, it is a high risk to pay so much.

This is why I truly believe in cheese education. Classes are an easy way to try different cheeses at a lower cost and discover potential favourites.

Another way to get excellent cheeses is trying the local production, a great addition to the cheese retailers of New York is Lucy's Whey at the Chelsea Market. Lucy concentrates on American cheese and the staff behind the counter will be able to point you in the right direction.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone.