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Monday, November 18, 2013

The Cheese Lady . . .

 
Kathleen Riegler
The Cheese Lady

and there she is
serving up some cheese
for the open house she had this past Saturday.



of course, guess who was with me
Babs, Barbie, Barb
Barbie has a great blog which she created for her family
who live in various states around the US.

If Barbie doesn't post, they get after her
so they can stay in touch with one another.

Barb would love a visit from you,
please leave a comment for her too.
 


This cheese lady gal is a dynamo
I asked her if I could take some photos and recognize her
on the Irish Garden House.

 
 
In Kathleen's words . . .
In July of 2004 I resigned my real job.
I had grown tired of the road.
After over 20 years of driving and selling,
it was time for a change.

Tongue in cheek I suggested to my husband John,
that I go to the Muskegon Farmers' Market
and sell cheese.
The previous April we had been in Provence, France.
I loved the open-air markets more than anything
and we spent countless hours
wandering and watching the vendors.
Because I was in the cheese business,
the cheese vendors particularly intrigued me.
John encouraged me to try it.  
And In less than 3 weeks I had a name,
a Department of Agriculture license and a sign.
I was The Cheese Lady.
I bought $500. worth of cheese from the company
I had just left and went to market.
I sold out.

I love it at the market.
The energy is immense.
The market crosses all lines.
Market goers are a diverse group
in every way except one.
Everyone there wants to be there.
Both the sellers and the buyers.
Since I started selling only cheese,
I have learned so much.
 I now have a PASSION
to make you love cheese as much as I do.
I am a turophile. A lover of cheese.

 




Talk about commitment,
Kathleen has it. 
She has the community close at heart
and does so much to bring her love of cheese
 into the Muskegon area.
 
You can find her at the Farmer's Market
and at her store plus many other
places around our community.
.
Plus she has two other locations in
Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

You'll find more than cheese in the
Muskegon Cheese Lady Store.
olive oil, vinegar, garden baskets, kitchen items
pastas, soup mixes, crackers, wafers and more


I was on the hunt for some pancetta
to include in a brussel sprout recipe I plan to try for Thanksgiving.
One request to Kathleen and it was in my hands. 
(Look for my trial recipe and photos coming up soon.)
 

Love these garden baskets
and the hand towels.


The Cheese Lady offers cheeses from around the U.S.
as well as France, Spain, England, and Australia.
The store carries the wines, beers, foods, and crackers that go with them.
The store also carries a variety of serving options for the cheeses and their accompaniments, including handmade pottery by local potter Rita Shields.


and of course some art too

Enjoy!
~
 I am grateful we survived most of the fury from the storms.
We were spared in losing just twigs, branches, limbs..  
Neighbors lost a beautiful tree, just missing their house.
 
We are keeping and caring for
 the people of Peoria and Indiana
who experienced some of the worst
of the weather weekend.
 ~
Thank you for visiting me
and for your sweet comments. 
 
Until the next time,
Love, Lynne


18 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

so glad your neighbor's house was spared, but sorry for the tree!

i loved this story of the cheese lady! she parlayed her knowledge of the cheese business into a community-based business with some really cool adjunct merchandise, too! good for HER!

Wsprsweetly Of Cottages said...

Wow! This was a great post. I love cheese! But she has more locations? What about not wanting to travel? LOL Just kidding! I am always so impressed with people that start their own business and MAKE IT!
It sounds like she is very successful. I kept peeking at the store shelves..looks like an interesing store.
(SO please you faired alright in the storm!)

Unknown said...

The Cheese Lady sounds cool...I LOVE cheese.

I'm very intrigued about your Brussel Sprout recipe. I love them and grew my own for the first time this year.

Musings from Kim K. said...

My husband and I pass her GR shop on Fuller on our way to 5pm mass Saturday nights. Now, we definitely need to visit. Thanks for making my mouth water. Glad you didn't have significant damage from the storm. What a scary ordeal. I can't remember wind quite like that for that length of time.

Pamela Gordon said...

It looks like the Cheese Lady made the right move when she left her company to sell cheese. I love the baskets and tea towels she sells. Wonderful post.

Nancy said...

Another wonderful shop, Lynne. Being a cheese lover, this one is very enticing. Love the baskets and the towels, too. Thanks for sharing The Cheese Lady's store and story. It's so interesting to learn how people become entrepreneurs. I will visit Barbie's blog.

eileeninmd said...

Lynne, wonderful story about the Cheese Lady! The baskets and towels are pretty too. I would like some cheese and wine, YUM! So happy you survived the storm. Have a great day and happy week!

Sarah Huizenga said...

We don't get to the Cheese Lady as often as we would like, but she has the most awesome cheese. We became cheese snobs after our trip to Europe in 2007. So I can see why her idea started there.

Cindy said...

A moving post, thank you. I often wonder of the storm victims and how they get along aftermath. I am a storm chaser and last helped out Storm Sandy victims. Glad your neighbours home is ok.

A lovely venture the cheese lady, nice to hear wonderful business stories.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

What a great story and so wonderful she followed her heart. I'm really looking forward to decent farmers markets when I move nearer an urban area.

Lois said...

Wonderful post with the story about the cheese lady. Glad you survived the storm.

Rain said...

Cheese .......... Mmmmm.......
Says it all...........
:). Rain

This N That said...

Great story Lynne..Love cheese..Glad you made it through the storm without horrific damage..

Jill said...

That looks like a wonderful shop...one I would love to visit!

I'm so glad you and yours are OK, Lynne and that your neighbors house was spared!

Michelle said...

Love the Cheese Lady! She sounds like a smart chick!

Ivy, Phyllis and Me! said...

Good Evening Lynne, What a fabulous shop..... I would love to visit it. The baskets are beautiful, the hand towels are gorgeous, oh I just feel excited reading your post and looking at the photographs. How amazing of the Cheese Lady to start her business from selling at Farmers Markets and to now have her own shop. I have really enjoyed reading this post... in case you haven't guessed.... I love cheese!
Best Wishes to you.
Daphne

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