If you build it out of cheese, they will come

WOW. Thanks so much to everyone who showed up to the pre-opening bash at Poco Wine Room last night, what a turnout! I was very pleased to host a lovely group of fellow food bloggers, press, cheesemakers and some of my investors for the first hour. The rest of the night was a whirlwind of Seattle cheese lovers and friends stopping by to sample some of the area's great artisan cheeses, sip some wine, and chat me up. I gotta say, I was feeling the love people, thank you again! I also got quite a bit of attention for sporting my new cheese tattoo, the "Sacred Wedge"



I came up with this idea over a year ago when the shop was taking form as a real idea. I thought the combination of a traditional sacred heart with a moldy wedge of cheese (the tattoo was based on a photo of Tomme de Savoie, one of my all-time favorites) was the perfect way to pay homage to my roots of cheese making as a kid in New Mexico, while also giving a good nod to the world of cheese that lies before me. Plus, it looks so freakin' badass! I have Lucky of The Artful Dodger Tattoo to thank for the fantastic design. He's also a huge curd nerd so he was totally psyched to do the piece, which made it even more fun.

I am finally making some decent headway with construction in the space. If you're in the area and walking by, you can't see much happening because it's all pretty minimal as far as build out goes, but I am very happy to report that as of Friday holes have been punched down for plumbing and electrical lines, which is a major step forward. Tomorrow I'm hitting the paint store and starting to seal my old wooden ceiling, which is really the underside of the mezzanine above me, and in the meantime I'm working with a fabulous carpenter and friend to wrangle up some old cabinets.

Now for the news you've all been waiting for: OPENING DATE FOR THE SHOP
Construction being construction, combined with imminent inspections thereafter, I can't say exactly what day I'll be gracing Capitol Hill with a fine selection of cheese and accompaniments, but it is definitely going to be sometime during the last two weeks of April. I will keep you all updated as the time gets closer, and cannot wait to see everyone from behind the deli cases.

Queso por Vida!