My new familia

Among the many saving graces I have for the opening and ongoing success of the shop are my staff. Other cheese shop owners I know in various parts of the country have had great luck finding people who are smart, capable, and have a deeply vested passion for fromage. In fact, some of their employees have been with them from day 1 and still going strong years later. I was hopeful that this would be the case for me, but expected to slog through hundreds of replies via craigslist and the whole hiring thing was not something I was looking forward to. Fortunately, I started getting inquiries and resumes from interested people almost a year before opening, so when it came time to start interviews I had a good handful of awesome cheese lovers to chat with, without having to post a help wanted ad at all.

Among those gregarious cheese freaks are my first two employees, Kristin and Stacey, and they both deserve a big fat kudos for helping me get my cheese baby off the ground.

Kristin hails from San Francisco, and has been an avid foodie for years. She was a server at The Corson Building since it opened just a few years ago, and she has a passion for great food that matches my own. She is one of the most fun, energetic, magnetic personalities I've come across in a while, and it's no surprise that she's formed many great relationships with other members of the Seattle food community. If you're a food lover, chances are you've encountered Kristin and her adorable smile and wicked wit at some point.

She is an absolute natural behind the cheese counter. She loves people and talking to them about cheese and food in general, I couldn't be happier and more grateful for getting her awesome energy in the shop. Here she is on the day before opening with our first round of cheese cut and ready to go into the deli case.



You'll likely see and speak with Kristin just as much as myself when you come into the shop. She is one hell of a cheese vixen in training.