'Cheesemonger' looks to introduce Puyallup to world of cheese

Laurie Sanders-Polen knows some peculiar things about the eating habits of Puyallupites. They like cheddar cheese. A lot. And chevre, too. Buffalo mozzarella? That’s a big no thanks. Burrata was another that didn’t sell well with the locals. And stinky blues? “I thought there’d be more blue lovers,” said Sanders-Polen.

If Sanders-Polen has her way, Puyallupites soon will be spreading crusty baguettes with Italian butter and French butter flavored with sea salt. She’ll also introduce them to fig spread, hand-made toffee and pungent cheeses from the far reaches of the world that cost as little as a few bucks for a small wedge at My Cheese Shoppe, which Sanders-Polen opened in downtown Puyallup in June.

Sanders-Polen is a self-proclaimed cheesemonger who never intended to sell cheese. It just sort of happened (funny story, that). In a series of phone and email interviews, Sanders-Polen gave insight into what it’s like starting a business in cheese, how she shares her love of cheese with customers and how anyone can come to love blue cheese, even haters of the stinky stuff. Here are excerpts from phone and email interviews with Sanders-Polen:

Q: Did you always want to open a cheese shop?

A: I never ever thought I’d own a cheese shop. In 1981 when I was in high school, I always wanted a cafe. It was going to be food and people no matter what, that was my dream. I never pictured myself going with cheese or specialty foods because I never thought I could do that. Then, when I worked at Peterson, it opened a whole new world for me. I knew that was the direction. I was going to start with the specialty shop and work into the cafe side of it.

Q: So you worked for Peterson Cheeses (a specialty cheese and meat distributor) in Auburn?

A: Yes. I was unemployed and I was scared to death to apply for a job. My coffee girl at the time told me she knew someone looking for a receptionist (at Peterson). I was really insecure and I didn’t want to go. I didn’t call, but finally I called and went in for an interview. I was a receptionist for six months and I learned a lot. I answered the phone and met with cheese makers and cheese reps and I had to read a lot in the books about cheese.

Q: So what kind of jobs did you have with Peterson?

A: I had five positions at Peterson. It was great because I learned all kinds of things. ... I participated in the food shows .... I was a sales rep and (worked) retail, that’s how I learned everything.

Q: Why did you pick Puyallup for a location for a cheese shop?

A: I knew when my dream would come true, I would locate in downtown Puyallup. Tacoma and Sumner crossed my mind, but I love Puyallup. It’s where we raised our kids, and I thought Puyallup needed something here. It was between Puyallup and Sumner.

Q: Will you eventually own a cafe, too?

A: I was going to start with the specialty shop and work into the cafe side of it. That’s our two-year goal. We’re looking for different locations, but still in Puyallup. We want to do an archway from the retail to the cafe side. You can buy your stuff on the retail side and then sit in the cafe and eat. We’ll be called a grilled cheese company.

Q: What kind of food will you serve?

A: It will be all gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, but there also will be crostinis, crackers and soup with parmesan or another cheese on top. One way or another, everything will have cheese on it; a salad with shredded cheese like kasseri (Greek sheeps cheese) or halloumi (Greek sheep and goat cheese) or Parmesan.

Q: How many cheeses do you carry in your shop?

A: We have over 75 cheeses. I think we have 83 right now .... from Seattle, Pullman (eight different Washington State University cheeses), Chehalis, Port Townsend, Oregon, California, Utah, Wisconsin and New York, as well as imports from Greece, England, France, Holland, Italy, Spain, the Basque region, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Australia and New Zealand. We offer seven different salames, Croatian gig spreads, South African peppadews, imported raw honey with orange blossom, and a date and walnut bread both imported from Spain; organic dark chocolates with natural flavors from Canada and imported single origin dark chocolates along with a hand-crafted caramel line from Vashon Island, and an incredible artisan handcrafted toffee line from right here in Puyallup (Tweet Toffee). Lastly a vast variety of crackers with baguettes soon to arrive.

Q: What’s the criteria you use to include the cheeses you offer in your cheese case?

A: I want them to be special. A couple you’ll be able to find in a grocery store, but most of them are ones you won’t find in a grocery store. I want them to be unique, flavorful. ... I’m actually getting rid of one cheese, I had an idea it was a processed cheese. I want clean cheese.

Q: What do you mean by clean cheese?

A: Cheese that is not processed in any way, even coloring is natural. Annatto, they use the color naturally, it’s not artificial food coloring. My smoked cheeses are all natural smoked with wood chips or walnut shells, none use liquid smoke. I want to educate people about cheese, to love cheese and understand it. That’s why we do so much sampling.

Q: Tell me about the sampling. How does that happen? Do you offer it on your counter? Or do customers have to ask?

A: We don’t always have it on the counter, but there’s always sampling. If somebody’s interested in a cheese, we’ll bring it out and they can try it, especially in this economy, they want to enjoy the good things in life. And if they’re going to pay for it, they want to like it. I don’t want anyone to feel they wasted their hard-earned money, and I don’t want them saying “I’m not going back, I’m going to stick with cheddar.” That would be the worst, somebody sticking with cheddar because they didn’t like something they tried in my store. I want them to try a manchego or an iberico, a mixed milk cheese, cow, goat and sheep’s cheese.

Q: What is your favorite cheese?

A: I have many and it really depends on the weather, my mood, etc. But there is one cheese that I do adore very much because of its complexity and character – Mothais sur feuille. It is a soft ripened goat cheese (similar to, but not a Camembert) from France set in a dried chestnut leaf. I like “her” for many reasons: presentation, flavor, character, how “she” changes and gets better with time (like a woman).

Q: What is the stinkiest cheese you’ve ever tasted?

A: Actually morbier was the stinkiest that I have personally tried, but the paste of the cheese is actually quite mild. It took me months before I could actually swallow it ... Once I trained my palate to separate itself from my sense of smell, it was very good. That was 10 years ago. Although people love to call cheese “stinky,” I don’t think of it that way any more. Over time I have thought of them more as aromatic. ... People always ask me, “Have you tried limburger?” My reply is, even after all these years of working with cheese: No, not yet.

Q: What are three cheeses that cheese lovers should keep stocked in their fridge at all times?

A: A good aged cheddar, a chevre and a shredding cheese such as Parm regg (parmesan reggiano) or pecorino Romano.

Q: If you wanted to impress guests at a dinner party, what would you include in your cheese tray?

A: Oh, this is sooooo tough. Too many to choose from, but when entertaining I would have two trays. One with mothais sur feuille, Carre du Berry, P’tite Basque and Truffle Tremor. The other with comte, Caveman Blue, Seastack, aged gouda and a farmstead cheddar.

Q: What’s the best way to serve cheese?

A: Room temp without a doubt. I would be so happy if I didn’t have to refrigerate the majority of my cheese samples in my shop so that when my guests come in, they would be able to try the cheese the way it should taste when they enjoy it at home. Nothing more frustrating than giving a guest a cheese sample, cold, right from the cooler. It does not do justice to the flavor of the cheese.

Sue Kidd: 253-597-8270

sue.kidd@thenewstribune.com