Jessica Wurwarg

Fromager, Artisanal Premium Cheese

Jessica's love for and appreciation of cheeses was first discovered in London; while working as a chef in a restaurant there she was responsible for choosing the cheeses for the cheese plate by visiting Neals Yard in Covent Garden. From the first visit she was blown away. Knowing she wanted to understand the whole cheese story, she went on to spend some time working on a number of organic goat, sheep, and cow cheese farms in Europe. Back in the US she worked as a recipe tester and writer for a cookbook about American food, and did public relations and cooking demonstrations for Greenmarket, NYC's farmers markets. She earned an urban sociology degree at the London School of Economics and currently works as an urban planner and as a teacher at artisanal.

Q & A for Jessica

Q: What's your favorite cheese?
A: My favorite cheese(s)-sorry, I can't pick just one-are Monte Enebro, the Spanish goat cheese, (and actually most goat cheeses-New York State ones are great), Forsterkase (the aromatic Swiss cow cheese), and nutty smooth cheeses such as Le Moulis.

Q: What's your favorite cheese-pairing?
A: I love a muscato or port with a salty blue cheese, or an IPA beer with a nutty smooth cow cheese like a gruyere.

Q: What's your favorite wine?
A: Depending on the season and the occasion, in white wines I like Sancerres or fruity but not too sweet Gruner Veltliner or New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, and in reds I like malbecs, garanchas, and Sicilian wines.

Q: What's your favorite non-alcoholic beverage?
A: Water, but on certain occasions a not-too-sweet lemonade.

Q: What's your favorite wine-food pairing?
A: A cheesy pasta and a fairly robust red wine.

Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: While working in a chef in a restaurant in London, my responsibility was to visit Neal's Yard regularly to choose the cheeses for the cheese plate. It was love at first taste. I have been working to incorporate cheese into my daily life since then.

Q: Any unusual ways that you like to enjoy cheese and/or wine?
A: I like to drink wine while cooking dinner, so I can taste it with everything. I particularly like ricotta paired with honey and strong goat cheese drunk with red wine.