What I’m Grateful For in My Cheese Journey
During this season of mindful gratitude and reflection, I wanted to take a few moments to write about how thankful I am for the experiences, people, and joy I’ve had in my cheese journey so far.
First, I am thankful for the friends who encouraged me to follow my passion. I have a couple of friends out there who knew that I’ve loved cheese for years and years, and who strongly encouraged me - even bordering on peer pressure! - to apply for my current job at my cheese shop. I probably would have waited months if not for them to apply, or possibly would have even talked myself out of it. I’m so grateful to have the circle that I do who is happy to give me a nudge when I need it in order to pursue my passions and take things to the next level.
Thankful for the courage to dive into something that really inspires me and gives me joy. I never would have equated following a passion with having courage, but I was really nervous during the first couple months of my job. I was afraid that I didn’t know enough about cheese to be working behind the counter, afraid that I would never learn enough to feel like I was really a cheesemonger in any way, afraid that the other cheese folks there would make me feel like an imposter. It did take bravery on my part to keep asking questions I thought might have been dumb (they weren’t), keep asking “how may I help you” to customers that may have thought my knowledge was inferior (they didn’t) and to accept different opportunities to participate in cheese events that my store has hosted even though I didn’t think I was ready (I was). I am grateful to recognize that I was doing a difficult thing in the beginning and pushing myself very far outside my comfort zone, and allowing myself the grace to learn from my mistakes plus space to experience things that amaze me.
Thankful for my job at the shop, the people I work with, and the customers I assist. I know with 100% certainty that I could not possibly have gotten any luckier to land at a shop than I did. My wine & cheese shop has over two-hundred cheeses, extremely knowledgeable and friendly team members working there, and has given me more opportunity to learn and even grow than I ever would have imagined. I also get to interact on a really personal basis with the customers, and get to watch their faces light up when they try a new cheese or return to an old favorite. I have discovered that the people element is my favorite part of this job - and of this journey - and I am so very grateful to have the moments of humanity and joy that I do.
Thankful for the opportunities to learn more about pairings and wine. Nowadays, I not only work behind the counter assisting customers, I also spend every Saturday behind the shop’s wine & cheese sampling bar, where I get to learn soooooo much about cheese pairings with wine and other foods, and where I have the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the most lauded cheeses in the world. I am really grateful to have been selected a few months ago to lead this initiative for my shop, and honored to have been entrusted to be the friendly and knowledgeable face the customers see every week when they come looking for cheese and wine. I enjoy this so much, and it doesn’t even feel like work - it feels like a fun way to spend my Saturdays and for that I am incredibly thankful.
Thankful to be embraced by the cheese community, and to have made friends. When I first launched my blog and Instagram account for The Cheese Coach, there were so many friends and friends of friends who reached out and told me how excited they were to follow along my cheese journey and see content that would teach them more about cheese. People followed, shared, and commented their warm wishes for me, and I felt such an outpouring of love and good energy that propelled me to keep going and to give it everything I could. Just recently, one of my friends told me a story that while they were traveling, they mentioned to someone that The Cheese Coach recommended a particular cheese to try in that area, and the person was so impressed that my friend employed their own personal cheese coach concierge! I laughed and laughed, and though how in a way, my aim is indeed to be everyone’s concierge for cheese. I’m thankful to be reminded that I’m already serving that goal for a group of people, i.e. YOU, dear reader, and I am honored to have you come along with me for the journey. Come one cheese head, come all!
Thankful to have attended events and have more on the horizon. I’ve attended a couple of virtual events this year for cheese insiders and even one festival in central New York State, and I loved the experiences so much. All of the events I’ve gone to have yielded new findings, new cheeses, new learnings, and new people to share them with. Plus, I’ve gotten a glimpse this year of just how many courses for cheese education and even certifications for cheese professionals there are, and the findings would surprise you! It certainly surprised me, and I have a couple goals next year to complete some of these training courses and even earn a certification or two! Plus, I’m aiming to attend at least one national cheese industry conference next year, and hopefully will be able to attend some more festivals and online seminars!
Thankful for the happiness and excitement I feel for the future of my cheese journey. I am really grateful to have found an avenue to explore my passion in a way that’s incredibly meaningful and enjoyable to me, and I have never felt this excited and hopeful at the beginning of any other professional experience in my life. I truly believe that my possibilities in cheese are endless, and I am thrilled and thankful that I can take my cheese journey anywhere I want with some hard work and a will to grow!
