Not counting the month in which I decided I didn't like cheese unless it was powdered and found in a macaroni box (it was one of those weird/defiant kid stages), cheese and I go way back. I began my love affair with it at an early age, all thanks to my grandmother, who had an afternoon cheese break built into her daily schedule (3:00 was always cheese and Coke time in her house). While she favored various Italian cheeses and sharp cheddars, I grew to realize that my cheese love had no bounds. I definitely have my favorites (it's an alarmingly long list!); however, I'm always down to try new cheeses. So of course, when the good folks at Caputo Cheese Market invited me to tour their store and sample some of owner/cheesemonger Nat Caputo's favorite picks, I immediately grabbed my fellow cheese-obsessed friend Jess, jumped in the car, and headed up to Lake Forest to get my cheese nosh on!
Caputo Cheese Market (or cheese heaven, as Jess and I named it) is a family-owned market that has been in business since 1978. They carry high-quality cheese offerings from around the world, with an emphasis on locally produced products and Italian cheeses that are either imported or produced by the Caputo family in their Melrose Park headquarters. At any given time, you can find over 400 types of cheese (including their award-winning mozzarella, burrata, and ricotta) in their Lake Forest shop/café and over 1,000 varieties at their Melrose Park location. Jess and I spent the afternoon touring the market, eating our way through delicious cheese after delicious cheese, and talking the business of building the perfect cheese board.
