Fine Cheese & Charcuterie June 2014

As I began to write this month’s feature article, “Deli Boot Camp, Part I: Hiring & Firing” (page 19), I was reminded of a job interview I had many years ago when I was first living in New York where I was seeking fame and fortune on the stage, both of which eluded me. Since most theatre people tend to work in restaurants (“I’ll be your waiter tonight, here’s my résumé”), that’s where I was looking. I was applying for a server position at a nice, white-tablecloth restaurant in my neighborhood but my experience at the time was limited to a beloved family-style pizza restaurant in my hometown of Lincoln, Neb.  The general manager who was interviewing me began asking me about wine, a subject about which I knew next to nothing. Naturally, when asked if I knew anything about wine, I lied and said yes. Then he asked what kind of wine I liked best. I had no idea and so I threw out the only wine terminology that came to mind. I probably said something about Bordeaux and Champagne, names anyone was likely to know, even though I probably didn’t even know they were places. He, of course, knew immediately that I was bluffing big time, and although he was quite nice about the whole thing, I didn’t get the job.

Since then, I have had many interviews, most of them more successful, and in turn, have interviewed hundreds of people myself. I’ve learned a thing or two (tenacity is always better than mendacity) and I happily share some thoughts on the subject.  Alas, I have also fired my share of employees for everything ranging from blatant theft to incompetence, and I know that it’s never easy. Hiring and firing can both be hard to do – two sides of the same coin – but are essential to a well-run business. We’ll examine them in this, the first of our two-part series on the complexity of assembling a good staff.

The summer solstice is almost here and that means the temperature will be going up, and although fresh cheeses are good anytime, they seem particularly well-suited to the hot, sultry days of summer when sometimes the thought of eating anything is hard to get excited about. In my Passport to Fine Cheese column this month, page 7, we’ll look at some great ways to serve and merchandise these fresh, basic, milky cheeses to get your customers up for adding them to their summer menus.

I’m excited to share a new book in our cookbook column, From the Deli Bookshelf, page 11. Max McCalman’s newest cheese tome, “Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship From a Maître Fromager,” is the college course in cheesemongering you wish you could attend. He and his co-author, David Gibbons, have poured a career’s worth of knowledge and experience buying, serving and assessing cheese into this book, and it should be in everyone’s library.

Summer also means the Summer Fancy Food Show is just around the corner. Our entire team will be there walking the aisles looking for new products, trends and familiar faces.  As usual, we’ll have our own booth there and we look forward to seeing many of you who come by. As arguably the most important American food show in the gourmet realm, it’s important to start early and try to see as many of the producers as you can. I also plan to spend a day visiting some of the best cheese destinations New York has to offer, and I look forward to sharing my tour in the next issue.

In the meantime, I wish everyone a successful summer season. Whether your store slows down in the summer months or just hits its stride, summer always presents unique challenges for retailers that set the season apart from the rest of the year, so good luck, keep cool, and I’ll see you in New York.

James Mellgren
Managing Editor,
Fine Cheese & Charcuterie

 jmellgren@gourmetbusiness.com