Kurt Beecher Dammeier has been making and selling his handmade cheese at the Pike Place Market in Seattle for the last seven years and has opened up a cheese factory, retail store and a restaurant in New York, Friday, June 24.
The landmark building will have three levels, which will also enclose a huge glassed-in room with an 8,000-gallon milk tank and plentiful cheesemakers working over troughs of curds and whey. There will be tables for customers on the mezzanine to overlook the beautiful skyline scenery and indulge in sandwiches, salads, panini, soups, mac and cheese and other items packed to go and sold on the main floor. The ground floor will particularly be the retail area, selling American charcuterie and have a cheese counter with 75 American cheeses, including Beecher’s own.
In 2002, Kurt Beecher decided to create his own cheese through his love of great cheese and passion for pure food. As Beecher’s Handmade Cheese became a reality, he put his commitment to pure, all natural, additive-free food and with a help of a business partner, designed and built a custom pasteurizing and cheesemaking facility. As the quality of the cheese depends solely on the quality of the milk, Beecher connected with a local farmer interested in making cheese. This gave him the opportunity to make cheese from premium milk of a local herd, allowing greater control over the quality and purity of the milk and its ending product: cheese.
On November 20, 2003, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese opened its doors to the public and became the only artisan cheesemaker in the city of Seattle. Now introducing his cheesemaking kitchen to the populated city of New York, it has placed the Seattle based store in the Flatiron District with a new store, café and restaurant.
The store has taken a big step in introducing the big city to the miraculous world of cheese. Along with cheese, there is plenty antipasti, crackers, honey, pickles to be paired up with the variety of cheeses and meats, all leading to their “mission of natural, additive-free foods.” The delish delectable’s can also be enjoyed with a glass of wine or spirits.
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is located 900 Broadway (20th street) Ph: (212) 466-3340 or visit beechershandmadecheese.com . Available by Labor Day, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese will introduce for the first time is a wished-rind cheese called Flatiron. The company’s own cheese range from $6 for 6 ounces of fresh curds to $22 for a pound of the Flatiron.