Grate expectations: Cheese expert dishes on DC’s cheesiest cravings

Jill Erber turned her fondness for cheese into a locality staple when she opened Cheesetique a cheese and wine shop nestled in Alexandria Virginia s Del Ray neighborhood in Over the past years Erber has seen Cheesetique grow from a quaint storefront to a neighborhood institution with an adjacent restaurant space as well as a long line of online and in-person events including workshops tastings and festivals Erber s devotion to cheese began soon after the dot-com bubble burst in the early s Her job at the time was in solution maturation and system improvement management but after losing her job she joined her brother-in-law s food importation company where she directed sales My job was to work with chefs in the D C area and sell them everything from butter to flour to sugar to cheese Erber reported And what I unveiled is that the cheese was the one thing that the chefs would reliably ask me to come in and teach them about As she taught chefs more and more about cheese her passion for cheese grew at the same time to the point where she decided to open a specialized shop dedicated to cheeses What s changed about DC cheese beliefs since Cheesetique is certainly not the first cheese shop in the D C region as seen with Bowers Fancy Dairy Products in Eastern Arena which has been operating since Working Capital Food for the soul How the executive chef at DC s Black history museum combines heritage and innovation Working Capital He whistles a happy tune from the Oval Office to the top of the Washington Monument Working Capital This DC hotel s Lobby Ambassador elevates the guest experience But Erber commented when she first opened the business over two decades ago people at the time didn t really understand it saying Cheesetique seemed like kind of this cool novelty Erber communicated WTOP she has also seen the interest in specific cheese food trends come and go since opening in part sparked by people s international travels as well as the advent of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram People are seeing and learning about these amazing products from all over the world that they otherwise would never have had an opportunity to even witness much less enjoy Erber explained So what we uncovered is that as system and as people s trip has increased so too has their interest in trying new and intriguing things What has remained the same within the last decade or so though is the interest in American-made homegrown cheeses There s still persistent interest in cheeses from France Italy and Spain but locally made artisan cheeses are something they can be proud of now revealed Erber These American-born cheeses can include cheddars and soft-ripened cheeses similar to Brie but according to Erber We really can make pretty much every kind of cheese here Jill Erber owner of Cheesetique in Alexandria Virginia s Del Ray neighborhood WTOP Michelle Goldchain A sparse of the local farms that Cheesetique works with include FireFly Farms in Accident Maryland and Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax Virginia and Keswick Creamery in Newburg Pennsylvania But Cheesetique also works with international businesses to supply selected of the best cheese and wine products a pursuit that comes with its own challenges that several other businesses are also as of now experiencing Plenty of of the goods that we carry are from Europe and other places that are having tariffs increased and we re definitely seeing those cost increases Erber explained What we re also seeing is producers and importers and distributors trying as hard as they can to absorb as multiple of those costs as they can so that they re not passing it along to you know the little guys at the end like us She declared there is as of now a lot of cooperation happening to minimize the tariffs impacts on businesses like Cheesetique and she stated she hopes to absorb those prospective increased costs as long as they can No price changes not yet but the price changes will be coming soon if things continue like this Erber announced Source