Murray the Scholar
This year, Murray's has hosted several students from the University of Gastronomic Sciences, founded by Slow Food in Italy. Clementine Mallet spent several months working with Taylor Cocalis, manager of The Cheese Course at Murray's, a graduate of the University of Gastronomic Sciences herself. While here, she gained an inside perspective on the artisan cheese scene in NYC. You can read her graduate thesis here.
Acknowledgements
I would like to acknowledge the efforts and contributions of the following individuals whom made this report possible: Zoe Brickley.
Introduction
Growing up French in
I was very excited to become a part of the
The most evident singularity I noticed upon my arrival at
Ironically, I went off to
At
In this paper I will explore the rise of this movement through history, the portraits of the purveyors that are creating this movement, why this resurgence is occurring, and how this movement can provide a framework for other countries.
HISTORY
All throughout history, starting from the Dark Ages till today there have been many food crisis’s and movements that have affected humanities’ food systems: the industrial revolution, the food cooperative movement, the organic movement, and most recently the local food movement.
The newest food movements have come about for various reasons. One theory that sets the stage for this paper is “Due to the Ipod.” We are living in hypermodernity and are surrounded by technology everywhere: cell phones, Ipods, Iphones, computers, televisions, etc. “[Our] consumption behaviors are very much disconnected: everything is made of plastic. We crave connection to the natural world and food is the last thing left. We are made of flesh and crave sensibility.” (LaValva, 2007)[3]
The youth, in particular, have had enough of this desensitization and are stepping up to the vat.
PORTRAIT OF PURVEYORS
The stories of the young leaders in this new food movement come from diverse origins, yet they have all mentioned similar themes as to why they do what they do.
Zoe Brickley is the youngest affineur I have encountered and is
Zoe herself is at the ripe age of 24 and has been involved with quality products for the past three years: two years as an affineur and one year attending the French Culinary Institute (FCI) of
Prior to FCI, Zoe was living in the Midwest and going to school in
She felt the best way to take advantage of her interdisciplinary studies in
“Young people don’t want to be bankers forever. They want to do interdisciplinary things and there are many facets to food- historical, cultural, creativity etc.” (Brickley, 2007) The multi-faceted career is not the only cause of this revival. Zoe believes that quality foods are representative of status, ideals and one’s overall identity, making this career more and more appealing.
The boom of artisanal and farmstead products is relatively new. Just in the cheese world alone, since 2000, four hundred small-scale cheese makers have open business in the
This allure has been brought on by numerous elements. According to Zoe, supporting local and artisan products is a status symbol. By being a part of something that is of high quality, there is the indication that you hold an expertise in that area, increasing the importance of one’s role, whether it be, in bread, cheese, salami or other products. Purveying a product of quality demonstrates your knowledge and skill, making you stand out from the rest.
More frequently we hear the buzzwords such as the 100- mile- diet or locavores. These terms did not exist in mainstream dialogue a few years ago. These lifestyles “can be productive and profitable and support the community imparting many liberal ideas. The conscious decision to be held accountable for your food ways is an agricultural and political act. ” (Brickley, 2007) Taking responsibility for getting your food from sustainable businesses is supporting liberal ideas and thus part of a political movement.
The hype also comes from the media. Like fashion and pop culture, food culture is “a very accessible and marketable idea. Commercialization brings food to our attention making people want to learn more and making it novel.” (Brickley, 2007)
People go out to restaurants trying the new dishes -rating their experiences as if they were food writers. The more we eat out, the more we see the menus encompassing local and seasonal products. Chefs highlight their daily changing menus, demonstrating their political food views. This, in turn, encourages us to do the same in our own homes. At home you can watch elaborate cooking shows on specialized channels such as the Food Network or mainstream networks such as Bravo. Through reality shows like Hell’s Kitchen, and Top Chef the contestants become celebrities making whatever they create sexy. At work people gossip about these shows, discuss the points of interest, and who had to “pack up their knives and leave”. Food in
Anne Saxelby, a young woman of 27 years of age, had been getting a lot of press lately. She owns her own cheese shop called Saxelby Cheesemongers in the Lower East Side (LES). Anne believes the revival of young purveyors in quality products has to do with making change in our current food systems.
People have realized that if we continue to leave our food in the hands of the government, real food will no longer exist. The farms across the country have been diminishing, and heirloom foods and traditions have been lost. These foods are now only mentioned in our history books, rather than brought to our plates. In the grocery stores, the aisles have been filled primarily with packaged foods: the first ingredient being corn syrup.
In the past five years young people have been taking part in change. They have realized that our “food system in this country is at stake”. (Saxelby, 2007) Action must take place in order to bring quality products back to our tables. The resurgence of purveyors is partly due to need. The young have taken it upon themselves to provide this necessity, altering their careers to encompass quality foods.
Anne attended NYU for Fine Arts. What triggered her interest in cheese occurred on a trip to
After returning from
Every weekend Anne would go to the farmers’ market, where she met the cheese makers from Cato Corner Farm. Anne always asked lots of questions and then “thought perhaps [she] could work on a dairy farm. A dairy farm would be a great place to be and to learn after living in a city for 4 years.” (Saxelby, 2007) Anne did an internship with them in
“ a crystallization”.
Anne always knew she wanted to have her own business, “[It] has been an ever evolving idea to have all her interests in one.” (Saxelby, 2007) With Saxelby Cheesemongers, Anne was able to join her love for art and cheese. Like Zoe, Anne compared cheese making and painting. “Painting and cheese making are based on the same principles. With painting you can fluff around, but with cheese you cannot. Cheese is an edible art and is more accessible than painting.” (Saxelby, 2007)
Anne has her own cheese shop because it is a creative expression and a source of cheese education. The revival of purveyors like Saxelby Cheesemongers encourages people to taste, and more specifically taste what is available regionally.
Anne is passionate about educating her neighborhood regulars about the American world of cheese, specifically the northeast.
“She even feels she has to apologize for selling cheese that comes from all the way in
While interviewing Anne at her shop in the Essex Market there was a real sense of community. Those who stopped to shop or even passersby would always chat with Anne.
Only a few blocks away from Anne, yet still in LES of Manhattan, is another purveyor, a landmark of
Russ & Daughters has always been a part of Niki, but not until 2006 did she wholly become a part of the family team. Niki went to college at
(Russ Federman, 2007)
Asking Niki why she thinks there is a resurgence of young purveyors and why they are making a career shift echoed with both Anne and Zoe’s responses. The
(Russ Federman, 2007)
I asked Niki if she felt any pressure to be involved in the family business and she said no. In 1914, when Joel Russ, her great grandfather, a peasant from Eastern Europe came to the
“Federman, who graduated from Georgetown Law School in 1969 and practiced law before returning to the family business, is the exception to his generation’s rule of shunning the deli counter in favor of the more lucrative career paths of medicine or law.” (Witchel, A. 2007)
The 3rd generation, Niki’s parents, supported her dabbling. However, after the culmination of her experiences, Niki preferred to be a purveyor in her family’s world-renowned shop. “ [She] knew [she] had a strong connection to Russ and Daughters.”
(Russ Federman, 2007)
Josh Russ Tupper, Niki’s counterpart, was deep in the corporate world working as a chemical engineer. Josh was so far away from the “end-user,” making his work distant.
“ In the corporate world it is hard to have a connection.” (Russ Tupper, 2007) Josh explained that it is hard to do a 9 to 5 job and have something to sink your teeth into. He wanted to be involved in something he is passionate about and wanted to have an effect on the world by making people happy. In the world of retail it is about helping the customers, and at Russ & Daughters it has always been about purveying passion and connecting to the customers directly through the traditional quality products. Josh “sells the best food [and he] knows It’s good.” (Russ Tupper, 2007)
According to Josh, “Food purveyors are celebrities in
SELF SERVICE VS FULL SERVICE
Everyone is shopping at purveyors now because they are “agents,” promoting the stories behind the quality products. (LaValva, 2007) They are food communicators: without their energetic passion and knowledge of the products and the producers that create them, we, the co-producers would not be aware of why a cheese has its flavor or what kind of work goes into its making. Anne, Zoe, Josh and Niki make these foods accessible through their work, encouraging people to try something new or know how a cheese is made or how curing fish brings out its flavor. This brings people closer to understanding their food and provides insight into how the choices we make as co-producers influences the American food system. Shopping at specialized food shops is an alternative to the industrialized food choices.
New Yorkers no longer want self-service while shopping. For the young purveyors who are stepping up and provided full-service for their customers are not only making a career choice, but also addressing a need that must increasingly be filled. The fact that people are in need of knowledgeable experts means they are ready to take the control of their food options.
Russ & Daughters has been in existence for almost 100 years. The reasons that this business has persevered throughout the ever-changing New York is because of the strong connections with the community, their knowledge and expertise passed down from generation to generation[6], and because they are a specialized shop providing the best smoked and cured fish. Russ & Daughters has become “a community center”. (Russ Federman, 2007) They know their customers and have a personal connection with them. “[It is] hard to find in
Even though the city can be aloof, there are shops that stand out,
Along with the counter and case filled with over 300 cheeses, in the last few years, Murray’s Cheese Shop has established a classroom, a space for cheese themed courses: the old world and new world cheeses paired with scotch, beer, cider, and wine. These courses exist because the interest is there.
The accessibility to quality food has exponentially grown and has become widespread in supermarkets --but only as a “simulacrum”. The staff is “casted” as butchers, bakers, fish and cheese mongers but they do not have any training in these fields their job “primarily consists of unpacking and slicing pre-cut sections that arrive.” (www.newamsterdampublic.org/about-the-market/authentic/)
When you shop at a supermarket you will most likely purchase a product before even tasting it, meaning taste is not your reason for buying it. Co-producers are often convinced to buy something based on what it says on the cover. Since middle school I was told, “not to believe everything I read”; this goes for food labels too. Tasting a food should be the reason why you buy it. Shopping at a purveyor usually means that you can try every smoked fish or cheese before purchasing it, making sure you like the product and also to understand your own tastes. “Everyone eats and everyone can appreciate when something tastes good.” (Saxelby, 2007) You do not have to have money to appreciate aroma and flavor of food.
The most authentic, and knowledgeable experts whom that can really tell you where your food comes from are these purveyors. They are the best communicators of food because they get the products directly from the producers and can express the intent of the products and guide you through your tasting. “Taste is a combination of flavor and knowledge linking our perceptive and cultural spheres.” (Petrini, 97) Through taste, food becomes more accessible to co-producers because it helps them become more discerning in their food purchasing, which then will support a sustainable food system. Real quality foods have flavor and aroma, and packaged corn syrup does not.
“NY is coming to a birth” (Lavalva, 2007) and the discovery of food is exciting. There even exist Food Tours for the visitors of
TAKING THE REIGNS
While I was obtaining my Master in Food culture: Communicating Quality Products I learned a lot about terroir. Università degli Studi Scienze Gastronomiche in
In
While on our field trips, I felt a lot of individual pride from the producers of traditional food products. This acclaim even seeped out of the people who weren’t making the products creating a sense of nationalistic pride.
Europeans have always had a close relationship to their foods, always buying the best quality ingredients from their personal purveyors. I have been to dinners in
While meeting the producers of highly recognized products we always asked if they had children and if so would they be following in their parents’ footsteps. Most of the time the answer was yes to the children, but no to the legacy. In the
This is also true for cheese makers in
While Anne Saxelby trained abroad in the
Anne also spent some time at a vineyard in
Quality products are so much embedded in the history and culture of
Out on the field visiting goat cheese producers of Crete, seeing the Bresse poultry producers in Bourgogne, and cured meat producers in Parma, it became clear that appreciation alone is not enough to safe guard these gastronomic resources[8].
Alongside the no fear phenomenon the youth have always been “expected to do something else” to seek out “professional” careers. (Kaufelt, 2007) There has always been a sense of providing the best opportunities for your offspring. Like the American counterparts, the parents want their children to further their education, be in finance, medicine, or law and be successful. These jobs are much more appealing to the young and old alike because of their status symbol and economic gains. (Russ Tupper, 2007) Working as a food producer or purveyor is known as a physically demanding job, making it not sexy.
The appeal of food in the states is as so because being a purveyor is largely new. Most up and coming purveyors today in the
The youth in
Since food has been placed on the “back burner” in
CONCLUSION
While working at Murray’s Cheese and living in New York City, I have been more and more convinced that my passion and my enthusiasm for encouraging others to make informed food choices are indeed in the right place and a crucial time in American and European food culture.
The oldest members of the youth movement in the
Through my experiences in
The classroom is just one resource; co-producers educate each other by spreading their new knowledge. Purveyors and producers themselves are also crucial elements of this food education.
Since there is little tradition in the
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
AFFINEUR- someone who watches over the continuous aging process of the cheese and taking care of them after they have left the hands of the cheese makers: patting, washing, and flipping the cheeses in their various caves.
À POINT- On point
ARTISANAL- small production of a traditional product using skills acquired by experience, study or observation: ingredients brought from elsewhere
CO-PRODUCER- “Active participants in the communities that link us to those who produce our food” (Petrini, Cover Slip, Slow Food Nation)
COOPERATIVE- a business that is jointly owned by the people who run it, with all profits shared equally.
FARMSTEAD- All parts of production including ingredients raised and grown on farm.
HEDGE FUND- an investment company that is organized as a limited partnership and uses high-risk techniques in the hope of making large profits.
PRESIDIA- small-scale projects devoted to the preservation of a specific food product. Helps artisan producers promote their foods, develop markets, and preserve their traditional production techniques. (Petrini, Slow Food Revolution, 304)
PURVEY- to provide, look after or attend to.
PURVEYOR- “agents for both producers and consumers. Purveyors enhance the quality of food by practicing their trade.” (http://www.newamsterdampublic.org/about-the market/purveyors.
100 MILE DIET -buying and eating food made 100 miles or less from your home
LOCAVORES-only buying and eating food made near by and in season
SCENESTRY- conspicuously cool
SIMULACRUM- something that has a vague, tentative, or shadowy resemblance to something else.
SUSTAINABLE- “… meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." - Brundtland Commission, 1987 &
"A dynamic process, which enables all people to realize their potential, and to improve their quality of life, in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth's life support systems. (Forum for the Future Annual Report 2000). http://www.grc.cf.ac.uk/lrn/resources/sustainable/definition.php 10/27/07
TERROIR -a product has a distinct association with the land on which it was produced, a 'sense of place' that a product has. http://barismo.com/labels/defintion.html
VAT- a large container used to hold or store liquid ex: milk.
FOOTNOTES
[10]Petrini, Carlo. Slow Food Nation (Rizzoli Ex Libris:
[1] http://www.newamsterdampublic.org/who-we-are
[1]
[1] Russ Federman, Niki. Personal interview. 22 October 2007.
[1] Zarin, Cynthia. “BIG CHEESE.” The New Yorker. August 2004: pp.45
[1]http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com
[1] Witchel, Alex. “The Counter History.” The New York Times Magazine. October 2007:
Pp.67
.
WORKS CITED
Brickley, Zoe. Personal interview. 13 October 2007.
Kaufelt, Robert. Personal interview. 24 October 2007.
Kaufelt, Rob. And Thorpe, Liz. THE
LaValva, Robert. Personal interview. 10 October 2007.
http://www.newamsterdampublic.org/who-we-are
http://www.newamsterdampublic.org/about-the-market/authentic
Petrini, Carlo. Slow Food Nation (Rizzoli Ex Libris:
Petrini, Carlo. Slow Food Revolution (Rizzoli:
Roberts, Jeff. The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese.
Russ Federman, Niki. Personal interview. 22 October 2007.
Russ Tupper, Josh. Personal interview. 22 October 2007.
Saxelby, Anne. Personal interview. 12 October 2007
Simon, Susan. Dinner. 16 October 2007.
http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com
Witchel, Alex. “The Counter History.” The New York Times Magazine. October 2007:
Pp.66-67
Zarin, Cynthia. “BIG CHEESE.” The New Yorker. August 2004: p.45
.
[1] The definition of quality, as defined by Carlo Petrini in the book Slow Food Nation, is good, clean and fair. Good: respects the product’s original characteristics; Clean: respects the earth and the environment; and Fair: refers to social justice in the production of food.
[2] All green text is defined in the Glossary of Terms. See page 22.
[3] Robert LaValva has worked for ten years as a planner for the city of
[4] Susan Simon is a cookbook writer and this is from a conversation we had over dinner.
[5]Made of raw cows’ milk from 9 cross breeds. Mike Ginrich the cheese maker describes it as follows “Our cows graze lush pastures from early spring through fall just as all cows did before industrialization of our food system. The result is milk that has excellent nutritional value and more varied and subtle flavor notes as expressed in the delicate flavor profile”. Mike Gingrich worked for Xerox prior to his farmstead.
[6] “Less than 1% of fourth generation businesses make it in the
[7] Cynthia Zarin in The New Yorker quotes Liz Thorpe in Big Cheese August 23, 2004.
[8] Taken from Slow Food’s Foundation for Biodiversity mission statement “Recognizing that the appreciation of gastronomy must include the additional step of safeguarding our gastronomic resources”
[9] The late owner of the Second Avenue Deli, whom was murdered during a robbery in 1996.
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