Mike Geno’s Cheese Art: An Invite

Back in February, I told you about Mike Geno, a Philadelphia food artist working on an all-cheese series for a gallery in Seattle. Since then, Mike has accompanied me on a few cheese-buying junkets and posted his paintings on Twitter as he completes them, much to the delight of the cheese community.

I wanted you to be able to see (and potentially purchase) these in person, so Mike and I are teaming up for a private studio visit on Saturday, May 7 from 3-6 p.m. It’s a chance for you, dear readers, to take in some cheese portraiture and nibble on wedges of what you see. Lo, a full body cheese experience.

This will be the only chance to nab Mike’s stunning work before it gets shipped off to Cakespy Gallery for the June show. A number of the cheeses are local – like Doe Run's Hummingbird, Amazing Acres' Sea Smoke, and Bobolink's Drumm – and most, if not all, are artisanal. In a way, it’s a tribute show to some of the most beautiful cheeses being produced today.

And a few that are no longer being produced, like Sally Jackson’s Renata. R.I.P.

Mike has asked me not to publish his address online, so please drop me a note (tenayadarlington@gmail.com) if you’d like to attend and I’ll email you an invite. All paintings will be for sale; some of his work is also listed on etsy. For a preview, check out the show on flickr.

Below are a few of my favorites.

Weybridge

Strathdon Blue

Pecorino Ginepro

Barely Buzzed

Blue Cheese Shout-Outs

Photo Credit: Albert Yee

And so the month of blues comes to an end...almost, but not quite. Let's linger, shall we? Today, I want to pay homage to several bloggers who have furthered the blue cheese cause with posts on the subject.

Messy and Picky

The above photo comes from Albert Yee, one half of the Messy and Picky team (the other half is Albert's wife, Kate). Albert is a professional photo snappper, who traffics in dairy at the Fair Food Farmstand. His photograph of Incanestro (above) with its surly rind and pearly insides inspired me to run out and buy a wedge. That beautiful rind comes from basket-aging -- the cheese is literally set into a basket and left to ripen in the reeds. Incanestro tastes like pork belly. It really does.

Photo Credit: Albert Yee

It's Not You Its Brie

Kristin Jackson blogs about cheese from the West Coast, and her site is one of my favorites -- beautiful photos, vivid writing. Earlier this month, she put up a special post about Roquefort. I don't recognize the maker, Jean D'Alos, but now I am on a mission to find it, taste it, serve it, slather it on figs. Her photograph makes my heart grieve for it.

Photo Credit: Kristin Jackson

Chez Loulou

Loulou lives in southern France, where she blogs about her quest to eat every French cheese. Ohhh...the yearning. Her post about Bleu des Causses piqued my curiosity. I've never heard of this Roquefort relation, made from cow's milk instead of the more traditional sheep's milk. Still, it looks buttery and tender.

Photo Credit: Chez Loulou

Foodinjars

Marisa McClellan brought my attention to the blue cheese savory, a thumbprint cookies filled with jam -- the recipe has floated from blog to blog, so it feels somehow crucial to mention it here. And perhaps to make a batch soon, before the weather warms and all anyone wants is a daquiri? Check out Deena Prichep's site, Mostly Foodstuffs, for the recipe.

Photo Credit: Deena Prichep

And finally...no, he's not a blogger, but I have to post this breathtaking image of Strathdon Blue, painted by Mike Geno. This piece will appear as part of his June cheese show at the Seattle Gallery, Cakespy.