When people think of Chicago and cheese, they think of deep-dish pizza. But there’s so much more to Chicago than pizza oozing with cheese. Here’s a list of 6 places that specialize in cheese including shops, services, restaurants, and more.
All Together Now photo credit Carolina Mariana Rodriguez
All Together Now
Located in the heart of Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, All Together Now’s name says it all – it brings cheese, wine and beer, and charcuterie all together. Owners Derek Herbster, Erin Carlman Weber, and Chris Radtke chose the name “to evoke the joy of gathering around food and drink, a notion that guides everything we do,” Weber said. Their cheese selection includes classic Old World cheeses, including Comte, Stilton, as well as small-production and farmstead cheeses, and fun sharing cheeses like Jasper Hill Farm’s Harbison, Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve, Weber says. But deliciousness is key. Dine-in, and outdoor options for folks who want to try cheese and meat plates or their tasty fried goat cheese curds.
Beautiful Rind photo credit of Beautiful Rind
Beautiful Rind
Opening in April 2020, Beautiful Rind’s philosophy is that cheese is for everyone. It has a three-pronged approach with a cheese shop, restaurant, and classroom. Randall Felts chose the Logan Square neighborhood wanting to fill a space for cheese in the Northwest side of the city. Felts was a judge for the first New York International Cheese Competition and we recently profiled Beautiful Rind as part of our ongoing series of Cheese Shops We Love.
Stamper Cheese photo credit Elisa Shoenberger
Stamper Cheese
For 15 years, Stamper Cheese has been selling most of its own cheeses directly to customers. They make a variety of cheeses including cheese curds, layered bries, beer and wine soaked cheeses, as well as an incredible bleu cheese cheddar and have aging caves in the Green Bay, Chicago, and Quincy Illinois. They source their milk from dairies in Wisconsin. Since the key to cheese curds is the freshness, they drive the cheese to Chicago and spend all night packaging the 2000 lbs. for the week, says owner Bret Stamper. Every week! Prior to the COVID-19, they sold mostly at Farmers Markets in the Spring/Summer and via email list where they’d announce cheese drops during the off-season. They now have a website but will only have cheese available in the non-Farmers Markets months. Check out Stamper Cheese on Tuesdays at the Museum of Contemporary Art Plaza, Saturdays at Division/State Street and Sundays at the Logan Square Farmers Market.
Photo credit Way Too Gouda
Way Too Gouda
With a stellar name, Way Too Gouda offers customized cheese plate services, perfect for event planning. Julia Collins started WTG in 2019 as a way of reaching out to the city she loved. She offers some set cheese boards ranging from $55-120, Gouda on the Go , The Galway, and the Killarney the last two named for places she lived in Ireland, but will also customize cheese boards for larger events. “My hardest hitters are brie, aged cheddar, and manchego,” Collins said. Each board includes cheese, cured meats, crackers or bread, fruit, and jam.
Great American Cheese Collection
The South-side based Great American Cheese Collection has spent the past 35 years or so promoting the great cheeses of the US explains owner and founder Giles Schnierle. The company works with 60 cheesemakers across the US including working with a few to make exclusive cheeses like the Rumi Royal Monterrey Jack that features saffron and Peppadew Monterey Jack. Previously to COVID-19, the company sold to restaurants, brewpubs, hotels, etc. but they began an online retail business with the shutdowns across Chicago. They still work with local breweries and wineries to help them pair cheeses with their drinks so it’s likely that many of the cheese plates across the Chicagoland are sourced from Great American Cheese Collection.
Photo courtesy of Hops & Curds
Hops & Curds
Opening in 2019 in Lincoln Park, Hops & Curds offers comfort food that features a lot of cheese, served with beer. Think poutine, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese along with other dishes that feature cheese. There’s always a monthly mac ‘n cheese dish that uses a variety of ingredients. The restaurant sources most of its cheese in the Midwest like the Wisconsin one year aged cheddar Widmer or Indiana Capriole goat cheese, though may occasionally venture further afield for something more exotic on their cheese boards like an Old world French Triple Cream or a Red Wax Gouda. A spokesperson for the restaurant said, “If the cheese tells a story, it has a place at our table.”
Photo credit Elisa Shoenberger
Black Dog Gelato
While all of Black Dog Gelato’s flavors are top-notch, their Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel is beyond this world. Jessica Oloroso, previously a Pastry Chef at Stephanie Izard’s Scylla, opened Black Dog in 2010 in the Ukrainian Village and is best known for the goat cheese flavor. You can also find Black Dog at their Logan Square and West Loop locations with occasional sights of their bright pink bus.