How do you become a cheese expert? If you’re Laura Werlin, aka Cheezelady, …” it’s a combination of intuition, passion and luck colliding.” This James Beard award-winning food writer, speaker, and media spokesperson did not follow a traditional route to her food career. An assignment manager, producer, and news writer for several San Francisco TV stations, in her free time she loved writing about food. When she traveled, Werlin kept a diary which “…ended up being mostly about what I ate,” she laughs.
Leaving the News & Making Headlines
After leaving TV news she took a food writing class in West Virginia, but it was the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook awards ceremony, a highlight of their annual conference, that changed her life. “I had never even thought about writing a book but wondered to myself if I were going to write a cookbook, what would it be about? In a nano-second, I knew it would be about cheese. I loved cheese but didn’t know much about it. I figured if I didn’t, a lot of Americans didn’t either. Also, when you’re in TV news you have to anticipate the news, not just react, so I had an eye for trends.”
After completing a class on writing cookbooks at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Napa, Werlin wrote a book proposal that led to signing with a publisher. “They took a big chance on an author who had never been published before and had no expertise in cheese,” she says.
It was 1999, when the internet was new, and this novice had only three months to become an expert. “I became educated the old-fashioned way: I got on the phone, found experts to interview, read books on the subject, mostly from Europe, and tasted as much cheese as I could.” The book contract surprised her by also requiring recipes. “I had never written one and the publisher wanted 80!” says Werlin. Her hard work paid off when the publisher made The New American Cheese the big book in their spring release and sent her on a book tour.
In 2000 the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), awarded The New American Cheese Best American Cookbook, at the annual ceremony that had inspired her new career just two years earlier. Her second book in 2003, The All American Cheese and Wine Book’ won the prestigious James Beard Foundation award. She went on to write four more books: Great Grilled Cheese, named The Best Cheese Book in the World at the World Gourmand Awards, Laura Werlin’s Cheese Essentials, nominated for a James Beard award, followed by Grilled Cheese, Please! and Mac & Cheese, Please!
Things have changed since Werlin wrote her first groundbreaking book. “I had the good fortune of finding an agent and publisher who both believed in me and my mission to spread the American cheese word despite my obvious lack of credentials. That would be nearly impossible today because now you have to make a name for yourself in social media before a publisher takes a chance on you.”
Laura Werlin cheeseboard photo credit Beth Weissman
Cheese Edutainer
Werlin, an in-demand speaker and teacher, calls herself an “edutainer” because she likes to make learning about cheese fun. Once again, her TV background has helped her, this time as an interviewee. “I was not on camera when I worked in TV, but once I got into cheese I was often on air. The time I spent in TV studios throughout my television career inadvertently prepared me.” Her first appearance was on the Martha Stewart show and the second show was a live cooking show on the Food Network, Cooking Live with Sara Moulton.” “When I look back, I don’t know how I did it” says Werlin.
Her gut feeling about the evolution of cheese in the U.S. has proven correct. “When I began most Americans only knew about brie and cheddar cheese and were not used to seeing European-style cheeses with rinds on them. A whole generation of cheesemakers has grown up since then.” Cheese shops and grocery stores now sell a wide variety of cheeses from around the world, although Werlin remains a huge advocate for American cheese. “It’s my heart place.”
It’s serendipitous that the Cheezelady lives in San Francisco. Allegedly, The City has more cheese shops per capita than any other spot in the U.S. (While The American Cheese Society can’t verify this assertion, they point to several articles that state this claim).
Werlin’s San Francisco Picks
Why San Francisco and not say, Madison, Wisconsin? Werlin says “Everyone knows this city is all about food and cheese is an important part of that. We’re lucky to live in Northern California where some of the best cheeses in the world are made. All you have to do is drive to Sonoma County and see goats frolicking in a field to think about cheese,” she adds.
Yet most people buy the same cheese over and over, says Werlin. “Like wine, people are intimidated by cheese, but a good cheesemonger will put you at ease by getting a feel for the types of cheese you might like. “There’s no substitute for tasting,” says Werlin, and now that it seems we’re out of Covid that possibility is manifesting itself again.”
A few of her favorite spots are Cheese Plus, “…if, for example, you like brie they have versions of brie you never knew existed,” says Werlin. “Also, it’s called Cheese Plus for a reason, there’s a large assortment of crackers, nuts, olive oils and wine. It’s a small space that offers a whole lot.” She also recommends Epicurean Trader, Gus’s Community Market on Folsom St., Say Cheese, and the Spanish Table. Shops, she adds, don’t have to offer 200 types of cheese…it can be a small shop but lovingly curated.
Beyond tasting, she says those who want to learn the nuts and bolts should sign up for classes online and adds that The City is lucky enough to have The Cheese School of San Francisco now located at Ghirardelli Square, where Werlin has taught classes. She also recommends joining the American Cheese Society and/or your regional cheese guild, which is geared toward artisans, but cheese enthusiasts are also welcome. In addition, The American Cheese Society has an annual conference, adds Werlin, and the primary mandate is education. “It’s a great way to meet people in the industry and learn about cheese.” Researchers might also find her Cheese Essentials book helpful.
Cheese for Life
Currently, there are no new books in Werlin’s future, instead, she is spending her time conducting cheese and wine presentations, corporate team-building exercises, and tastings, both live and virtual. “Any way I can get cheese in people’s mouths, along with education, is my goal.” She’s also writing articles about cheese from around the world, lately concentrating on Spain.
For those worried about calories, the very fit Werlin is a walking advertisement for the benefits of eating cheese. “Life is a balance, ” says Werlin. “I eat cheese a lot, but I don’t eat a block at a time. Plus, there are way more nutrients in cheese than say, a piece of chocolate cake.” She’s also a hiker and jogger and says, “Sometimes people see me running and say, “Hey it’s the cheese lady! I think they recognize my curly hair…it’s part of my signature, I guess,” she laughs.
She’s been called one of the country’s foremost experts on cheese, but that title did not come easy. “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices along the way,” says Werlin, “but I don’t regret a second.”
Visit her website for upcoming events.