Escaping Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley
“It’s not just so much {that} I love cheese,” says Timothy Haskell, explaining why he decided to open Cold Spring Cheese Shop. “I just love the culture of cheese shops, specifically all the things that are interspersed, gourmet things and things that go with cheese, fun charcuterie platters, the meats, jams, honeys. It usually has the best chips, crackers, and all of those.”
An immersive and traditional theater director and events producer who created haunted houses and was one of the founding partners of the Escape the Room chain, Haskell was looking to move from Brooklyn to the Hudson Valley town of Cold Spring, and semi-retire. But he noticed an open storefront in the middle of the charming main street and thought a cheese shop would look cute there. “It was a little impetuous,” he laughs.
Perhaps the move was not all that impetuous. Haskell describes himself as a foodie and a lifelong lover of cheese who says cheese has been a hobby. He seeks out cheese shops when traveling and keeps a journal detailing the cheeses he’s loved, their genres and quality, and what he loved about them so that he can explain his likes to the cheesemongers when visiting stores. So far, he’s visited over 40 and says George Mewes Cheese in Edinburgh, Scotland, a very small, cute storefront with very knowledgeable staff, great cheese, and lots of local products is his favorite.
Though Haskell has developed his palate and knowledge and took an intensive class taken at Murray’s Cheese in New York City, he hired cheese monger, Beth Weintraub, to work alongside him when the doors opened in July 2018. His teenage son Diego Haskell-Ramirez, who recently interned at Jasper Hill Farm, also works there. Haskell co-owns the store with his wife, Rebecca Ramirez, and fellow theater people Paul Smithyman, who Haskell says builds anything they need, and his wife, Garrett Elise, who is starring in Broadway’s “Music Man.” Ramirez helps run the store and conceived their Dairy Box, similar to a CSA where customers can buy cheese, bread, milk, eggs, and a spread weekly.
The Store
Cold Spring Cheese Shop photo credit Rebecca Ramirez
Walk into the 450 square foot shop adorned with large black letters simply spelling out the word Cheese on the front and you’ll find counters stocked with approximately 50-60 cheeses and meats and white wooden shelves lined with gourmet accompaniments including crackers, chips, marmalades, and vinegars. A black and white checkerboard floor, white subway tile, and simple pendant lighting lend a farmhouse feel. The tiny back room houses approximately 25 brands of solely gourmet and artisanal hot sauces, most crafted in New York State. “Cheese is definitely my bailiwick,” says Haskell. “But I just love gourmet, small batch, mom-and-pop-shop-made things meetings, I can taste the love. It always tastes better to me.”
That farmhouse feel is apt for a store that focuses on selling primarily New York State-made items to champion state producers. Haskell wanted to be able to see the items he was buying and tasting and enjoys meeting and talking with makers. He frequently picks up his orders from Chaseholm and Nettle Meadow, among others. Many of his vendors don’t have distributors.
Selling local products affords Haskell “the opportunity to get a lot of unique things that you can’t get anywhere,” he notes. From a business perspective, since tourists flock to Cold Spring, local food as a souvenir “has been a winning formula because people come in here all the time and want something that’s New York,” he says.
Not surprisingly given Haskell’s theatrical background, the store was originally designed as an immersive experience. Tasting areas went by the wayside as a result of COVID-19, but customers can ask to try cheeses. “I looked at this whole thing as a set piece,” he explains. “I wanted to let you eat with your eyes. I want it to look attractive and draw people in. This is the set, and we’re the characters in the play.”
Setting the stage for people to enjoy, he makes sure nothing is out of place, like a blown line in a production. “Just like you would enjoy a movie or a play, I’m hoping that they enjoy this experience,” says Haskell.
He says working in the store is a little bit more challenging for him than directing because he is used to giving notes on a play, having it open, and then moving on to another one. “This is like a play that I’m constantly having to give notes for every single day. In that sense, it’s a struggle because it’s not my ethos,” he comments.
Haskell loves the shop. “I made the place in a way that represents all the different shops that I’ve loved that I’ve gone to, that looks, feels, and sells the things of the places I’ve enjoyed over the years,” says Haskell. “I made a place for myself. And boy do I eat a lot of cheese!”
Top Sellers
Jake’s Gouda photo credit Jake’s Gouda
Haskell says “Jake’s Gouda is just fantastic. It’s got that wonderful little tyrosine crystals people like. In terms of local cheeses, it’s the only one that has the crunchies in it. So that’s the one we offer when people ask for the crunchies. It’s delicious, actually a perfect aged Gouda in my opinion.”
Hudson Valley Camembert from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company
Hudson Valley Camembert photo credit Old Chatham Sheepherding Company
Adds Haskell, “It’s also fantastic, but it’s also got the Valley in the name, which makes it an easy sell. It’s also very buttery and smooth and does really well because it is a cow-sheep blend. It levels out any bit of sheepiness to it and gets balanced with cow’s milk. I think a lot of people want to be adventurous, but they also want something that they’re kind of familiar with. It lends itself really nicely. It has a different texture than a lot of truffle creams do, like a pancake. When I let people try it, they always feel it’s exactly what they’re looking for.”
St Stephen from Four Fat Fowl
St. Stephen photo credit Four Fat Foul
A NY International Cheese Competition Gold winner in 2021. “I love it. All triple creams are buttery. I just feel like they’ve nailed the formula. The rind is so billowy, and it softens perfectly. The packaging is attractive, which we know matters. It’s the best seller because I push it really hard because I love it. No one dislikes it, I’ll tell you that” says Haskell.