The cheese course, long a tradition in Europe, is rapidly growing in popularity in this country. A recent survey of trend-setting restaurants in San Francisco and the Napa/Sonoma wine region revealed that two out of three fine restaurants currently feature some form of cheese course on the menu. The survey was conducted by the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) as part of a special program to educate small artisan and farmstead cheesemakers about marketplace opportunities. "Frankly, the results surprised us," said Nancy Fletcher, CMAB Director of Communications. "It represents a big shift. When we conducted a similar restaurant survey five years ago, less than 10 percent offered a cheese course. I think we're seeing a major change in how Americans view cheese, and like most food trends, it's first appearing in high-end restaurants. What is especially gratifying is that fine American regional cheeses, such as California farmstead cheeses, are appearing in cheese courses." Laura Werlin, author of the new book, "The New American Cheese," the first book to focus exclusively on American cheeses, echoes these sentiments. "The appearance of the cheese course in so many restaurants here and across the country is based on a growing feeling among chefs and restaurateurs that cheese is an integral part of the fine dining experience," Werlin said. "And it's no coincidence that this trend occurs as we are seeing a renaissance of fine cheesemaking in this country." The CMAB survey involved examining the menus of 57 leading restaurants in the two regions and then following up with in-depth discussions with a number of restaurants prominently featuring cheese courses. Following are highlights from the survey.
USA: Cheese Course a Hot Trend in No. California Restaurants
Get full access to all content, just $1 for 30 days

just-food gives you the widest food market coverage.
But only paid just-food members have full, unlimited access to all our exclusive content - including 21 years of archives.
Try just-food for 30 days and get the research report; ‘Is sugar the next tobacco’ for free!
Dean Best, editor of just-food
Do you get our newsletters? If yes, log in to your account to access your FREE READS. Don't know your password? That's cool - you can reset it here.
Most Popular
Insights
- Will Danone 2021 predictions placate critics?
- China becomes Nestle's problem child
- Big Food's VC-style funds: the investments so far
- St Pierre Groupe's Paul Baker – interview
- What will Covid-19 mean for the ready meal?
News
- Nestle adds to D2C offering with UK deal
- Ex-Unilever CEO Polman to join veggie firm's board
- PepsiCo quits snacks joint venture
- Reckitt Benckiser to review baby-formula unit
- Oatly makes IPO announcement
Market research
- Meal Kits (Prepared Meals) Market in the United Kingdom - Outlook to 2023: Market Size, Growth and Forecast Analytics
- Bangladesh In-depth PEST Insights
- RCL Foods Ltd (RCL) - Financial and Strategic SWOT Analysis Review
- Soups in the United States
- PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk - Strategy, SWOT and Corporate Finance Report
Oops! This article is copy protected.
Why can’t I copy the text on this page?
The ability to copy articles is specially reserved for people who are part of a group membership.
How do I become a group member?
To find out how you and your team can copy and share articles and save money as part of a group membership call Sean Clinton on
+44 (0)1527 573 736 or complete this form..
