Cuisine culture runs deep in Portland, but there are few people as connected to it as Steve Jones. His retail operation and kitchen, the Cheese Bar, has provided him with the opportunity to showcase his theatrical knowledge of cheese with essential pairings of meat, bread, beer and wine. Surely, it’s one of Mt. Tabor’s signature spots. It’s the go-to place in Portland to buy a hunk, or ten, of whatever satisfies your cheese craving. After all, that’s what many of Portland’s best chefs do. Anyone who visits Portland’s best restaurants can’t avoid a “Steve’s Cheese Plate” on menus or specials boards.
I caught up with Steve just days after he was crowned champion at the 2011 Cheesemonger Invitational in New York City, besting 39 other cheesemongers from around the US. A cheesemonger doesn’t make cheese. They choose it, pair it, describe it, serve it, and showcase it. And it’s rather fitting that Steve’s victory wasn’t his alone. He did it the Portland way, with the help of his great friend and chocolatier David Briggs (of Portland’s own Xocolatl de Davíd), with whom Steve once worked at Park Kitchen. It was the secret accompaniment—David’s caramel and bacon popcorn served in a tiny paper cone sporting the retro Cheese Bar logo—paired with Steve’s choice of an extra-aged Bergkase cow cheese from Austria that wowed the judges. I had the opportunity to enjoy the winning plate as Steve and I sat down at the Cheese Bar to talk about the life and times of the USA’s—and Portland’s—champion of cheese.
Download the PDF to read the entire interview.
Download the PDF to read the entire Fall 2011 issue.
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