Steph joined her favorite Cheesemonger, Kendall Antonelli for a lesson in fromage (that’s cheese in french in case we lost you there!)

While Steph indulged in a cheese tasting, Kendall added some tips on the delicious varieties of cheese they have in shop. You can join in on this fun by going to their shop for free tastings and learn all about the products from the experts themselves.

If you don’t feel like doing the work, you can have the Cheesemongers pick out what they think is the best and order it from Antonelli’s online!

When shopping through cheeses many people ask for something with “crystals” in them. Some folks call them salt crystals .Kendall explained the crystals come from aging of the cheese, so if this is what you’re looking for then the older the better They’re actually called tyrosine and commonly found in aged cheeses. They are a breakdown in the proteins, making cheeses with tyrosine a good source of quickly digestible protein. Olympians and Italian hospitals alike use them as a natural “protein bar.”

Owners John and Kendall Antonelli opened their cheese shop in Hyde Park in 2010, the first dedicated shop of its kind in Austin. The couple used to run a grilled cheese club out of their house, until John quit his job as a CPA, and the two went on a European tasting mission that included an internship at a French cheese ager. Antonelli’s stocks a number of Texas-made varieties from the goat farms of Texas Hill Country and cattle farms out on the Plains. All of their raw materials are responsibly sourced from artisans and farmers who manage their lands ethically.

The Cheese Shop has since grown to include the “Cheese House.” While the Cheese Shop remains their dedicated retail space, the Cheese House, located directly across the street, is home to cheese education classes and host to private event functions.

You can learn more about the Antonelli’s and their very Gouda, Brie-licious cheeses on their website, www.antonellischeese.com.

Picnic Basket Online Orders “Dine Al Fresco”.