Cheese Grotto Classico with Bamboo Shelf Servers

FOR THE ULTIMATE CHEESE CONNOISSEUR.

We've engineered the Cheese Grotto to fit your specialty cheese needs.

Each Grotto is handmade in the USA in limited quantities. 

Product Specifications

Summary

• Two removable shelves (Bamboo or Black Resin with soapstone chalk)
• 1 handcrafted clay brick for humidity control
• Vaulted ceiling for condensation control
• 2 oz bottle of mineral oil
• Holds up to 8 pounds of cheese
• Bamboo material does not warp and is 3x stronger than solid oak
• Plexi-glass paneling for easy viewing
• Made in the USA 
• Handwash only

Use & Care

• For long-term storage of cheese, it is recommended to keep the Cheese Grotto at refrigeration temperatures (34ºF to 39º F, preferably 39ºF).  For 7 to 10 days, you can store cheese in the Grotto under 70ºF on the counter or in a cellar, like the French do. 
• Hand wash shelves with extremely hot water and a splash of distilled white vinegar
• Allow the Grotto shelves to air dry between uses
• For maintenance of the bamboo shelves, a monthly application of mineral oil is recommended

Dimensions

• 12 inches deep, 7.5 inches wide, 8.5 inches tall
• 8 pounds
• Materials designed for durability

Long description

Our original Grotto, The Classico, is made with architecturally handsome bamboo that is extremely resilient and durable over a lifetime (3 X stronger than oak). Each Grotto is finished by hand, making it a gorgeous tabletop display for entertaining at larger dinner parties.

The Classico Model has a larger footprint, at 7.5 inches wide, 12 inches deep, and 8.5 inches tall, making it the perfect size for the avid cheese connoisseur, with a medium to large refrigerator.  Taking after age-old European traditions, this model can be stored on the countertop or in a cellar at a warmer temperature (45 to 69 F) for effective short-term cheese storage, or it can be stored in the fridge for long-term storage.

The framed, pull-down drawer is perfectly designed for fridge and countertop use.

The adjustable back panel allows for additional ventilation for curing and ripening styles of cheese.  Because of the adjustability, the model can also be used for at-home cheese aging projects. The porous and unfinished quality of the bamboo promotes a healthy environment for cheese microbes, and upkeep is easy with a monthly application of mineral oil.

Disclaimer

Wood has the potential to harbor bacteria and pathogens if not cleaned properly and regularly.

THE CHEESE GROTTO: A CHEESE PHILOSOPHY

Cheese - a live, fermenting product - is complex and nuanced. Its final quality relies on the soil, the grasses, the health and breed of the dairy animal, the way the milk is handled, the way the curd is set, the microflora (both ambient and purchased cultures), and its method of preservation. Over the past 11 years, I obsessively devoted myself to the craft. I continue to travel around the United States and the world with an unceasing curiosity on the diverse nature of specialty, artisan cheese. Cheese making is a transformative, alchemical process from start to finish, from land to table, and gives meaning to milk's romantic alter ego as "liquid gold."

This notion of cheese terroir is not solely a turophile's indulgence. At its heart, it’s not about snobbery or elitism. Rather, it is about local agricultural economies that sustain themselves from ecologically sound practices of land and animal management that can power an entire regional economy for hundreds of years. Through my professional travels, I have shared in farmers' solely unique styles of cheese. There's a world of difference between a goat milk tomme from the Alsatian hills and a sheep milk tomme from the Larzac plateaus. There are reasons behind these differences: the natural climate, the terrain, and the traditions of the locals.

Those stories are what I want to share with the world.  The Cheese Grotto provides a platform and an opportunity for that conversation.  Our products and our online community are an active hub for regional cheese thinking, and its capacity to change our agricultural landscape into something more holistic.

We produce the Cheese Grotto in the United States for that very reason: to emulate these values of the specialty cheese industry at large and to promote manufacturing systems that support our domestic communities.  In that way, we can see, smell, feel, and taste a direct, positive impact on our local economies and on the health of the environment that surrounds us.