Cheese Grotto Fresco with Bamboo Shelf Servers

FOR THE METROPOLITAN CHEESE CONNOISSEUR.

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

Product Specifications

Summary

• Smaller footprint than the Cheese Grotto Classico
• Two removable shelves (Original Bamboo)
• 1 handcrafted clay brick for humidity control
• Vaulted ceiling for condensation control
• Holds 3 to 4 pounds of cheese
• Anti-microbial floor
• Plyboo material and birch do not warp
• Finished birch is stain resistant
• Genuine leather tab with copper mount
• Plexi-glass paneling for easy viewing
• Sliding door is easy to open and close in the refrigerator
• Made in the USA (New York)
• 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)
• 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 Plyboo shelves, a monthly application of mineral oil is recommended

Dimensions

• 9 inches deep, 7 inches wide, 8 inches tall
• 5 pounds
• Materials designed for durability

Long description

Birchwood has been traditionally used in cheese preservation for hundreds of years. Its bark has been wrapped as a belt around soft cheeses for even ripening and added woodsy flavor, and has been made into barrels for the aging of Greek Feta.  It’s also been used during the smoking of Idiazabal cheese. Most importantly, birch has been used as shelves for aging in caves. Its tight surface is slower to absorb and release moisture, making it excellent for long-term storage. The finished birch featured in this model is sustainably made, and non-toxic. The finish on the birch makes it mold and stain resistant, both in the interior and exterior.

The Grotto Fresco has a smaller footprint of 7 inches by 9 inches with a height of 8 inches, making it the perfect size for the metropolitan cheese lover with a smaller refrigerator who loves entertaining on the weekends. Shelving heights accommodate just about any cheese.

It features a bio-based, non-toxic, anti-microbial floor made of linseed oil which helps naturally regulate any mold growth and the genuine leather tab makes for an easy grip on the sliding door.

The back panel is breathable, making for a perfect climate for simple, long-term storage of wedges and small wheels of cheese in the refrigerator. For more advanced preservation for the true connoisseur, check out the Grotto Classico.

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.