Dairy devotees rejoice: The Cheese Guy is coming to town

The cheesiest night in Pittsburgh will be anything but unpleasant. On Dec. 13, Shaare Torah Congregation is welcoming Brent Delman, aka “The Cheese Guy,” for a community-building event featuring a dairy smorgasbord, wine pairings and a presentation certain to delight the palate.

Speaking with the Chronicle by phone from his Yonkers, New York, home, Delman said the 90-minute affair will not only offer attendees highly coveted cheeses but an opportunity to learn about a tasteful evolution.

For nearly 20 years, Delman has treated kosher consumers to once unavailable fares. Since making early batches of artisanal cheese in his basement, and bringing them to Riverdale Park Farmers Market on Sundays, Delman has continued growing his business and expanding eaters’ understandings.

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“There’s been a generation of young people that have grown up with my product, and it’s really incredible, just a beautiful thing, to be a part of,” he said.

Growth and maturation — both in business and in taste — take time. Delman learned this lesson even before founding The Cheese Guy. For years, he imported specialty foods that fetched interest and boasted quality. After becoming more observant as a young man, he committed to ensuring kosher consumers in the U.S. could access the finest goods.

The pledge led him to begin partnering with small dairy farms, nurturing young cheeses and developing new products. All the while, Delman continued frequenting food fairs and other public fora. He listened to customers — both those familiar with Jewish dietary laws, and those unable to distinguish chalav from chalaza. Over time, The Cheese Guy brought more than 30 types of cheese to market, including truffle gouda, aged manchego and pecorino romano.

Delman plans to schlep several varieties to the Dec. 13 event as well as plenty of stories and predictably “cheesy jokes.”

Whether in Pittsburgh or elsewhere, a cheesemonger’s quest, he said, requires connecting and informing. Providing samples of aged cheeses and other products, including cornichons and biscotti, allows people who may have “sort of knee jerk responses or reactions to kosher products” to gain new perspectives.

There’ve been times, he continued, where people have denigrated kosher items in general by saying they’re inferior or overpriced.

“I’ve got to dispel some of those preconceived notions,” he said. “A lot of our products are carried in places like Whole Foods and specialty stores because they’re good products, not because they’re kosher.”

Delman’s mission is serious, but laughter remains a key piece of the process.

He wears a T-shirt bearing the words “Life is gouda,” and regularly posts clips of eaters’ reactions to various cheeses. Filmed at farmers markets and other events, the videos often feature non-kosher conscious consumers dancing, smiling and praising a product they’ve never previously tried.

Delman is proud of opening minds — and mouths — but also the ingredients themselves.

Across the country, The Cheese Guy partners with “family farms and rural communities,” he said. Product sales support local businesses and ensure customers receive exceptional foods.

Delman noted he also offers vegetarian, lactose-free, raw milk, pasture-raised, hormone-free varieties of cheese, which meet specific needs, including those of people who aren’t necessarily conversant in Jewish law and its dietary code.

“There are some niches,” he said. Whether it’s Muslims searching for kosher “if halal is not available” or vegetarians, “people know that my cheeses, and most kosher cheeses, do not contain animal enzymes like rennet or lipase or lard.”

When it comes to explaining comestible curiosities or how COVID and disposable income altered appetites, Delman bears no shortage of insights. He said he plans to use his Pittsburgh visit to dig into the meat of kosher cheese, and hopes to meet both those enthused by affinage and even individuals wary of whey.

The time is ripe to come together as a community, he continued. “Let’s enjoy each other’s company and maybe put aside some of the tough things — the difficulties that we’re going through — and enjoy life together.”

After all, like his T-shirt reads, “Life is gouda.” PJC

Adam Reinherz can be reached at areinherz@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.