Meet Your Monger - Liz Nerud

Behind every great creamery is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese...or should we say behind every great counter there is an excellent cheesemonger selling our cheese!  We adore the cheesemongers that represent our brand and want to take the time to introduce you to some local, Minnesota mongers.  Make sure you pop into their stores and say hi.  Buyer beware though; we have a feeling you’ll be leaving the store with an armful of delectable dairy.

What's your name and where do you work?

Liz Nerud, Specialty Cheese Department Manager, Kowalski’s Woodbury Market, Woodbury MN

 

What is your background in the cheese industry?

I have been a passionate and committed cheesemonger for 23 years!  It has been a joy to work in grocery stores, connecting beautiful, important cheeses to my customers.

 

What does the Minnesota cheese industry mean to you?

I adore being an ambassador for Minnesota Cheese!  I have enjoyed getting to know our cheesemakers and visiting their farms and creameries, building my cheese education.  Seeing the hard work and vision that goes into creating delicious American original artisan cheese is essential.  I take that inspiration to my cheese counter every day, and I am honored to tell their story to my customers.

 

What is your favorite Caves of Faribault cheese and what do you love to pair with it? 

I will always have a special place in my heart for St. Pete’s Select.  I will never forget my introduction to this essential Blue.  A group of my cheesemonger colleagues and I boarded a bus to the Caves, where Jeff Jirik himself presented his new cheese to us.  This was back in the day--2000?  2001?  The sense of place in those historic Caves, the vibrant, inviting flavor, the excitement of the welcome into the world of cheesemaking from the first actual cheesemaker I ever met!  All those elements came into play to cement St Pete’s as one of my all-time favorites!  It has never let me down!

 

Do you have a favorite recipe you use our cheese in?

I change my St Pete’s recipes with the seasons!  I reach for it in Spring to top crostini with sautéed wild ramps, and sometimes morels if I’m lucky.  Summertime produce loves St Pete’s, with fresh perfect tomatoes (duh) but also crumbled onto arugula salad with juicy sweet peaches!  Unexpected and delightful.  Cozy Fall wants a flatbread with prosciutto, rosemary, St Pete’s and a kiss of balsamic.  Wintertime gets all about the comfort with roasted sweet potatoes, St Pete’s and walnuts.

 

To hear more from Liz and some of her favorite cheese, check out the Monger Minute YouTube channel from Kowalski’s Market.  We are partial to the video about our Felix Blue cheese, but love them all!