Lucy’s Whey: Sourcing Exceptional Cheese with an All-American Cheese Shop

“I get to curate the selection at Lucy’s Whey. If it wasn’t one of my favorites, it wouldn’t be there. So, when people ask me about my favorite cheese, it’s a tricky question.”

Meet Amy Thompson, the head cheesemonger at Lucy’s Whey, a small, charming little cheese shop tucked into New York City’s Chelsea Market and on North Main Street in East Hampton, Long Island. Lucy’s Whey is pretty focused when it comes to cheese. At their counters, you won’t find cheese that crosses the continents with obscure names from far-away places; instead, you’ll find a special, curated selection of cheeses made from our own homeland: America.

Amy and owner, Lucy Kazickas, stock their cheese cases with only local American cheese, cheese they believe in, cheese they want their customers to appreciate as much as they do a good Italian Piave or a French Camembert. To them, local, artisan and farmstead cheeses can be as satisfying and as unique in flavor as any imported cheese – if curated correctly, of course. And, the curation of cheese, well, let’s just call it their specialty.¬†

Lucy’s Whey goes the extra mile to do their research on the rotating selection of cheeses they decide to carry. They travel to small towns, out-of-the-way farms and rural creameries to taste and source their cheeses first hand. Learning about the cheesemakers and their production process is an important step to being a good cheesemonger. So, during a recent trip to a new creamery, I asked Amy if I could join in. Take a peek as we tour Calkins Creamery in the Pocono/Catskill region of Pennsylvania to taste Noble Road and Old Man Highlander.

Thanks for watching food. curated.! Happy Eating!