Polk Street's Food Evolution: How Cheese Plus Stays Essential Amid City Shifts
Founded in 2005 by veteran specialty food buyer Ray Bair, Cheese Plus was designed to strip away the pretension often attached to European specialty markets. The shop occupies a compact footprint, with roughly 1,500 square feet of retail floor packing in hundreds of artisan cheeses, cured meats, and pantry items.
The cheese counter forms the shop's operational core. Behind glass cases, mongers cut wheels of French Beaufort, seasonal Mont d'Or, aged Gouda, and alpine Gruyère to order. The store maintains strict relationships with importers like Neal's Yard Dairy and domestic cooperatives like Point Reyes Farmstead and Cowgirl Creamery. Mongers sample generously, slicing slivers of raw-milk cheese onto parchment paper to help buyers understand terroir differences. This tactile counter service builds consumer trust that no algorithmic grocery delivery platform can match.
