Friends, I ❤️ cheese plates. But I especially love Alisha Norris’s plates, pictured above. Her boards and cheese pairing descriptions are gorgeous, and as thoughtful as they are lighthearted.

If you’re already following Alisha on Instagram, you’re nodding your head right now. If not, I’m glad to introduce you.

It was Alisha’s artistic presentations and her musical descriptions first caught my eye, but soon enough I was charmed by her flavor combos (mortadella mousse, anyone?). We started talking, and when I asked her if she’d be willing to share her inspirations with you cheese lovers, she said… yes!

And she also let me interview her, so keep reading after her pairing ideas to learn more about this cheese maven. Her answers are just as cool as her pairing tips. Thank you, Alisha for sharing your love for cheese! If you’re in Chicago, keep an eye on her, she sells her plates to-go.

Alisha’s 5 Pairing Principles

1. Identify- This is 101 material, but it’s worth repeating. Take the time to know your cheese. Pretend you’re judging at a cheese competition. What notes do you pick up? Butter? Cream (there’s a difference!)? Onion? *Spring* Onion? The more specific you get, the more information you have to work with.

2. Compliment and Contrast- So take the information you have from step 1 and see how you can either compliment or contrast your cheese. One could try pairing ‘like with like’- for example a grassy orb of Capriole Wabash Cannonball with a grassy cup of matcha. Or one could try contrasting flavors, the traditional pairing of Brie with bubbles is a good example (i.e. using acid to cut/contrast your cheese).

   
   
   

3. Texture- There’s so much room for play here, especially when you realize that ‘squeaks’ (like you would find in cheese curds) are a fantastic contrast to ‘snaps’ (like caramelized walnuts or peanut brittle). Words to incorporate into your texture lexicon: crunch, crisp, CRONCH, fudge, grind, squeak, squish, slick, shred, pop, fizz, melt, drip, pool. You get the idea. 

4. Terrior- We know this works with cheese and wine, why not extend it further? Pair Manchego with tinned fish, marmalade made with Seville Oranges , and Spanish olives-  explore the whole country if you can. Cheese isn’t made in a culinary vacuum and I believe cheese boards should reflect that.

5. Emotion and Memory- Revel in nostalgia. Pair Challerhocker with potato chips to recreate the buzz you got from eating Sour Cream and Onion chips for the first time. If you’re excited about an upcoming season, lean into that season’s produce and search for cheeses with similar notes. You never know where your emotions will take you, but at least cheese is involved ❤️

The Interview

1. Where do you work when it's not a pandemic? 

Pre Covid-19, I worked at Marz Community Brewing as cheesemonger, bartender, sometimes host, and occasional brewery cat wrangler. 

2. What was the first cheese you fell in love with? Or, what cheese did you grow up eating?

I grew up eating Kraft Singles and had two categories for cheese- sharp and not sharp :) The first cheese I truly fell in love with was Upland Cheese’s Pleasant Ridge Reserve, there was something compelling about how nutty + earthy it was. I’d never had anything like it before. 

3. What are 2 things you wish others knew about cheese or the cheese industry?

1) Many have said this before me, but the only bad pairing is the one you don’t like. I feel like a lot of people get hung up on creating the ‘perfect’ match, which loses sight of seasonality, the guest’s own palate, and play. Cheese plates are meant to be enjoyed, don’t be so serious!

2)  BIPOC mongers exist! And it’s hard! I’ve dropped distributors and vendors for talking over me and insisting that they speak with the ‘real’ head of the cheese department. I’ve also gotten used to rattling off my resume to *guests* just so they’ll let me recommend a cheese- i.e. do my job. Black and Brown bodied folks in this industry face a ton of invisible (as well as blatant) barriers, those who stick it out are some of the fiercest, beautiful souls you’ll ever meet. Be kind and don’t make it weird.

4. What does cheese mean to you?

Oh that’s a hard one! When it comes down to it, cheese is a vehicle for pleasure and storytelling (which is pleasurable in it’s own right). You can view cheese through so many lenses- culture, science, religion, class + wealth, labor rights, art, etc. It’s an amazing way to tell the story of a movement, time or place- with a delicious prop that almost everyone enjoys. 

5. How did you get so damn artistic and inspired with cheese?

I’ve always wanted to be a visual artist but I’ve got what they call ‘dumb hands’ lol. Seriously though, one can compare cheese plates to still lifes. Do I want a plate that communicates bounty, abundance and M O N E Y like the Dutch Masters- or do I want something bright, geometric and slightly decentering like Picasso? What about balance in terms of flavor, color, and volume? And so on and so forth. All of my boards are anchored in art and places in time & feeling.