The May edition of Meet Your Monger spotlights Carol Johnson, owner of Monger's Palate in Brooklyn, NY. Carol Johnson has owned and operated Monger's Palate, a cut to order cheese shop, since 2019, and the shop is known for an impressive rotation of cheeses kept in impeccable condition by Carol and her team. She has worked every job in the food industry from ship cook to hotel buffet roast slicer but has specialized in cheese for the last eleven years. She is an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, former assistant manager of Murray's Cheese, Cheesemonger Invitational Finalist, and often teaches on cheese when not running the shop. Carol also chooses Formaticum products for Monger's Palate - read our interview to find out why!
What inspired you to become a cheesemonger? I came to NYC unexpectedly with no money and no plans but trying to get out of the kitchen lifestyle. The first job I got was as a cheesemonger and I completely fell in love.
We wrap all the cheese we sell to customers in the One-Ply Roll, as it makes a neat fold and keeps everything fresh.
Definitely the One-Ply Roll, but we also sell the retail Cheese Storage Bags and I use them at home for all those cheesemonger odds and ends.
I'd be one of those little Loire Valley chèvres like Crottin that's been aging for months, grey and unassuming but then super peppery and sharp on the palate.
Mold is good! There is an uphill battle with getting to an understanding of how it's natural to have surface molds as part of a healthy rind. The perception that "mold = spoiled" needs to be replaced with the idea that not everything has to have a sanitized appearance in order to be safe and delicious.
Cheese lasts a long time. Cheese is a preservation technique, and if it is properly wrapped and stored you can eat it for weeks!
Follow Monger's Palate on Instagram @mongerspalate and Formaticum on Instagram and TikTok @formaticum, and stop by the cheese shop if you're in NYC!
To nominate a shop or monger for the Meet Your Monger series, email emilia@formaticum.com.
