HAPPY NEW YEAR

Cheers to a New Year!

2009 is upon us. The new year marks as well the one-year anniversary for The Cheese Shop on Park (January 8th is the actual date). Thus when answering the oddly frequent question 'You're new right?' or some variation thereof, we can proudly answer - No - we've be open for a year and we are here to stay.

Many heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our cheese-loving customers who have made this past year possible. 2008 will, for many Americans, be remembered as a year of struggle, uncertainty and a bit of heartache. But we are looking forward to a great 2009 and we are here to stay.

At The Cheese Shop on Park, we will remember our first year fondly. We will relish in our year-one triumphs, learn from and laugh at our mistakes and mishaps and smile broadly at the nay-sayers who predicted the worst. "Failure is not an option" is our canned answer to the equally odd, if not ill-mannered, question 'how's business?' We are here to stay.

Part of our job, as a "specialty store" is to perhaps assuage stresses, if only for a brief indulgence. One can encounter a new delicacy, or rediscover an old favourite from a time when travel and leisure were frequent and exotic cheeses abundant. "Affordable luxury" is a buzz phrase that The Cheese Shop on Park deliberately avoids. Good food is a necessity, and should not be relegated to the same luxury-only status as is your 4th pair of Christian Louboutins' or another shopping trip to Rue St. Honore. We believe that the food we eat - and particularly the cheese we eat - should taste good. It should be made by humans - not machines - and it should not harm the environment, the dairy animal's welfare or ourselves.

We constantly bring in new and exciting products. We listen to our customers. Many permenant members of our cheese inventory were acquired from customer's suggestions. Some develop an almost cult-like following, like the Norwegian Gjetost or the Dutch Gouda Truffle. Some elude us seasonally, like the handmade Harley goat cheeses with edible flowers from California. Yes the beautiful flowered cheeses will be back at The Cheese Shop on Park this Spring! And we will be here, we are here to stay.

So here's to a new year, to good food, good friends and fine wine. See you soon!