We recently were privileged to tour the caves of Luigi Guffanti in Arona, Italy on Lake Maggiore. Here, Carlo Fiori and his sons age cheese purchased from small cheesemakers in Italy and France. Their skill in affinatore, or aging, is so prized that the Wall Street Journal just named Guffanti one of the 10 best cheese operations in the WORLD!!. We're happy for them, and so proud that we carry Luigi Guffanti cheeses.

Carlo Fiori, the great-grandson of the founder, is a poet of cheese. He told us how the land, the cows, their feed, the cheesemakers, and finally the affinatore revealed the soul of the cheese. In one of the caves are three cheeses marked with dates. This, Signore Fiori explained, signified the birth of three grandchildren, part of a tradition in Italian cheesemaking families. The dated cheeses would be opened and eaten on momentous occasions such as a young man's entrance into the military, a wedding day, or even a death. "For cheese," Signore Guffanti said, "is for all the times in life -- the bad as well as the good. Cheese is life."

Watch for news of more Luigi Guffanti in our retail and online store. Gaetano is looking at 5-year-old Parmigiano Reggiano, which the Guffanti staff thinks is the perfect age for this regal cheese.