America, You’re Rocking It

May 26, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

American Cheese Month is winding down but I hope your appetite is ramping up. You’re about to meet eight domestic cheeses deemed outstanding by the experts—two West Coast mongers who agreed to assemble a fantasy cheese plate for Planet Cheese readers. I requested “all American” and “not too obscure.” Even so, I don’t know a couple of these selections. So you may have to hunt for some of these cheeses, but at least you know you’ll be rewarded.

When Pros Make the Cheese Plate

May 19, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

American Cheese Month—that would be May—is your chance to show our nation’s cheesemakers how much you value what they do. Of course, our creameries need your business year-round but showcasing them this month reminds us how far we’ve come. Remember when American cheese was a laugh line? We now produce cheeses that compete (and win) on the world stage, and we can boast cheesemongers as knowledgeable and passionate as any in Europe

Reality Check

May 12, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

You never need an excuse to eat cheese, but May is a good time to show American-made cheeses some extra love. It’s American Cheese Month—that’s official—so I’ll be shining the spotlight for the next few weeks on some of our nation’s finest. To kick us off, I turned to Jenny Eastwood, who sells exclusively American cheese at Smallgoods Cheese Shop & Café, the business she operates in Jolla, CA, with her husband, Mike.

Make it Cheesy for Mom

May 4, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

I never had the chance to cook for my mom on Mother’s Day. From the age of 18, I lived more than 1,500 miles away. It’s too late now, but I’m certain these recipes would have pleased her (eating them, not cooking them). All five dishes have cheese in common—surprise!—but they’re light, quick to make and foolproof. If you have a mother or mother figure to cook for, grab an apron and seize the day.

Fromage without Flinching

April 28, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

Finally, a French cheese to love at a price we can like. It’s been a while since I’ve bought artisan cheese from France without flinching at the checkout counter. Of course you can find affordable Brie and Camembert at the big-box stores, but these cheeses are typically industrial, with quality on par with their cost. This beauty is a distinctive raw cow’s milk tomme, with a rustic natural rind, abundant aroma and an uncommon “double-textured” interior. The reasonable price is just one more of its many admirable features.

Ricotta Salata, Where Art Thou?

April 21, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

Why is it so hard to find ricotta salata these days? This salted and pressed Italian sheep cheese used to be more present, and I almost always had some on hand for shaving into salads—especially spring salads with fava beans, asparagus or beets. It’s a must for pasta alla Norma but I grate it on pasta sauced every which way. It’s moister than pecorino romano so it makes the dish creamier. Now it is scarcer than it should be, given that it’s neither costly nor rare.

Two Thumbs Up

April 14, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

I went a little crazy at the cheese counter the other day and came home with more than I usually buy at one time. So, at the end of a simple dinner that night, Doug and I had an over-the-top cheese course. Miraculously, we had the same favorite. A new import from Spain, it had all the features I seek: captivating aroma, pleasing texture, proper salting. That it played well with the red wine on the table earned it some more points.

French Cheese from a Master

April 7, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

The notion that cheeses have seasons is less valid than it used to be, but springtime still says goat cheese to me. On small French farms run the traditional way, goats give birth in early spring. Once the kids are weaned, there’s abundant milk for cheese—for all those delicate fresh chèvres and, a few weeks later, lightly aged creations like the one pictured above. Breeding advances and sophisticated aging rooms have altered this pattern, but I still associate the warming weather with creamy, tangy goat cheese…

Down Memory Lane

April 1, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

Velveeta slices and pickled cherry peppers

This is the cheese of my childhood. What memories! The one-and-only choice for Mom’s mac and cheese, her whole cauliflower baked with cheese sauce and her oozy grilled cheese sandwiches (on Wonder Bread, no less). It’s so supple, and it melts like a dream. It was the only cheese in our fridge unless company was coming. On those occasions Mom traded up to Cracker Barrel. Artisan cheeses have come and gone, but this icon persists, celebrating a century in production in 2018. Sales were lagging until Covid but now are reportedly strong. You don’t need me to tell you this cheese should be a kitchen staple. Could so many Americans be wrong?

Exceptions to the Rule

March 24, 2026 janet@janetfletcher.com

Doug and I were watching a favorite Italian cooking show the other night when I practically started hyperventilating. “No!” I shouted at the screen, as the Michelin-starred chef prepared to serve up his pasta. “Don’t do it! Don’t do it! You just RUINED the dish.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. The chef was spooning spaghetti with squid sauce into a hollowed-out round of cheese.