I was shaving one of my favorite cheeses the other day and thinking how underutilized it was. Ricotta salata (not the Tomme de Savoie pictured above) is my go-to for grating over pasta alla Norma—or any pasta with eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini or sweet peppers. Sometimes I mix it fifty-fifty with grated pecorino romano; sometimes I don’t. Often I shave it with a cheese plane into salads. Yet cheesemongers tell me it doesn’t sell so they’re reluctant to stock it.

I wondered if others who work in the cheese world had an Underappreciated List—cheeses they adore that don’t get enough love from the general public. So I asked. I’m hoping their answers will steer you to some great discoveries.

I have often felt that Tomme de Savoie (pictured above) is underappreciated. When it’s in good shape, I find it to be such a perfect everyday cheese. Very more-ish! I will put a piece on the counter with a baguette and slowly devour the entire thing while going about my day.
Steve Jones
National sales manager
Spring Brook Farm Cheese

I'll advocate for fromage blanc. Seems like it doesn't get the love it deserves. I think it's a great multi-purpose cheese. Spread it on a bagel or toast, enjoy it with berries or stone fruit, use it to make a quick dip for crudités, or dollop on an omelet. I often suggest it when a customer asks for an easy cheese to serve for brunch.
Jon Fancey
Bi-Rite Markets
San Francisco

One I absolutely love and love the story and always buy when I see it is Monte Enebro. It’s so fudgy and uniquely satisfying with that blend of goat milk and Pencillium roqueforti on the rind.
Patrick Bleck
Owner, Specialty Foods Sherpa

I use Grana Padano in any situation where most people would use Parmigiano Reggiano or ricotta, especially on pasta. It’s great with just about any crisp, dry white wine. All cheese has an umami component, but Grana Padano has it in spades.
Brian Keyser
Casellula Cheese & Wine Café
New York City

I still don’t think most people beyond California know about Vella Dry Jack, the Special Select especially. It is better than it’s ever been, and it’s high time the world knew about a cheese so rich in history and flavor. It’s an excellent table cheese but shaving or grating it over a Caesar or pasta is certainly another way to go. Or, if you’re me, you grate it fine, add it to softened butter, slather the mixture on two slices of bread, put some regular Monterey Jack on the unbuttered sides, slap the two slices together buttered side out, put it in a hot pan and turn it into the best grilled cheese ever.
Laura Werlin
Author, Grilled Cheese, Please!

When I suggest the 1655 Gruyère (which has had phenomenal batches lately), I get a little roll of the eye. I have to put it in people’s mouths to make them appreciate it. I also have to explain that it's not just for recipes. It’s such a versatile cheese.
Tina Mooney
proprietor
The Fox and the Crow
Fort Collins, CO

One that I think a lot of people would like if they tried it is Etorki. It's got that tiny hint of caramel, but also a whiff of wildflower, and the sheep-milk sturdy suppleness defines the word voluptuous in a cheese.
Stephanie Skinner
co-founder
culture: the word on cheese

I would say Italian Alpine cheeses in general, especially Fontina Val d’Aosta and Taleggio. The French, the Swiss and the Germans get all the awards and are hipper cheeses, but my hot take is that Fontina Val d’Aosta is the best cheese for fondue. It does share the same Latin root after all.
Randall Felts
Owner/cheesemonger
Beautiful Rind
Chicago