by LittleMissMatched
How did you become such a cheese connoisseur? Was it something you were always interested in or did you become a fan of the food group after working at local cheese shops such as Murray’s?
I have always loved cheese… ever since I was little I can remember relishing slices of cheddar and (embarrassment!) American cheese. But, I really fell in love with cheese while visiting a friend studying in Florence, Italy. She took me to all the local markets and that was truly the first time I had ever tasted real, handmade cheese. I fell so head over heels that after graduating college, I got a job at Murray’s Cheese Shop in NYC, and then got an internship as a cheese maker on a dairy farm in Connecticut. It was sort of a snowball effect from there. I ended up leaving Murray’s to take a six month tour around Europe, learning to make goat cheese and wine, and then came back to NY to open my own shop!
You’re pretty young to have already become such a pioneer in the industry…how do you think you got to where you are today? (This can be a short story of your life, milestones, important steps, etc…whatever you’re comfortable with!)
I think I got to where I am today largely because of my family. No matter what I did, or what I was interested in, they were always super supportive. I felt like I could have no interest too weird or out there… they were always totally warm and accepting. That, coupled with the fact that I’m the first born (we’re known for being a little type A) and knowing that I wanted to have my own business since I was a kid… It’s funny how things fall into place though. I feel like timing is everything. I happened to move to New York and become interested in food, then specifically with cheese. Then I met these farmers from Connecticut who ended up giving me a job and showing me a window into the world of American farmstead cheese, which up till that point, I knew very little about. I think I learned the most and became inspired the most by all the cheese makers I met over the past six years or so. As for being a pioneer, I don’t know, I just wanted to tell the stories of all the cheese makers and cheeses that I love.
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by LittleMissMatched
What inspires your creative thinking and original ideas?
My best ideas come when I’m exercising – when I’m swimming and running I get all jazzed up about stuff. I get lost in it and come back with all kinds of ideas. I solve a bunch of problems that way too. My three daughters bring stuff from my personal life into my job all the time - everything like little anecdotes, photo shoot scenes and clothing ideas come from them.
Have you always been a creative person?
Yes, since I was a kid I’ve always been creative. I used to love to draw as a kid and was always decorating my room. I was always into clothes and looking for an individual look in a suburban town where everyone dressed the same. My mom is creative as well and paints on the side so I think I get my creative side from her. At one point I wanted to be an actress, novelist or graphic artist so creativity has always been present.
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by LittleMissMatched
When did you first realize you wanted to become a writer?
When I was eight years old I asked my mom if I could write a book. She said “Sure, but write about what you know.” As an eight year old I loved doing arts and crafts and wanted to show other kids ways that they could have fun doing crafts. After I wrote my first two craft books I wanted to let girls know that they could reach any goal they had, just like I did, and I knew that through writing books that was the best way to get my message out to a large group of people. I got an agent and she helped me sell my books to publishers. I’m lucky to have seven books published.
What is it about making things with your own hands that you think is important?
Arts and crafts is a great way to have fun and express yourself. I love making homemade gifts for my friends because it shows I value their friendship enough to spend time, thought and energy on them. Crafts also increase your creativity. There’s no perfect way to make a puppet. If you want a puppet with six eyes and purple hair…that’s great! With crafts, you learn to adapt and be imaginative. Those characteristics transfer over to so many other areas of life.
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by LittleMissMatched
When did you know you wanted to become an artist?
I always would draw and my favorite game was building fantasy structures that my dolls and cat would live in. I would play for hours with bricks and stack them to create imaginary buildings, strangely, not so different to what I do now as a practicing artist. Art was the thing I was the best at. It has always made me feel centered and comforted in difficult times.
Did you go to school for art? Did you teach yourself?
I was very fortunate, at around eleven years old a neighbor in Lewes, England, suggested I go to Saturday morning art classes…which where in Brighton College of Art, some 20 miles from where I lived…The classes where held in a former school, and housed the graduate painting department of the collage and this Saturday morning art class. So from an early age I was around the smell of oil paint, large cold and mysterious spaces, and the energy that is part of art school. At high school I was fortunate to have six-art faculty on three campuses of Priory school, in Lewes. In England the teaching of the arts is a vital part of the fabric of education, and I was lucky to go to museums and galleries at an early age.
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