Husband and wife Gerard and Susan Tuck would often entertain at their Australian home with plenty of shrimp on the barbie, and creamy, marinated goat cheese to spread on just about anything.
So much so that when Gerard left his job in corporate finance to run a Melbourne-based cheese importer and distributor, he had thoughts of being a really big cheese.
When he and his wife moved to the Bay Area, and Gerard graduated from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, they decided to pursue that dream and start their own cheese company.
Chevoo (pronounced “chez vous” in a nod to the French phrase that means “at your place”), launched last summer. It takes locally-produced chevre cubes and marinates them in extra virgin olive oil and herbs, then packs it all in convenient jars.
The product comes in three varieties: California Dill Pollen & Garlic; Aleppo-Urfa Chili & Lemon; and Smoked Sea Salt & Rosemary. Recently, I had a chance to try samples.
The latter is probably my favorite because of its simplicity in letting the tang of the goat cheese come through with the foresty hit of rosemary. The dill pollen one is quite subtle with the dill more at the forefront than the garlic. The Aleppo tinges the color of the cheese a slight peachy color, and gives it a real tingle of spice in the throat that’s balanced by the zing of the citrus. This one is the boldest tasting of the three.
They’re great with crackers or spread on flatbread. (Avocado toast, anyone?) Or toss the cubes and its flavored oil into a bowl of greens or grilled vegetables. Or into hot pasta or pasta salads.
Of course, it’s not that difficult to make your own marinated goat cheese, yourself. But for those who don’t want to take the time and effort, this makes it as simple as picking up a jar at your local store.
Cheevo comes in 7.1-ounce jars that retail for $12.99 each. One ounce has 140 calories. Find it at Northern California Whole Foods markets, Berkeley Bowl, Mollie Stone’s, Sigona’s Farmers Market, and other retailers.