An awarded cheese variety is making its way to the aging caves of Murray’s Cheese. The chain has partnered with FireFly Farms, which is relaunching its award-winning Carpenter’s Wheel. The goat’s milk wheels will be aged in Murray’s Long Island City cheese caves.
“Aging cheese in the heart of a cosmopolitan city lends a unique twist on traditional ideas about terroir,” said Josh Windsor, Senior Caves Manager at Murray’s. “The cheese in our caves comes from around the world, each influencing the rind and development of the other. Maturing Carpenter’s Wheel in this environment adds to the 'melting pot' of our caves and continues the story of this beautiful cheese.”
Prior to this relaunch, Carpenter’s Wheel won third place at the American Cheese Society competition this past summer. According to a press release, the cheese began as a partnership with Brooklyn’s Crown Finish Caves, and when the caves sadly closed, Murray’s sought a way to continue some of their traditions.
FireFly Creamery shapes and molds large wheels of pasteurized goat’s milk cheese before delivering to Murray’s, where the cheeses are aged for approximately six months. The wheels develop a unique natural rind and are labeled with the iconic and colorful barn quilt label—a clear reminder of the cheese’s Appalachian terroir.
“Where we are in northern Appalachia there is a deep farming history, and beautiful barns—including the one on our farm—where FireFly started. The barn quilt design on the side that is known as the Carpenter’s Wheel,” explains Mike Koch, FireFly’s President. This particular quilt was selected and hung on the original FireFly barn with the help of the Garrett County Barn Quilt Foundation, and the quilt naturally became the label for the cheese.
Pablo Solanet, FireFly’s Artistic Director and Co-Founder, also commented.
“There’s often a tension between where food comes from and where people eat it,” said Solanet. “The idea behind this label was to remind conscious eaters that everything on your plate has a story and a place of origin. It’s like the basket-weave pattern on Spanish Manchego. Now we have our own equivalent.”
Carpenter’s Wheel was launched at all Murray’s NYC shops and is available on its website as of October 10.
For more specialty cheese launches, you know where to find us.
