By Nathalie Rubens

Photos by Sabrina Eberhard

Nestled in a plaza off Rhinebeck’s gourmet retail strip is the newest branch of the Hudson Valley’s iconic specialty food shop, Cheese Louise, which has been catering to cheese lovers at its Kingston flagship location since 2010. Now under new ownership, the beloved shop is spreading its magic to the other side of the river.

 Ari Alonso-Lubell, a 28-year-old longtime fan and customer of the original store, purchased the famed dairy and charcuterie purveyor in March of last year. A New York City native, who co-owns Court Street Coffee and Books in Brooklyn, calls Cheese Louise “one of the most unique and special businesses in the Hudson Valley.” Soon thereafter, the former Prime Rhinebeck space off Market Street became available and the new Cheese Louise owner saw the potential for “a real boutique feeling with a proper meat and cheese counter” allowing for a more interactive customer experience. The Rhinebeck shop opened in July and has seen a flurry of activity since.

Here, customers can sample and procure a selection of up to 70 international and domestic cheeses, as well as charcuterie and an expanded prepared food offering, including housemade matzo ball soup, duck confit, spanakopita, and more. The millennial entrepreneur brings a fresh perspective to the enterprise and has already expanded the number of domestic cheeses alongside a broad selection of international cheeses, which still make up approximately 70 percent of the offerings. “People love us for all the imported cheeses. But I think we’re in a new age of small local farmers and cheesemakers making really delicious cheese that can compete with anything out in California,” says Alonso-Lubell, who enjoys driving out to local farms and finding new and interesting products. “It’s awesome when people come in and you can say I just picked this up from the dairy farm.” 

 His favorite cheese right now is Red Beard, a washed-rind cheese with hard apple cider from Chaseholm Farm Creamery in Pine Plains. Kate Longtoe, one of the company’s cheesemongers, recommends mostly alpine and melting cheeses for the colder season, great for French onion soup and grilled cheese. “We love Harvison, a great little cheese from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont,” which she says comes wrapped in a bark and has a real earthy flavor. She suggests heating it and eating it like fondue. The shop also sells a lot of truffle brie during the winter months, which Alonso-Lubell describes as “a warm comforting holiday cheese that looks really cool.” Another popular winter offering is a young gorgonzola dolce, a soft, blue, buttery cheese that you can scoop out of the rind. 

Alonso-Lubell says the main reason he wanted to take over Cheese Louise was that he saw it as a great cheese shop in need of a push. He hopes to create opportunities for cheese education and collaborate with local wine makers to offer wine and cheese pairing classes. “I think the most magical thing about the journey for me has been actually falling in love with cheese.” —cheeselouiseny.com