'Cheeseology 101'

Lou Ann Good
Food and Family
Features Editor

GAP, Pa. — “Some people buy stocks, I buy cheddar wheels,” said Bill Houder, who operates the Town Clock Cheese Shoppe, 5381 Bridge St., Gap.

People who taste some of his more than 125 varieties of cheese are liable to start investing in cheese wheels also. After tasting the best of what he sells among local, domestic and imported varieties, it’s hard to be satisfied with the common run-of-the mill supermarket varieties.

“Slow down when you eat cheese. You don’t eat Gouda like white American. This isn’t a fast food place,” Houder advises his customers.

His easy-going manner and humorous advice — which he refers to as Cheeseology 101 — doesn’t come across as offensive but opens up a whole new world for customers considering what cheese to buy. For chefs and others who cook with cheese, Houder is able to answer questions such as the melting qualities of the different varieties and how different cooking methods will affect texture and flavor.

“When taste testing cheese and when serving different varieties, always start with the mildest flavor and work up to the sharpest,” he said.

A cheese aficionado, Houder insists he can taste the differences between cheese made from grass-fed cows and that made with milk from cows eating silage harvested during drought.

“Go for the gold,” is his advice as he places two wheels of cheddar side by side. One is pale and the other has a rich natural golden glow, not from artificial coloring but from rich creamy milk.

Although he doesn’t make cheese, he does age cheddars.

“I have my own private stock that I’m curing since 2001,” he said. Each Christmas, he brings out one of the 30-40 pound wheels to to cut up for marketing.

“The larger the wheel, the better it cures,” he said.

“I don’t know until I cut it if it’s a great tasting cheese or if it is flat” — the result of the wrong bacteria penetrating the rind.

“You can’t rush the curing. It requires the right cycle, the right time to develop a true identity to the cheese,” he said.

“It’s hard for cheese makers to sit on dollars invested in wheels of cheese,” Houder acknowledges of the time-consuming processing of allowing cheese to cure for years, but he’s a strong believer that people through savoring different cheeses will acquire tastes that eventually will move the market in that direction.

“This area has come a long way since my dad was in the cheese business,” he said. Then, people primarily ate Swiss varieties. Through travel, especially to other countries, many people have acquired new tastes for cheese and come looking for those varieties that are eaten in France, Spain and Germany.
U.S. standards prevent certain cheeses from being imported.

“There’s this ongoing discussion between France and the U.S. about the pasteurization point. We have higher standards than France, but we can say that “no one has ever gotten sick from our cheese,” Houder said.

He admits to being a bit of a cheese snob. “There is a small group of us cheese mongers,” he said.. “Some families talk about baseball, but we talk about cheese.”

Houder travels the world in search of cheese, something different, something that meets his high standards. He compares his excitement to the joy of a child in a candy shop.

Each week, his shop features a different type of local cheese. He has sheep cheese from Franklin County, goat cheese from West Chester, string cheese from Upper Darby, and cheese made from the milk of Franklin County cows under the label Whispering Brook and from Lancaster County’s Oak Shade cows.

“I’m a fourth generation cheese man,” Houder said. His grandparents operated a 188-acre Holstein farm between Atglen and Parkesburg, a cheese plant and the J. Philip Kirchner and Son Cheese Shop in Lancaster. They also purchased the first Kraft cheese franchise in the country. Cheese was brought in by railroad and 100-pound wheels were rolled into the shop to be cut up and sold to customers. Houder still uses the same knives and wires to cut the cheese that his ancestors used.

In 1938, Houder’s dad sold the cheese making plant but developed a sales route to sell Lancaster County Swiss cheese because it was not available through supermarkets. Eventually, his dad added some other locally-made cheese,.and opened a gas station where the family prepared ham and cheese sandwiches for sale.

The market continued changing. But Houder found a way to adapt his salesmanship to the changing demands. In 1963, he purchased a Volkswagon van to fill with a larger product line, which he marketed to restaurants, country clubs, caterers, farmers’ markets and wholesalers in Berks, Lancaster, Chester and Dauphin Counties.

Two years ago, Houder said he was offered a position in Philadelphia that he couldn’t resist. But nine months later, he knew the city wasn’t for him, and returned to Lancaster County to open the Town Clock Cheese Shoppe.

He is excited by micro-dairies, many of which are making their own cheeses. He purchases some of these for resale but admits he is particular. He doesn’t want cheese made from milk that has been rejected by milk companies. And too many farmers, he believes, are duplicating cheeses. He’d like to see more diversity and believes in time that may develop.

“This area likes a more creamy mild to medium type,” he said.

Customers often ask him, “What is the best variety?”

Houder always answers, “Best is what you like.”

He tries to determine people’s choices by asking them some questions about varieties they may or not like, and then encourages them to expand by introducing a slightly more tangy or different texture variety.

“By the time they leave, I want them to have a cheese they love. It’s my passion to make sure people have a cheese they want,” he said.

People ask him if he is afraid of Wal-Mart and other big stores that are growing in offering greater selections of cheese.

He answers, “I’ll let Wal-Mart worry about me. They might have the product but do they know how to sell it?”

He admits that he too often discourages sales by telling people that once cheese is cut, it will not maintain the top quality flavor for parties weeks in advance.

“Each time you unwrap cheese and slice some off, rewrap it tightly in fresh plastic wrap,” he said. “It will make your cheese last about 20 percent longer.”

Cheese that is machine packaged lasts much longer and is used in the cheese baskets he prepares and sells for the holidays. In each of his baskets is a custom-made “Lancaster County Cow,” which is cheese in the shape of a cow with a Holstein marking in the shape of Lancaster County.

His wife Judy helps in the shop and is in charge of the bookwork. The couple has two adult sons.

The shop also has an area to sit and relax for scheduled cheese tasting parties. Parties are limited to six adults, 21 years or older. People can bring their own wine or beverage of their choice, and Houder will match the flavor with a coordinating cheese. The hour-long sessions include 4-6 different cheeses selected by country, type or texture, or by family such as domestic and imported Bleu, Swiss or Cheddar cheeses or goat, sheep, cow or some of each. Choices include Asiago, Bleu Castello, Buffalo Mozzarella, cranberry chevre, camembert, hot jalapeno cayenne, Cabot Private Stock, Amish-made Romano and much more.

In addition to the wide selection of cheese, the shop also showcases cheese and dairy-related antiques from his ancestors. On display is the family’s original ice box, glass milk bottles from area dairies, scales used to weigh cheese, wooden barrels that held Swiss cheese and other interesting pieces. Houder also maintains lots of green plants.

“I love this work. It’s never boring. I want to do it until I drop,” he said.

The Town Clock Cheese Shoppe can easily be spotted along Rt. 41 in Gap located by the large town clock that sits adjacent to the shop.The shop, about 1/2 mile from the Rt. 30 and Rt. 41 intersections, is in the former Grange building, where years ago, the landmark clock was attached to its roof.

Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Phone (717) 442-9090.