Detailing McCalman’s history is to tell the story of artisan cheese in NYC. He began his career at Chef Terrance Brennan’s storied Upper West Side restaurant Picholine in 1995 and during his tenure elevated the concept of “the cheese course” to national acclaim. Naturally, there’d been numerous restaurants that offered a cheese service or cheese plate prior to McCalman’s efforts, but he set the new standard for the United States. In 2001, he went on to direct the cheese program at Brennan’s new cheese-focused restaurant, Artisanal Fromagerie. He has been a member of La Guilde Internationale des Fromagers Confrérie de Saint-Uguzon as Garde et Jure since 2002 and was elevated to Maître Fromager in 2013.
In addition to being a fromager, McCalman is the bestselling author of four books on cheese and the winner of a James Beard Foundation Award for his bestselling book Cheese: a Connoisseurs Guide to the World’s Best. This collection is used regularly as the fundamental reference and guide for developing first-class cheese programs nationwide.
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