Founder's Circle
A couple of years ago, an email landed in my inbox. The owner of Riverdel, a vegan cheese shop inside Essex Market in New York, was closing, and she wanted to know if we'd buy it.
My first feeling was sadness. What if she couldn't find a buyer? My second, right behind it: heck no. We don't have time for that. New York is four hours away by plane.
And it's New York. It's where Murray's Cheese was born, the cheese epicenter of the country. Opening a plant-based cheese counter there felt like setting myself up for failure.
But I couldn't stop thinking about it.
When Fred and I first met, we lived in Seattle. Our favorite thing was going to Pike Place Market every weekend, trying the food, meeting the small businesses. Markets have always been our thing. And this shop was inside a market.
Then we looked at the numbers, and we couldn't say no. Underneath all of that, we couldn't stomach another vegan cheese shop closing. How could we not?
Getting it open was another story. In Austin, the permits were manageable. Even the alcohol license went smoothly. New York was mountains of paperwork, checklists no one could explain, and insurance for insurances I'd never heard of. There were many moments of "why did I do this?" But we got it done.
The best part of that location is the team. Peter has been with us since we took over, keeping the ordering and everything else running. Izzy has been with us about a year, and she's an aspiring actress. If you know of any opportunities for her, I'd be devastated to lose her, but so happy for her. Nyeah has been with us since nearly the beginning and is there every weekend, and she's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. And Asya came with the location. She worked the counter while studying at NYU, and now she runs our email and texts. She sent you this one.
The Essex Market team
What I love most about New York is how direct everyone is. The team, the customers, everyone. It's how I am too, so it works. When I worked at our Austin restaurant, I'd greet people with "hey, how are you doing? Let me know if you need anything." Do that in New York and they look at you like you're crazy. Took me a while to learn that one.
But when a New Yorker tells you your cheese is good, they mean it.
Which is why I'm so proud of what I'm about to share. For months, I've been watching our reviews, because I wanted to reward the team when we hit a milestone. Last week we passed 500. With a perfect five-star rating.
Five hundred five-star reviews. In one of the most foodie cities in the world, surrounded by some of the best cheesemongers anywhere.
Every person who walks up to our counter might be trying plant-based cheese for the first time. Maybe they're a skeptic. Maybe they got burned years ago. We never want to lose the chance to show them it can be as good as dairy, if not better. Five hundred perfect reviews from the most honest customers in America tells me we're on the right track.
I'm so proud of this team.
Thanks for being on this journey with us,
Kirsten
Co-founder, Rebel Cheese
Shop the Cheeses Behind the Reviews →
P.S. The deli's top sellers are the Truffle Brie, the Smoked Cheddar, and the Tomato Herb Fromage. Can't make it to Essex Market? We ship.