There’s a study that shows cheese has the same addictive qualities as cocaine,” says Afrim Pristine, the world’s youngest maître fromager and Canada’s preeminent expert on cheese. “That makes me Pablo Escobar.”
The dairy master helms Cheese Boutique in Toronto with his brother Agim. The destination market, opened in 1970, stocks 500 cheeses from around the world, in addition to thousands of other craft grocery items.
“In Canada, we’ve never eaten more cheese than now,” he says. “But we’re much more than a cheese shop, and we always have been.” From the beginning, Cheese Boutique has made it a point to cultivate community. The store was founded by Pristine’s grandfather and father in a European-style neighborhood made up of small shops. There was a butcher, a baker, and a shoemaker, but nobody offered artisan cheese. “My family opened up a cheese shop for the fact that there wasn’t one on the strip. They liked eating it, but that was kind of it.”
• To See Afrim Pristine at the upcoming Palm Desert Food & Wine, visit palmdesertfoodandwine.com for tickets.
Rather unexpectedly, business boomed. In 2000, to accommodate rising demand, the Pristines relocated to their current outpost in an industrial area of Toronto. They now have three cheese-aging rooms along with meat-aging and baking programs. Community outreach and philanthropic work remain important pillars of the business; Cheese Boutique has helped to raise about $1 million for the nearby St. Joseph’s Health Centre, where Pristine was born and now sits on the board.
He studied with some of the world’s top cheese makers, including Luigi Guffanti, Stefano Sarti, and Carl Schilt, and has collaborated with such chefs as Daniel Boulud, David Chang, and Lynn Crawford.
Pristine’s first cookbook, For the Love of Cheese (2018), is a best seller. He consults on shows including Top Chef Canada, MasterChef, and Chopped Canada and is currently in production on his own cheese-meets-travel Food Network Canada show, which he reveals may be filming during his demos at Palm Desert Food & Wine.
“I have a very different love affair with cheese than most because it provided for my family many, many years ago,” Pristine says. “If I can make someone happy with a piece of cheese, my job is done.”
When did you realize you were destined to be a cheesemonger?
It was Valentine’s Day 1998. I was 18 years old. I never had another job; Cheese Boutique was it.
I get a call on my flip phone from my father, saying that my eldest brother and my sister-in-law, who were pregnant, are having the baby. They’re at the hospital. I get a call saying, “You have to open up the store in the morning and work all day.” This is a very big moment for me. This was the first time my grandfather, father, or brother hadn’t opened the store.
I get this call at 2 a.m. I go there at 6 a.m. I’m not even tired because I’m excited. The business owner does everything. They slice cheese. They sweep the floors. I loved it. Even some of the staff, who had been with us for many, many years, said, “Afrim, you did a great job today.” I didn’t know I wanted that responsibility until that moment. It’s not just a cheese shop. We give memories to people.
Does North America produce cheese that’s comparable to Europe?
Where the wine is good, the cheese is good. I think we’re making amazing products, and people are really seeing that and appreciating it. The U.S. produces more cheese than Italy, Switzerland, and France combined — these are three of the biggest cheese superpowers on the planet. I think that says a lot. Cheese is in the DNA of America.
My palate is trained — I’ve tried probably 3,000 cheeses in my lifetime — but it’s not better than yours.
— Afrim Pristine
How can an untrained palate learn to better appreciate cheese?
If you like cheese in a can, if you like cheese in a jar, that’s great. This is what we were exposed to when we are kids, and you need that starting off point. It’s my job as a cheesemonger to showcase really unique products to you. If you like American cheese, wonderful. Now come over here and let me show you some other things that I think you may like.
I want my customers to try 40 cheeses before they select one. I want them to understand and discover what their palate likes. My palate is trained — I’ve tried probably 3,000 cheeses in my lifetime — but it’s not better than yours. It’s different. It should not be pretentious. It’s milk and salt at the end of the day. Sometimes it’s just people, how they talk about cheese. It’s too much. It’s a piece of cheese. Relax.
What is the most unusual cheese you’ve ever tried?
One that has always intrigued me is Monte Enebro. It’s Spanish. It looks like a moldy loaf of bread. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I dig it, big time. It’s creamy and funky and grassy and salty and one of the most complex cheeses I’ve ever tried. Super expensive. It’s a very hard cheese to get.
What excites you about Palm Desert Food & Wine?
It’s a show I’ve always wanted to do. Elizabeth Falkner is one of my culinary idols. And Curtis Stone. I love the two of them. I’ve followed their careers. I get to be on the same stage as them. I’m proud of that.
I went to Palm Springs for the first time last year for the tennis tournament and got to watch Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, and Venus Williams all in one day. It was epic. I was only there for two nights in Palm Springs. But you guys have it made. You’ve got the mountains. You’ve got tennis. Just a really cool vibe. Incredible weather. When I got invited to this, I was just like, “Yes.”
MARCH 26
6 p.m. For the Love of Cheese ... and Wine!
$60 General Admission
Located at On the Mark,
111 N. Palm Canyon Drive, Suite 155, Palm Springs
MARCH 27
7 p.m.
Celebrity Chef Reception
$150 VIP (entry at 6 p.m.)
$100 General Admission
Located at The Santorini House, 400 W. Camino Alturas, Palm Springs
MARCH 28
12:45 p.m.
Chef Demonstration, Tent 2
$100 General Admission