At their Springbank cheese shop, Adrian and Carie Lee Watters serve up solid favourites—runny ones, too.
‘Tis the season for indulgence—rum balls, gingerbread, a second helping of turkey and, of course, cheese. When we ask self-proclaimed Cheesehead No. 1 (a.k.a. Adrian Watters) what odd indulgences are available at his Springbank cheese shop in Willow Park Village, he holds up a package of white Stilton topped with sticky toffee pudding, and another of Dutch Gouda that includes coconut milk in the mix. We’re conflicted with thoughts ranging from “Mmmm, might be tasty” to “Eeeeww.” Mostly the former, though.
Cheesehead No. 2 (a.k.a. Carie Lee Watters) points to the more traditional fondue cheeses of Emmenthal and Gruyère that customers often head for at this time of year, and to the packages of raclette that New Year revellers buy to melt over their bread and potatoes. Both Cheeseheads say that their Scottish smoked-applewood cheddar is the big seller this Christmas.
After six years in this particular biz, the Watterses are familiar with trends in the world of cheese. No. 1 explains that people are looking for stronger flavours these days: “They want more aroma and complexity in their cheeses,” he says. For her part, No. 2 says that customers have lots of questions about fat content, sodium levels and lactose intolerance. “Adrian can bring a lot of knowledge to that,” she says.
It helps that Adrian has a degree in food and nutrition from the University of Alberta (the program even included palate training) and that both Cheeseheads were well trained in service at Earls. Adrian was a line cook, Carie Lee was a supervisor at the former Earls restaurant on Southport Road, a curd’s throw from their Willow Park shop. That was over 20 years ago, and they’ve been together ever since, including a stint in Edmonton to attend university (Carie Lee studied occupational therapy). They moved back to Calgary in 1996, and now have two toddlers and a cheese shop to tend to.
The cheese shop arrived first. Adrian had been working in the beer and cheese wholesale business, while Carie Lee had consulted as an occupational therapist. They thought that selling a commodity rather than a service might be worthwhile and felt a good cheese shop on the south side of the city was needed. So they approached Tom Hemsworth, owner of the original Springbank Cheese Shop on 14th Street N.W., and worked out an arrangement. Shortly thereafter, the Watters’ independently owned Springbank Cheese opened. (Since then, two more Springbanks, also independently owned, have opened in Crowfoot and Marda Loop.)
The Watters’ shop generally features at least 350 cheeses from around the world and up to 400 at Christmastime. The pickings range from fresh Quebec curds to the stinkiest of rind-washed cheeses, and from modestly priced cheddars to a Brillat-Savarin with truffles that goes for $15 per 100 grams. There’s growing interest in Canadian artisanal cheeses as well, and requests for hard-to-find fromages from far-flung locales like Portugal and Norway.
At this time of year, there’s always Cheesehead No. 1’s port-soaked Stilton, too. A couple of months ago, to prepare for the Christmas crowd, Adrian poured a blend of Fonseca ports over 56 kilos of Stilton. It’s been soaking ever since and has been flying off the shelf the past few weeks—just in time for your holiday indulgence.
10816 Macleod Tr. S. (Willow Park Village), 403-225-6040, springbankcheese.ca.
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Cheeseheads of Different Stripes
Staff at Springbank Cheese in Willow Park Village are known for their signature striped caps. Inspired by a similar concept the Watterses saw on the Internet, the caps look like the ones worn by surgeons. Cheeseheads at the other Springbank stores wear them, too, but each store’s are made from a different fabric.
