FSR August 2022

peppercorns—all of these are definitely starting to show up more,” Priolo says. Though his own cooking stays rooted in Italian cuisine, Priolo has noticed an uptick in the availability of other inter national cheeses. He says Mexican vari eties like queso fresco and Oaxaca cheese are becoming more common—even at restaurants that aren’t necessarily Mex ican concepts. Fried halloumi (a Greek staple) is also becoming more popular, he adds. “Ten to 20 years ago, you couldn’t eas ily find these cheeses unless you were in a specialty market or the country where the cheese comes from,” he says. “Now, with better and more modern trans portation, cheeses from other cultures are available. You just couldn’t get hal loumi or legit Greek feta unless you were in Greece.” And demand for cheese is as strong as ever. USDA data shows that between 2009 and 2019, per capita consump tion of cheese increased 19 percent. And according to market research company Statista, U.S. customers consumed just shy of 40 pounds of cheese per capita in 2021—second only to Europe, where consumers eat an average of nearly 45 pounds annually. “There’s no question about it. I love cheese. It’s a great element of a dish,” says Susan Feniger, a chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and former television personality. She is also the co-owner of the California-based micro-chain Bor der Grill. Along with her business partner Mary Sue Milliken, Feniger opened the first Border Grill in 1985, with a menu featuring regional recipes inspired by home cooks from all over Mexico. Since debuting 37 years ago, Border Grill brand has grown to multiple locations, food trucks, and a catering business, as well as additional concepts like Socalo and BBQ Mexicana. For Feniger, cheese is more than an ingredient that adds flavor to a dish. She uses cheese as a way to structurally for tify certain dishes. “We’ll take a mixture of cheeses and melt it on the comal [a flat griddle] to

QUESO FUNDIDO IS OFTEN SERVED FLAMBÉ.

SUZANNE LANZA

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make it crispy. Then we lay the tortilla over it and flip it over,” she says. “It not only acts as an additional layer, but it also acts as a barrier for the tortilla so it doesn’t get soggy.” Feniger says the recent popularity of dishes like quesabirria (a corn tortilla filled with melted Mexican cheese and stewed meat) has made more obscure, cheese-centric Mexican dishes main stream. As quesabirria breaks out of regional markets and into the national restaurant scene, she believes authentic Mexican cheeses will become increas ingly prevalent beyond California and other border states. “Mexican cheeses are certainly more available than when we first opened Bor der Grill,” she says. “At one point you could only find these cheeses in Los Angeles, but now, they’re everywhere.” In terms of other cheese trends, Feni ger predicts some dishes that have fallen out of favor in recent decades could be poised for a resurgence. “You used to see a breaded and fried brie on a lot of menus, but that hasn’t

been around for a while,” she says. “But, I think it’s such a good dish, and it’s comforting. It’s perfect for today’s din ing environment where customers are looking for something familiar.” Feniger says raclette, an Alpine dish with Swiss cheese melted over pota toes, has a chance at making a come back, especially given the spectacle of it. Raclette is regularly prepared tableside, with servers melting the cheese directly from the wheel onto the plate. “With so many people using their home for entertainment over the last several years, I think now people want to head out for that experience,” she says. Fondue is another dish Feniger thinks could return to glory. The once popular menu item hasn’t seen the same demand as it once did in the 1960s and ’70s, but a bevy of new cheeses to melt might give it a legup. “I could imagine [fondue] making a big comeback,” Feniger says. “It’s such a great dish. I think you could turn it into something really interesting. I’d love to see that.”

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FSRMAGAZINE.COM

AUGUST 2022