By Rich Fisher
Rudie Smit offers his visitor a seat at the counter that looks upon the oft-congested Palmer Square West, which is quiet on this late summer Monday.
”When it gets busy you get to see a lot of great sites,” he says, before adding with a playful grin, “and some incredible feats of parallel parking. I’ve seen many people give up after four or five tries. I saw one person hit a lamp post.”
His smile remains impish as he says, “It’s not just cheese here.”
Ahhh, but 99 percent of it is about cheese in Olsson’s Fine Foods in Princeton. Wonderful, glorious, delicious, aromatic (for better or worse) cheese. Although cheese is not in the store’s title, Olsson’s is Cheese Heaven.
Much like ice cream rules the dessert world, cheese lords over the snacks, appetizers and toppings kingdom. Cheese and crackers. Cheese and fruit. Cheeseburgers. Cheese steaks. Cheese sticks. Cheese Doodles. Some just like plain old cheese. Who could forget George Costanza telling Jerry that he couldn’t wait to spend his newfound summer of freedom eating a block of cheese in his apartment?
”Cheese Season” is rapidly approaching, as everyone likes to enjoy some wine and cheese during the crisp autumn months and holiday season.
Which begs the question, just what is it about cheese?
”When you eat a bit of cheese you typically are in a position where you sit down at a table or in front of a TV or with a good book, and it’s a time of relaxation,” Mr. Smit said. “The cheese just makes that time extra special. Or you can add it to a food and it makes a whole different kind of food.”
Mr. Smit and wife Jen have owned Olsson’s for over eight years, moving it from the Trenton Farmers Market to Princeton just over five years ago. For them, cheese is a mixture of sheer pleasure and serious business. As in, they are serious about getting customers to appreciate good cheese as they do.
”We are passionate about cheese,” Rudie said. “When people come into the store, we want them to have a very pleasurable cheese experience. It’s the number-one goal in this store, to have people enjoy cheese.
”You have to enjoy cheese. That’s what we’re trying to do. If it takes us six, seven tastes of cheese, we will find you a cheese you’ll like. So that’s what it’s all about. Hopefully we’ll make people passionate about cheese just as we are. That’s our aim.”
It’s hard not to be taken in by the swirling bonds of cheese upon entering the shop, which offers a snug, inviting feel and possesses that alluring, distinct aroma. At the left are shelves of crackers, chutneys and jams, which all are condiments for the main event. On the right are display cases of every cheese one could think of, with more condiments on the top shelf.
During the upcoming peak season, there will be between 200 and 250 different cheeses available. Mr. Smit estimates the store sells cheese from 25 different counties, with France, Italy, England, Holland and the U.S. being the main suppliers. For those who want to grab a quick lunch, homemade soup, macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches are offered.
Olsson’s has fast become a Princeton staple, as yet another business world dropout has moved on to true enjoyment in life.
Hailing from Holland, Mr. Smit worked at a dairy during summer vacation. It was there he learned the process of making cheese. He and Jen re-located to England for 12 years before moving to America 14 years ago. They were part of corporate America until the economy got dicey in 2008, “and we said, ‘OK, we need to have Plan B,” Mr. Smit said.
Around that time, Jen’s mom, Pat Berman, came across an interesting tidbit. A customer at Olsson’s, she learned that the store was being sold by its second owner. She shared the news with Rudie and Jen that Thanksgiving.
The Smits were familiar with Olssons, which had been in business for 22 years and supplied the cheese for their 1986 wedding. They took over the operation eight years ago and three years later made the logical move Princeton, where quality gourmet foods are always welcome. Because of Olsson’s previous success, they decided to maintain the original name.
”But when we answer the phone we always say, ‘Olsson’s Fine Foods and Cheese,’” Mr. Smit said. “It is cheese that we’re all about.”
Olsson’s does not make its own cheese and, due to the complicated process of importing, the cheese is purchased through U.S. distributors. However, when it comes to cheeses from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, the Olssons buy directly from cheesemakers.
”We say we’re a local source for international cheeses,” Mr. Smit said, “but we’re also a local source for local cheeses.”
Mr. Smit noted Olsson’s most popular cheeses are a triple cream, a 5-year-old cheddar and a 5-year-old Gouda. He explained that the triple cream is a Brie style in which two different extra creams are added. For those worried about their waistline, he said, “the good news is the cream is only in the dry matter and 75 percent of the cheese is water. So, I can explain that problem away if you want to.”
Some cheeses, such as Gouda, feature six or seven varieties. The cases are organized by milk type, featuring sections of goat, sheep, cow, bleu, extra creamy and aromatic; i.e., smelly cheeses.
There are two steadfast laws Olsson customers must obey. If someone points at a cheese, they get a sampling. And anyone wishing to purchase a cheese must taste it first.
”The rule of the store is ‘You cannot buy, unless you try,’” Mr. Smit said. “I do not want the first time that people open a cheese and try it to be at home. It can be a nice experience, but I want to avoid that it’s not a nice experience. I want to make sure they leave the store with the cheese they tasted and that they like it. We call it quality control.”
The tasting must be done that day. If someone tried a cheese a week ago, and then comes back to purchase it, they have to try it again.
”I give them a little sample to make sure they still like it,” Mr. Smit said. “We have artisanal cheeses, and they’re not always the same. It’s an artisanal process. The milk might be slightly different, it might be a different season, so these cheeses vary. It might just be that it’s gone into a direction that a customer doesn’t particularly like.”
Mr. Smit is convinced, however, that he has the right cheese for everyone.
”We will pinpoint a cheese that goes with your taste buds,” he said. “We can basically gauge from what you don’t like, as to what you will like.”
The Smits pride themselves on that attention to detail. But they don’t want visitors to just enjoy the cheese. They want them to know something about it.
”We try to educate our customers,” Mr. Smit said. “I like to have customers leave the store with a little story about the cheeses that they bought. So if they have a party, it’s not just that they put the cheese on the table and say ‘I don’t know what it is, but try it.’ I want them to have something to tell their friends and family about the cheese.”
It doesn’t take long to realize Mr. Smit is a natural-born storyteller. He weaves information and humor throughout his tales, keeping them light-hearted yet still educational. He shared a story about the Vento D’Estate cheese, which is Italian for Summer Wind, and is a cheese that’s aged in Alpine hay. When cheesemaker Antonia Carpendo and wife Giuseppina were driving in the mountains one day, they got stuck behind an egg cart.
”With the windows down and the summer breeze, the smells of the hay came into the car,” Mr. Smit said. “So Antonio said to his wife ‘You know that cheese I just made? I’m going to age that in vats, filled with that hay.’ And to this day the cheese comes covered in hay.”
He added, though, that for a while there was too much hay. When merchants complained, Mr. Carpendo sent shipments with no hay. Then they complained that they wanted some hay.
”Now we get a little bit of hay, I think we found the golden means,” Mr. Smit said. “The poor guy couldn’t do right for doing wrong.”
Those are the kind of tales one will get from the Smits and their staff, which must be equally knowledgeable about the products.
”Depending on the affinity they have with cheese, it typically takes six to eight weeks before they’re up to par,” Mr. Smit said. “People who come in here want to know the facts around the cheese. That takes a while to learn.”
Olsson’s also offers cheese classes — one on how to make mozzarella and Burrata cheese, and another on cheese appreciation. The store also features gift boxes that can be bought off the shelf or custom made.
One thing is certain, the Smits love of what they do easily comes through in their service and products.
”I come into this store whistling and I leave this store whistling. I might be whistling all day long. It’s what my wife and I are both passionate about,” he said about cheese — not whistling. “We love what we do, we’re passionate about our cheeses, we think we have a very nice selection. We want to be different in that we want (customers) to leave the store not just for the cheese, but also with a nice tasting experience and with a story.”
Whether it’s a story about a cheese ore an inept parallel parker, it’s always entertaining when Rudy Smit tells it.
Olsson’s Fine Foods is located on 53 Palmer Square W., Princeton. For more information, go to olssonsfinefoods.com or call 609-924-2210.
