Photos courtesy of Brent Delman
With Shavuot around the corner, many of us are already craving the lavish dairy meals associated with the holiday. Fun fact about me: I never liked cheese growing up. And when I tell people I don’t like mac and cheese, they often get personally offended.
My first real cheese epiphany happened three years ago at an authentic Italian restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. That was when I discovered what a good pasta-and-cheese dish should actually taste like. Since then, my view on cheese has completely changed—though I’m still not a fan of the boxed stuff.
So with cheese on the mind, I figured it was the perfect time to talk to “The Cheese Guy” himself, Brent Delman, and find out what cheeses he would try this Shavuot.
Shavuot is the perfect holiday for a cheeseboard.
Who exactly is The Cheese Guy? One of the few artisanal kosher cheese producers in the country, Delman is based in Yonkers, New York, but works with farms throughout the US and overseas to provide a diverse array of specialty cheeses to kosher, vegetarian and gluten-free consumers. Some of his cheeses, which include hard, aged domestic cheeses as well as bold, imported soft varieties, take years from recipe development to production. Below are some brie-lliant cheese ideas for Shavuot from Delman:
1. Go Hard on Hard Cheese
Delman recommends going all-in on aged hard cheeses this yom tov. Because the halachah states that one should refrain from eating meat for six hours after consuming sharp cheese, Shavuot is the perfect time to enjoy such cheeses without limitations. “Be committed to your dairy for forty-eight to fifty hours to enjoy some of the finest cheeses in the world,” he says, suggesting aged cheddar, sharp cheddar, pecorinos and sheep’s milk cheeses from Italy.
2. Pair it with Wine
When it comes to wine pairings, the rule of thumb is intensity with intensity. “In general, white wines pair better with cheese,” he says. “But for serious cheese lovers, full-bodied reds like Bordeaux, cabernet sauvignon and merlot work beautifully with aged, sharp cheeses. You don’t want one flavor overpowering the other.” As for more creative pairings, The Cheese Guy offers options like a beer cheddar and cranberry cheddar. He also recommends pairing beer cheddar with—you guessed it—beer, and enjoying cranberry cheddar with a fruity white like gewürztraminer.
3. Nacho Average Charcuterie
Delman believes Shavuot is the perfect holiday for a cheeseboard. “It’s a time to gather, celebrate and enjoy” he says. “Pick some favorite cheeses and try a few new ones. Add olives, crackers, nuts—make it fun. I like to say it’s like an Israeli breakfast, with a whole smorgasbord of cheese.”
The Guy Behind “The Cheese Guy”
Brent Delman grew up in a Jewish–Italian neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, surrounded by Amish farms. Though there was a Jewish presence in the area, Delman wasn’t raised observant. As he puts it, “We were culturally Jewish.”
His mother frequently visited the local Amish farmers’ markets, bringing home all kinds of specialty foods—cheese included. “We always had good cheese in the house. We always had good food in general,” he says. Delman credits his mother’s quality cooking and use of top-tier ingredients for inspiring his love of good food and great cheese.
While Delman studied political science at George Washington University, his passion for the food world never went away. After earning a master’s in business, his interest in his Jewish roots grew and he slowly began transitioning toward keeping kosher. “Being culturally Jewish was nice, but I knew I wanted to raise my children Jewish and pass on traditions. We weren’t going to have Jewish continuity with bagels and lox.” He was looking for something deeper—a spiritual anchor.
The Making of The Cheese Guy
After spending some time learning the food business, working for a major food distribution company to learn the industry, Delman went on to start his own specialty kosher food business. He brought to market trendy ingredients like dried cherries, blueberries, strawberries and sun-dried tomatoes, taking cues from what celebrity chefs were using at the time. In fact, Delman was one of the first kosher distributors of quinoa!
As he became more observant, the cheese segment of his business began to grow—but at that point, none of it was kosher. “I was handling all these amazing products . . . and I couldn’t even taste them!” he says.
“The innovative types of cheese that this company brings to the table have involved the OU with highly complex technical systems that until now were outside the realm of kosher cheese production.”
What Goes into Kosher Cheese?
Transitioning into kosher cheesemaking wasn’t simple. “There were a lot of variables,” Delman explains. Unlike baking, cheesemaking depends on a number of complex ingredients and processes—starting with rennet. Rennet is a set of enzymes (primarily chymosin) that coagulates milk, separating it into curds and whey.
The process begins by adding acid or rennet to milk, causing it to curdle. As the milk thickens—think cottage cheese—heat is added, and the mixture is drained, pressed and salted. Because milk is 80 percent water, the goal is to isolate its proteins and minerals, which ultimately form the cheese.
What makes The Cheese Guy brand truly stand out in the kosher market is its commitment to aging. Just like wine, cheese is aged in barrels under controlled temperatures (typically 50–55°F) and high humidity. During aging, the sugars and microbes in the cheese evolve, transforming texture from soft to hard, and flavor from mild to intense. The moisture slowly evaporates, leaving behind a rich, concentrated cheese.
Delman points to Parmesan as a prime example: in the US, cheese cannot legally be labeled “Parmesan” unless it’s been aged for a minimum of ten months. Delman ages his cheeses for years to achieve superior texture and flavor. [See this article by OU Kosher Rabbinic Coordinator Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer for a fuller explanation of cheesemaking: https://jewishaction.com/food/kashrut/say-cheese/.]
The Kashrut Challenges
To meet kosher standards, Delman had to not only reimagine his production processes but also develop new techniques from scratch. “We had to come up with creative solutions,” he says. “For example, when cheese is aged, it must be done in a separate room from non-kosher cheeses.” He began working with OU Kosher.
Delman shared his appreciation for working with OU Kosher. “I’ve had a very nice relationship with the OU over the years—especially Rabbi Gordimer,” he says. Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer is rabbinic coordinator at OU Kosher. He specializes in the dairy industry, where he manages the kosher certification programs for hundreds of plants. “We’re always in touch with him when creating new kosher recipes,” Delman says. “He once said we’re trailblazers in the cheese industry.”
“It has been terrific working with Mr. Delman and his staff,” Rabbi Gordimer states. “The innovative types of cheese that this company brings to the table have involved the OU with highly complex technical systems that until now were outside the realm of kosher cheese production.”
Even the brine tanks—used to soak certain cheeses for days—needed to be custom built with kosher brine solutions. Working with small, family-owned farms has been a game-changer, allowing The Cheese Guy to ensure full kosher compliance throughout the process.
Animal health is also a critical factor. “Whatever the animal consumes affects the milk.” In addition to cows’ milk, The Cheese Guy also uses milk from goats, sheep and even water buffalo. The milk’s fat content and protein levels—determined by the animal’s breed and diet—directly impact the cheese’s flavor and consistency.
Super Kosher: Beyond the Basics
As The Cheese Guy brand grew, Delman introduced a “Super Kosher” label for chalav Yisrael consumers. For chalav Yisrael cheese products, the production requirements are significantly more intense.
Actually, our best-tasting cheeses are our imported chalav Yisrael cheeses from Spain, Italy and France.
For starters, a mashgiach (kosher supervisor) must oversee the milking process from beginning to end. Some ingredients need to be swapped again—such as the rennet and bacterial cultures—to meet higher halachic standards. And here’s an interesting detail: in order to meet the heightened criteria involved with chalav Yisrael production, the milk must come from animals that haven’t undergone certain medical procedures—like displaced abomasum (DA) surgery, where a cow’s stomach is surgically pierced in order to alleviate gas buildup and aid digestion, after having moved to a different position that endangers the cow’s life. Such cows are not eligible under stricter kosher standards.
I asked Delman if the taste was noticeably different between the standard and chalav Yisrael versions of the cheeses. “Actually, our best-tasting cheeses are our imported chalav Yisrael cheeses from Spain, Italy and France,” he says. “So if anything, they’re better!”
Delman is proud of The Cheese Guy’s mission to offer varieties of cheese that taste great to kosher consumers who might have never had the opportunity to experience fine cheeses before. I, for one, can’t wait to expand my cheese palate.
Rachelly Eisenberger is associate digital editor of Jewish Action.