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Sarasota's Rosemary District is about to get cheesier.
The up-and-coming neighborhood will have a new addition next spring — a bigger, badder Artisan Cheese Co.
The cheese shop and popular lunch venue has been on lower Main Street in Sarasota for nearly six years. But owner Louise Converse (otherwise known as Cheese Louise) cited obstacles with the current location, including not enough parking, a too-small shop and low visibility behind trees. Converse tells Coffee Talk they even call the shop's small kitchen an “Easy-Bake kitchen,” referring to the popular toy oven.
Converse opted to secure a larger space that would better suit the business. She found one in the Rosemary District, just north of downtown. Artisan Cheese Co. will move there likely in April, but until then the shop will continue to operate out of its Main Street location.
The new shop will be dubbed Artisan Cheese Co., Kitchen + Provisions at Rosemary Place. The name refers to the company's planned expansion, not just in size, but in offerings — it will have a private tasting room, a bigger wine selection, ice cream, more tables and a farm shop with local eggs and milk. She declined to disclose the total cost of the project.
The plan also includes an apprentice kitchen where young women can learn about the food industry and how to cook from scratch to help them build skills for a career in the hospitality industry. The apprentices will make preserves, pickles and other products to help defray the costs of the program.
“What's happened over the years is we've noticed that we mentor,” Converse says. “We don't have any formal program, but it's just how we approach bringing in employees. We teach them and watch them have confidence in the fact that they can hold a knife and make a soup from scratch.”
Converse was inspired by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and his apprentice program in London. That program also helps young people learn about kitchens and restaurants. “I've always been a fan of his model,” Converse says. “I got to thinking about why not me?”
Another twist: Converse turned to the crowd-funding website Kickstarter to generate funds for the project. Through the campaign, Converse is trying to raise $45,000 to help with the costs of the apprentice program, including kitchen supplies. “We are going to redirect in a really great way young women's lives in a safe place,” she says. The program, she says, will become “the heartbeat of the whole shop.”
Editor's Note: This story was updated to reflect the style of ice cream that is going to be served at the new store.
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