Wishes do come true.
Talk to me long enough and I'll start talking about all the interesting businesses I think Phoenix could use. A great independently owned cheese shop is always at the top of my list.
Well, it's finally happening. The fromage gods have listened. Cheese expert Lara Hardwick already owns a gourmet cheese distribution company, Fromage a Trois Fine Foods, and soon she'll be launching a sister business -- a retail shop called Petit Fromage.
It'll be opening sometime in the next few weeks within the D'licious Dishes space at 7th Avenue and Missouri, and will host a grand opening celebration on August 15.
Hardwick aims to have the biggest selection of interesting, artisanal and farmstead cheeses in the region -- generic Brie, no, P'tit Basque, yes! -- and will showcase everything from housemade mozzarella and burrata to sheep's milk ricotta and goat's milk butter. (Is Hardwick trying to give new meaning to "Dairy Queen"?) There will also be a selection of artisanal charcuterie.
D'licious Dishes has applied for its wine and beer license, Hardwick tells me, so this fall, Hardwick will be offering plenty of cheese pairings to eat in or take out.
And there's even more good news: by early 2010. she aims to open a full service cheese and winebar called Latteria in Arcadia.
