With over 150 gourmet cheeses in store at any time, it’s no surprise that Chronogram readers chose Cheese Louise in Kingston as their favorite cheese shop. For over 10 years, owner Rick Regan has been curating a diverse selection of delicacies that long ago put the Route 28 shop on the region’s gourmet foods map.
From nutty aged Alpine cheeses to an indulgent triple-cream black truffle Brie to adventurous washed-rind varieties like Stinking Bishop, the shop’s larders offer a global cheesemaking journey. “Many people say they feel like they’re in a shop in Europe,” says Regan.
And for good reason. It was Regan’s experience living in Europe for a dozen years after his military service that instilled a lifelong love of its cheese and charcuterie-centric cuisines. After moving back to his native Kingston and running a cafe and pizzeria in the Rondout for many years, he opened Cheese Louise in 2010 with his since-retired business partner, Megan Sam McDevitt, as a way to fill a much-needed niche in the local food scene.
In addition to its selection of cheeses, today the shop is also known for its finely tuned selection of charcuterie (including the much sought-after, authentic Jamón Ibérico DeBellota), crackers, jams, hand-sliced smoked salmon, caviar, and prepared foods.
Tucked inside Route 28’s “Gourmet Row” along with Blue Mountain Bistro-to-Go, the Wine Hutch, and La Bella Pasta, Cheese Louise has become a must-stop for its devoted local customers and Catskills-bound tourists alike. Much of the shop’s success (which has only sped up during the pandemic) Regan attributes to its central location and his team’s focus on service. “We’re a true mom and pop store,” he says. “We have fun with our customers, and people know when they come in who they’re going to see behind the counter.”
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This article appears in July 2021.
