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Sometimes if all three of them are together, they can be a tough crowd.
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I would say my youngest daughter has surpassed my palate.” “The kids absolutely loved it,” Nelsen said. She raised two daughters, training them to have good palates through tasting classes. “I will say I’m very Midwestern in that spice, for me, meant add more salt and pepper to the gravy that goes with the mashed potatoes and the meat,” Nelsen said. But, she notes, they did cook from scratch, supplementing meals with produce from their home gardens. Her family didn’t celebrate the subtle notes of wine over candlelit dinners. She moved around the Midwest as her father took on different jobs, including some time as an animal nutritionist. Nelsen was born in Fargo, N.D., but didn’t stay there long. But what makes her even more unique among Orange County’s finest palates is that she’s also a level 2 cicerone (a beer expert as determined by Cicerone Certification Program) and certified sommelier.Ĭuriously enough, Nelsen says the cheese test was as hard as the wine one. She is officially certified by the American Cheese Society. Beyond just aging, a lot of things affect the outcome, like water and grass.Īs cheesemonger, Nelsen knows all this. When it comes to cheese, there is a lot to know: where it was made, its aging process, regional traditions. “Cheese is a living thing,” Nelsen explained. As they nibbled, Nelsen used words few associate with cheese: “crystal terracing,” “woodsy,” “microbes.” With Nelsen’s guidance, the diners rounded their plates. “It doesn’t get better than that, in my opinion.” “You can feast on cheese,” Nelsen said at the outset. But that wasn’t going to stop this party. It was a greatest hits culmination, as the five were highlights from past monthly cheese events held at SideDoor.Ī sixth cheese was planned for the class but didn’t arrive in time. The room’s fireplace blazed, giving the event the cozy feel of a small private party.īefore hitting the buffet, each participant tasted a plate of five cheeses paired with five drinks. Five Crowns, which is themed like an English inn and pub, staged the class in one of its dining rooms adjacent to its famed greenhouse and open-air patio.
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Nelsen wore an apron emblazoned with various types of cheese for the occasion. It featured a cheese lesson led by Nelsen and a buffet table elegantly displaying more than 25 different cheeses from several creameries. For cheese lovers, this event, pitched as an “ultimate cheese and charcuterie backyard party,” there was no better place to be. On a cold evening in January, Nelsen was busy working the first of 2020’s biannual gatherings.
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For years the Corona del Mar institution has hosted monthly cheese-centric events and a biannual gathering that’s truly golden for anyone who loves the fromage. At Five Crowns and SideDoor, this is taken seriously. She plans the cheese menus, executes the cheese party planning and does the cheese purchasing. She serves as the house leader of cheeses. Nelsen has to know her stuff for a role that’s uncommon, even in the restaurant world. It’s a funny-sounding word, but becoming a certified cheesemonger is no joke. At Five Crowns restaurant and its pub, SideDoor, Tracy Nelsen has a unique job title: cheesemonger.