By Gordon Edgar –
(It’s hard to write an article about cheese, or any food, while SNAP benefits are still in jeopardy for millions of people nationwide. While this piece will celebrate the special seasonal cheeses that we only get for a few months a year—some of which were pre-ordered months ago—remember that we also keep our prices low on California Mild Cheddar and Monterey Jack, have a dedicated sale area we fondly refer to as the “Good Deal Grotto,” and the store has given a discount on EBT purchases for years. Hang in there, friends.)
There is no more exciting time of the year for cheese lovers than right now. A whole bunch of rare and seasonal cheeses are arriving this month that you only have a chance to eat for a short time. The food holidays are on the horizon so it’s time to start thinking about what you are going to serve to friends and family, or just eat in bed by yourself while avoiding friends and family. These cheeses work for any occasion. I’m not gonna lie; most of these are super expensive. But they are among the best cheeses in the world.
Rush Creek – We wait all year for our two deliveries of Rush Creek (one in November, one in December). Rush Creek is one of the two main raw milk Vacherin Mont d’or-style cheeses made in the U.S. (Jasper Hill Winnimere, November–April is the other). And, seriously, if you haven’t tried it, do yourself a favor. This is one of the best cheeses of the year and one of the best cheeses made in the United States: rich, buttery, earthy, woodsy, dank, slightly pungent, grassy, and bacony. Yes, those are a lot of words, but Rush Creek is one of the most complex and tasty cheeses you will ever try.
Winnimere – This is just another one of the best cheeses made in the U.S. from Jasper Hill in Vermont. It is a seasonal, raw milk, bark-wrapped circle of awesomeness. An old Rainbow cheese worker used to describe it as “brie if it were dragged through the bacon forest.” It is rich, creamy, earthy, woodsy, meaty, and amazing. It’s usually not here until January, but Winnimere came in early this year.
Brabender Reserve – Betty Koster runs a cheese shop in Amsterdam and oversees the aging of the L’amuse Gouda. Because of the limited quantity of goat milk, once a year (November and December) they release the Brabender Reserve. Sweet, tangy, and big, this is a cheese that people wait for all year. We even keep a call-list to let people know it’s in. This cheese used to be known as “Black Betty” because it is aged by Betty Koster and enrobed in black wax.
Rogue River Blue – This is the first American-made cheese ever to win Grand Champion at the World Cheese Awards (2020). We have been carrying RRB since the very beginning and eagerly await the fall equinox every year when this cheese is released. It is Oregon organic milk blue cheese wrapped in grape leaves that are soaked in pear brandy. Aged 9–11 months, Rogue River Blue is a complex, sweet, fruity, crystalline, well-balanced blue. This is truly an amazing cheese and one of America’s best. Warning: This is the most expensive cheese we carry.
Big Sky Grana – Willi Lehner is a Wisconsin cheesemaking genius. He makes cheese in other people’s factories and then brings the cheese back to high solar/wind powered caves built into the hillsides of Blue Monds, Wisconisn. The Big Sky Grana is his rarest cheese: we usually only get one or two wheels a year! This is the only American cheese we cut with Parmigiano Reggiano knives, because Big Sky is aged and hard like a parmesan but it is sweeter and saltier. Just crumble it and eat it. You will love it.
Hudson Valley Camembert – Not a rare cheese on the East Coast, this camembert is a sheep and cow milk blend that was a staple in our department for years. Unfortunately, they lost local distribution so we haven’t had it in a long time. We recently got in a few wheels—with no more on the horizon—so come and get it!
Alpha Tolman Black Label – Jasper Hill grades all their batches of cheese. Only batches that score a perfect ten out of ten carry their Black Label and they never know there will be enough to sell out here on the West Coast. They call this Black Label “Spruce Juice” because it is so woodsy and earthy. Alpha Tolman, even when not the Black Label, is a great Alp-style cheese from Vermont, getting better every year. We only have one wheel of the Black Label, so get it while you can.
Pleasant Ridge Reserve – This is available all year long, so I am cheating a little here, but we sell about five times as much as usual in November and December. It is a grass-based Wisconsin cheese by the same producer who makes the Rush Creek. Pleasant Ridge is a three-time winner of Best in Show at the American Cheese Society.
Gruyere de Savoie – Finally, a bargain cheese! This cheese makes the Swiss all mad because they control the name “Gruyere,” but if you go to the French side of the mountains, locally all the cheese is called “Gruyere de Comte” or “Gruyere de Savoie.” Anyway, this aged cheese is great for all your cooking needs and it’s the best deal we can get from the Alps in these
tariffy times. We have about 300 pounds, but that will have to do for the rest of 2025.
More surprises, rarities, and fun one-off cheeses are due in every week, so be sure to ask the monger at the counter what is special when you come in.
Gordon Edgar loves cheese and worker co-ops and has been combining these infatuations as the cheese buyer for Rainbow Grocery Cooperative since 1994. He serves on the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition Committee and is a member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Edgar has written two books on cheese—”Cheesemonger” (2010) and “Cheddar” (2015)—and lives in San Francisco with his adorable white mini schnauzer named Fillmore Grumble. He writes about grief, and sometimes cheese, at https://bit.ly/42IwYf0
Over the Rainbow Cheese Counter
Published on November 20, 2025
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