Food For Thought: That Cheese Place, Amherstburg

© Can Stock Photo/Kurhan

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That Cheese Place 580 A Middle Side Road

Amherstburg By David Clark

Well worth the short drive out to the county, That Cheese Place in Amherstburg is fully stocked with your favourite cheese and gourmet products and hoping to become your go to source for all things cheesy!

Open since April 2022, the business features fine cheeses from all over the world, including local Canadian cheeses. Whether you are into cow, sheep, goat milk or vegan favourites, this new local artisan and gourmet shop offers plenty of products to tickle your fancy.

“You may choose to sample a cheese before you buy a wedge,” says Gina VanDerGroef, Owner/Operator, along with her husband, Terry Wiley. “We want you to be happy with what you are taking home.”

Ensuring each of their customers has a personalized shopping experience is a top priority for the couple.

After all, the owners really “gouda” together well with the business as their own past job experiences showed them how to provide exceptional customer service!

VanDerGroef worked in a cheese and gourmet food retail store in Collingwood called Dags & Willow. Prior to this job, she worked in retail in the wine industry for five years.

Wiley has a background in business, which provides for a good balanced partnership in this endeavour.

“With over 170 cheeses in store, we offer artisan cheeses like the Fromage D’Affinois, a double cream brie that delivers on taste, a French delicacy,” Wiley points out.

For example, they carry a goat milk cheese covered in vegetable ash, called Grey Owl, from Quebec; Rossini Blue is an Italian Blue that is seasoned with grape marc and brushed with red wine, giving it a lovely sweetness and Morbier is a cheese from France with

Gina VanDerGroef and Terry Wiley operate That Cheese Place where you can find over 170 varieties of cheese from Ontario and around the world as well as local products such as deli meats. Photo by Rod Denis.

a layer of vegetable ash that separates the cheese made from morning milk and evening milk.

For local favourites, right out of Windsor, That Cheese Place carries Uniondale Mozzarella from Galati Cheese. There are lots of Ontario cheeses to choose from as well, such as Thea (a sheep milk cheddar from Lindsay’s Lenberg Farms), along with several Mountainoak Gouda selections out of New Hamburg.

At That Cheese Place they sample every cheese in stock. The staff is familiar with the products offered, so they can guide their customers to the perfect choice.

In addition to the great cheese choices, also available are cheese trays, platters, charcuterie boards, gift baskets and gift cards.

“All our trays and baskets are custom made currently, giving you the opportunity to personalize them,” explains VanDerGroef. “We can give an approximate price, or work within a budget.”

Inside the shop you can also purchase crackers, olives, spreads, oils, chocolate, snacks and beverages. Other goodies include local products like Pepperettes from Brenner Packers Ltd. in Windsor, and Kielbasa from Cottam Cold Storage Ltd. “We’re just at the beginning of this endeavour, and we are striving to become a staple in the community and beyond,” says VanDerGroef. “We are a great destination spot for cheese. We would like people to think of us when they need that certain special kind of cheese or a customized platter, cheese tray or gift basket.”

To view the hours of operation and the types of cheese available, check the shop’s website at: ThatCheesePlace.ca or their social media page: Facebook.com/ThatCheesePlace.