Berkeley Springs cheese shop and pub inspired by European travels

written by TRICIA LYNN STRADER

When musician Regina AaMacha went to France in the late 1990s to perform, she not only had a change of scenery, but began on a journey that changed her life. She found she enjoyed French cheeses and wine so much, she wanted to bring some of them back home to the United States.

“I got in the habit of eating great cheese, bread and wine,” AaMacha said. “When I came back to Delaware, I worked at Beautiful Foods, a cheese shop, and that introduced me to cheeses from around the world. I studied about European cheeses and cooking styles, and learned how to make artistically designed cheese platters.”

She opened Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop when she moved to Clearwater, Fla.

Regina AaMacha, owner of Fleur de Lis cheese shop and Ravenwood Pub.

Submitted photo

“I taught classes at a wine bar on pairing wine and cheese in Florida,” she said.

She lived in the historic town of Berkeley Springs in Morgan County, W.Va., before residing in Delaware. In 2018, she returned to the Eastern Panhandle, and moved Fleur de Lis from Clearwater.

“Here, it’s more of a market with European food, wine and cheese, and I do a few classes like I did in Florida. Right now, I’m doing Wednesday night classes online,” Aamacha said.

Fleur de Lis cheese shop

Photo by Tricia Lynn Strader

As this story was being written, some social-distancing rules were still in place due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and AaMacha was conducting her classes on pairing wine and cheese at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.

“I pick a cheese and wine, and talk about the cheese - where it was made, the characteristics, pairing a wine, what to pair in the way of foods with them, etc.,” AaMacha said. “When I first became interested in the cheeses, a guy who taught me had a huge map. I learned geography actually from cheese. I do cooking classes, too.”

Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop products include European cheeses and those made locally, wine, specialty sodas, fruit-flavored ciders - pear, berry and apple - and handmade crackers. The shop also has jams, bread, dried fruits, meats and nuts.

Gouda cheese

Submitted photo

Offerings also include cheese boards and cheese slicers from local artist Jesse Harden, and glass cheese plates made locally by Veronica Wilson of Frog Valley Artisans.

“My products are 90% European,” AaMacha said. “I have cheese from England, France, Spain, Switzerland and Denmark. But I also have Canadian products, domestic handmade crackers that come from North Carolina, and West Virginia cheese, like Shepherd’s Whey Creamery, made with goat’s milk.”

A selection of cheeses available at Fleur de Lis cheese shop.

Photo by Tricia Lynn Strader.

‘Aha moments’

Many cheeses associated with a certain region originally can be from somewhere else, but the style or method of making them travels around the world. For example, Manchego is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. AaMacha said Shepherd’s Whey, located in the Eastern Panhandle, makes a cheese in the style of Manchego with goat’s milk.

“It’s the same with Wisconsin cheese,” she said. “The cheddar recipe that originated in Cheddar, England, traveled to other areas. I talk about all the ‘aha moments’ about the cheese and where it came from when I teach a class.”

Fleur de Lis isn’t the only business AaMacha opened in Berkeley Springs. In January 2019, she established Ravenwood Pub as a complement to the cheese shop. It has a full commercial kitchen and offers baked breads, sandwiches, beer cheese soup and more. The dining room seats 17, and dinners are by reservation. AaMacha sets up her dinners for the dietary needs of patrons, and builds meals around a theme with the main course and cheeses, wine and desserts.

Cheese platter

Submitted photo

“I make the focus on a wine dinner,” she said. “Ravenwood is set up for intimate dinners. I’ll do a five-course dinner and pick the wine a person likes, building the meal around the wine.”

Doing so allows AaMacha to get to know her customers, their specific food desires and dietary needs.

“It’s almost like having a personal chef,” AaMacha said. “It’s a fun way to do it, and I really enjoy feeding people and enjoy them loving the food. People tell me often it’s the best meal in their life.”

She has a particular interest in using wild game meats in her dinners, such as venison, rabbit, elk and wild boar.

Cheese and wine pairing

Submitted photo

“I like to make comfort food like bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, and smoked sausage and sauerkraut,” AaMacha said. “I use products from the cheese shop, and everything is of the highest quality available. Meats are from grass-fed animals and antibiotic-free. I spend a little more on food products, but it’s reflected in the taste of the meal.”

During the coronavirus shutdown, the number of customers is limited at Fleur de Lis. Soups, sandwiches, shepherd’s pie and other meals can be prepared at Ravenwood, but orders must be placed in advance.

Ravenwood Pub presents Facebook Live cooking events.

Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop is on the square in Berkeley Springs at 15 Fairfax St., across from Berkeley Springs State Park.

Ravenwood Pub is on W.Va. 9, at 206 Martinsburg Road.

For more information, find Ravenwood Pub or Fleur de Lis Cheese Shop on Facebook, or call 727-742-8333. On the web, go to fleurdelischeeseshop.com or www.ravenwoodpub.com.