Austin's First Cheese Shop: Antonelli's
Austin's first cheese shop opened in Hyde Park over a month ago now, and has been wowing foodies and newbies alike. The project was initially dreamed up two-and-a-half years ago by John and Kendall Antonelli on their Spanish honeymoon, when the former decided to quit his C.P.A. job and set off for greener, um, pastures. The couple devoted themselves to learning all they could about cheese, including becoming members of the American Cheese Society and, in John's case, working on a French cheese farm. Along with former Central Market cheese guru Kelly Sheehan, the Antonellis bring lots of love and geeky expertise to their mission.
They'll also let you try anything in the store—in fact, they encourage it. Sincerity and a willingness to educate are the driving force behind Antonelli's.
"We really want to take the pretension out of cheese buying," says Kendall, whose husband adds, "We're all about getting artisinal cheeses to our customers and then helping them learn about it."
The cheese-case, which is updated weekly, includes mostly American farmstead cheeses as well as some high-quality imports. There are also several Texas selections, including a fresh goat cheese made by a Texas State student. Antonelli's also offers a good selection of virtually everything that goes well with cheese: olives, craft beer, wine, charcuterie, nuts and honey. For St. Patrick's Day, they've got a selection of Irish cheeses, such as the 9-month aged Darú and the hand-crafted Cashel Irish Blue Farmhouse Cheese.
