Gordon Edgar was the voice on the telephone from Rainbow Grocery. Rainbow is a workers’ cooperative that grew from a San Francisco ashram’s food-buying club in 1975. If you have food-loving family in from out of town, Rainbow is a fascinating stop on a tour of foodie San Francisco. Practically all online reviewers ooze praise of the opulent cheese selection, which is Gordon’s department. Your visitors will also enjoy the astonishing bulk foods, plus the occasional mob lynching of SUVs in the car park (leave yours a couple of streets away) and the European egalitarianism of packing your own bags at check-out.
I met Gordon face to face at one of the American Cheese Society competitions. In a distinguished cheese career, that began long before cheese careers were trending, he has judged and written about American cheeses with flair and humor. He makes me laugh and I trust his advice on cheese and selling cheese. Plus I love it when we can’t make it to a cheese show, but Gordon will be there and if we’ve won an award, he’ll collect it for us and bring it to the farm with fanfare!
I am both proud and humble to announce cheese classes with Gordon at Harley Farms. The first class, on farmstead cheeses, is on Monday May 28th. Your chance to meet Gordon, one of my cheese heros.