The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills facts for kids
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills in 2015
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| Private | |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Founder | Sigmund Roth |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Key people
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Norbert Wabnig |
| Products | Gourmet foods, most notably cheese |
| Owner | Dominik DiBartolomeo |
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills is a special food shop in Beverly Hills, California. It is famous for having a huge collection of 500 to 600 different cheeses! They also sell wines and other tasty treats, like very rare caviar. Many food magazines, like Bon Appétit and Entrepreneur, have written about it as a great place for food lovers. The store says it has the biggest collection of goat's and sheep's milk cheeses anywhere. Norbert Wabnig, who used to own the store, became a well-known person in Los Angeles.
The store is in an old brick building from the 1920s. It has provided food to many fancy restaurants in Los Angeles, like Wolfgang Puck’s Spago. It also supplied the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
Contents
History of the Cheese Store
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills started in 1967. It was first a part of a bigger company called Cheese Shop International. Colonel Sigmund Roth founded this branch.
In 1978, Norbert Wabnig bought the store. He had worked there during the day while also playing music at night. Norbert changed the store's name to The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. He made it feel more like a European shop, which it still does today. Norbert often said he liked how the store brought people together. They often held wine tasting events there.
In 2004, Norbert Wabnig started the American Artisanal Treasure Awards. He created these awards to celebrate people who make special handmade foods. Awards are given for the best cheese, best olive oil, and best condiment.
In 2005, the store started selling its own wine called Scoundrel. It was a cabernet wine made by Sylvester Vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Norbert's daughter, Talia, designed the label for the wine.
In June 2023, The Cheese Store moved to a new location. It is now at 9705 South Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
Special Products at the Store
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills is known for carrying hard-to-find and high-end ingredients. Over the years, they have sold many unique items. These include Austrian pumpkin seed oil and fresh truffles when they are in season. They also offer different kinds of French butter and Russian caviar. You can find French and Spanish hams, Italian prosciutto, and 25 different kinds of extra virgin olive oil.
The store cares about the environment. They encourage customers to bring their own bottles. Then, the store fills these bottles with olive oil.
About the Owner, Norbert Wabnig
Norbert Wabnig was born in Vienna, Austria, on August 11, 1948. In 1955, his family moved to New Orleans. But they went back to Vienna every summer. There, Norbert learned to cook in his uncle's restaurant. It was a popular place for famous people.
After college, Norbert moved to Los Angeles. He wanted to be a musician with his band, Wendell Nightfall Troupe. To earn money, Norbert got a job at what became The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. He later bought the store in 1978.
Norbert travels around the world to find new cheeses for the store. He is a member of the American Cheese Society. He also helps top cooking schools with their cheese courses. These schools include The Cordon Bleu Program and The New School of Cooking.
Norbert Wabnig and Ruthie Grahm wrote the theme song for the Los Angeles chapter of Meals on Wheels.
Awards and Recognition
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills has received many awards:
- It got a 2-Leaf ranking from Greenopia Los Angeles in 2008–2009. This recognized it as a Distinguished Business.
- MyFoxLA voted it the Best Cheese Shop in Los Angeles in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
- Editors and readers of the Los Angeles Best of Citysearch website poll gave it the “Best Gourmet Food Store” award in 2006 and 2007.
- Zagat rated it #1 Overall, #1 for Cheese, and #1 for Beverly Hills every year from 1997 to 2001. In Zagat’s 1999/2000 Survey, it was one of only two food places to get a score of 29 points.
- Los Angeles Magazine included the store in its "Best of LA 1996" list.
Images for kids
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The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills in 2015
