ALBANY – Is it a cheese counter or a gourmet soiree?  That’s the question that undoubtedly has crossed the minds of many a first-time visitor to the Honest Weight Food Coop on Central Avenue as they cross the threshold from the grocery aisles into the cheese department.

The department’s glass embankment is a treasure trove of locally made cheeses, as well as Parmesan’s and Triple Crème’s from around the world. It is here where Ericson, the department’s manager and purveyor, regales customers with attention and food. Anyone familiar with the reputation of the award-winning voluptuary knows, he doesn’t merely wait on customers, Ericson pampers them.

Even on a weekday morning it’s not unusual to see a small crowd gathered at the counter. Ericson leans forward and presents a wedge of creamy Tallegio on a wheat cracker with a watercress garnish to a woman on her first visit to the coop. She smiles and nods her approval while he reaches into the case for another cheese for her to sample.

I love feeding people,” says Ericson as he slices through a hunk of amber-colored Romano that he notes has been aged for six years. “It’s my way of nurturing the world…you gotta do that one way or another.”

Part of Ericson’s welcoming touch springs from his innate sense of hospitality, but since his department contains upwards of 400 varieties of cheeses from around the world as well as dozens of specialty foods and condiments, there’s also much information to be imparted.

“I know what to do with these cheeses, how to serve them, recipes, to use them in, so I try and educate the customers, so do my staff and my member workers,” he says. “They’re all foodies to one extent or another, and they’re all happy to be here."

Honest Weight is a member-owned and-operated consumer cooperative with a mission to promote more equitable, participatory and ecologically sustainable ways of living.

Ericson suddenly senses indecision in the air and rushes to the side of a customer pondering a small pyramid of Italian cheeses.

“If you’re tired of Romano, why don’t you try this Pecorino Toscano or Moliterno,” he suggests. “Both are fabulous drizzled with a little local honey, which is great for the immune system, by the way.”

Thanks to Ericson’s expertise and unparalleled interaction with his loyal customer base, the cheese department and Honest Weight itself continually win ‘best of’ awards from regional publications.

His epicurean sensibility gives him an almost uncanny ability to gravitate to some of the most sensual edible delights on the planet, from the piquant green olives grown along Italy’s Adriatic coastline to wheels of voluptuous triple crème’s from Normandy, or tiny glass bottles of white truffle oil from Saratoga Springs native has been in the food industry for most of his adult life, working as a chef at area restaurants before attending Peter Kump’s Cooking School (now the Institute of Culinary Education) in The certified pastry chef operated the gourmet bistro Gustav and Elizabeth’s on Lark Street before landing at Honest Weight a decade ago. Loyalists who had fallen in love with his desserts and elegant entrees from the Lark Street days followed him and the rest is history.

When he began 10 years ago at Honest Weight, the majority of the cheese inventory was imported.  Nowadays, however, Ericson reports that the abundance of well made locally produced cheeses and condiments have added an entirely new dimension to the department.

“Local products have come a long way,” said Ericson as he unwrapped a snow-white wheel of ash-ripened goat cheese made at R&G Cheese Makers in nearby Cohoes. “There’s a lot of mediocre cheese out there, both local and imported. If someone wants to sell here, they have to guarantee their milk hasn’t been contaminated with growth hormones or any of that nonsense.”

He estimates that a third of his department is now stocked with locally made products, from hard and soft cheeses to jams and chutneys, desserts, and gourmet sauces such as the customer favorite, “Buddhapesto,” made in Woodstock.

“Buddhapesto isn’t doctored with canola or vegetable oiland it flies off the shelf,” said Ericson. “They only use pine nuts, and the parsley is a nice touch, so it’s a wonderful and addictive application for pasta and sandwiches. It’s also perfect for people like me who like pesto but don’t like making it.”

Other customer favorites made locally include cheese and yogurt from the Old Chatham Sheepherding Company; herb-laden chevre from Nettle Meadow Farms in the Adirondacks; fig and rosemary-infused goat cheese from The Painted Goat in Garrartsville; cheddar cheese made by the Palatine Valley Dairy in Nelliston; Tanna’s Chutney in Cooperstown; Community Harvest’s Preserves (made with New York state fruit, proceeds go to help feed homeless and lower-income residents); Dutch Desserts in Kinderhook; Pixie’s Preserves in Waterford; Miss Sydney’s Chutney in Albany; and honeys from Big Woods Wildflower in Greenville and Partridge Run Farm in Berne.

Then there are the handmade cannoli crafted by Albany resident and Naples native Adele Bucci. “They’re addictive,” says Ericson. “She makes four dozen for us every Saturday and by the afternoon they’re gone.”

If the last few years have been any indication, the local food movement is a permanent and expanding part of the Honest Weight landscape. Which is fine with Ericson.

“From my point of view local is mutually beneficial financially, and creatively,” he said. “And the quality just keeps getting better, which is a crucial part of it. Something can be grass-fed, it can be organic, but if it isn’t yummy, it’s not going to move,” said Ericson.

“The Kunik cheese from Nettle Meadows Farm rivals the Brillat-Saverin from Normandy…that’s how far local has come.  Paired with a crusty baguette and Healthy Community Harvest Blackberry Preserves, it’s pure poetry.”

Below are some of Ericson’s favorite ways to use and pair selections from his Cheese Department at the Honest Weight Food Coop, 484 Central Ave. Call (518) 482-2667 for more information or visit www.hwfc.com


Nettle Meadow Kunik with the Blackberry Preserves from Community Harvest

Tanna's Garlic Ginger and Lemon Fig Chutneys with the cheddars from Palatine Valley Dairy, particularly the extra sharp and smoked cheddars

Dutch Dessert's bittersweet chocolate tarte served with lightly whipped and lightly sweetened Crème Fraiche and local raspberries

Old Chatham's Camembert's warmed up in puff pastry or filo dough, as is done with Brie. Their raw bleu cheese (Shaker Blue) can be used in any recipe that calls for a robust bleu, or simply with toasted walnuts and pears.

The wine jellies by Pixie's Preserves paired with soft and luxurious cheeses like that Camembert, or from similar cheeses from France or Italy.

Local honeys are great enhancers of stronger aged sheep milk cheeses, especially those of Tuscany.

I have been taking the simple goat cheese log from Painted Goat and marinating it for a few days in olive oil, lemons sliced paper thin and warmed up in the oil, then allowed to cool, and crushed fennel seed and coriander.


Stacey Morris is a freelance writer based in Lake George. Her website is www.staceymorris.com