The Cheese Wedge
The Cheese WedgeThe Cheese Store was founded in 2011, then purchased by Kirby and Jason Harris and Pam and Marty Raaymakers in 2013. "It was a good fit for us because we all love food, cheese, and entertaining," shares Kirby. The partners each brought something unique to the business. "Marty had his own business, I'm an accountant, Pam has a background in retail and sales, and Kirby was in the food service industry. We saw an opportunity to keep a business viable which might not have continued otherwise," explains Jason.
In 2018, The Cheese Store was rebranded as The Cheese Wedge. "We wanted to create a different presence in the community and on social media," explains Jason. The team spent time learning about the cheese industry to ensure they had the best quality and assortment of cheeses. "This is a very unique industry, and it can be difficult to establish relationships with some suppliers. We have eight different suppliers, and that's only for our cheese, not the gourmet products." Kirby and Jason visit cheese suppliers and shops when they travel, and often discover new cheeses to introduce to Sarnia-Lambton.
The Cheese Wedge, located at 510 Michigan Avenue in Point Edward, generally has between 175 and 200 different cheeses from around the world. "We have cheese from Italy, France, the Netherlands, America, and Canada. We are part of an Italian fly-in program, so we place an order every two weeks for fresh cheeses flown in from Italy," shares Kirby. The Cheese Wedge also carries many locally-made products. "We carry a great selection of local cheeses, including Great Lakes Goat Dairy, Local Dairy, and Gunn's Hill. We also sell local honey, jams, and meats."
Custom cheese boards, cheese wedding cakes, gift baskets, gourmet foods, and house-made cheese balls, dips, and frozen meals are also available at The Cheese Wedge. "We had a cheese wedding cake when we got married, and the caterer took it apart and made cheese boards for every table. It's a great alternative because not everyone likes sweets," shares Kirby. She loves the creativity involved in the cheese board and can create a board for any budget. "I believe that people eat with their eyes first, so our cheese boards need to be beautiful and taste good." The Cheese Wedge also hosts chef events which feature a top chef who prepares an intimate, interactive dinner for eight to 10 guests.
Kirby and Jason are passionate about pairing cheese with wine, beer, spirits, and other foods and drink. "We are familiar with a lot of flavour profiles, but if there is something we aren't familiar with, we will research it," explains Jason. The Cheese Wedge has paired with Refined Fool Brewing Company in Sarnia and Bad Apple Brewing Company in Bayfield. The staff at the Cheese Wedge are trained to guide customers through the cheese assortment, and customers are always encouraged to sample the cheeses. "We love that we can support local and provide Sarnia-Lambton with great products and a unique experience."
Related Stories
Motion
Things have changed a bit for In Motion: Health Wellness & Fitness since the doors opened in 2007. When recent graduates Dr. Brendan Carney Kilian and Dr. Luke Winegard started the business, their vision was to create a multidisciplinary clinic that could help clients set and achieve their health
Johnny G's Premium Pizza
By her own admission, Amy Ewing spent a lot of years bouncing from one low-paying job to another. That all changed in 2020 when she and her dream team—brother Cody and her dad Don—purchased Johnny G's Premium Pizza in Petrolia. Now she's rolling in dough. My brother was working at Joh
ISH Nutrition
Have you ever really thought about how you are living your life? Are you truly being the best you can be? Are you willing to put in the work required to be better? Those are just a few of the questions Joanne Fearns asks her clients as she steers them toward living their best life. We work togeth
Fox and Hound Canine Retreat
Katie Fuller grew up with a love for dogs, specifically terriers and fox hounds, a favorite of her dad's. As a child, Fuller attended dog trials with her dad, then later competed with her own terriers in performance events. After high school, Fuller attended a grooming academy to become a pet styl
Related Stories
Literacy Lambton
Headquartered in the Lochiel Kiwanis Community Centre in the heart of Sarnia's downtown district, Literacy Lambton's mission is to create and deliver exceptional literacy learning opportunities for the residents of Lambton County. Literacy and numeracy skills matter more than words can say. That
Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track & Field Club
Joel Skinner knows his way around a map. When he is not coaching the Sarnia Athletics Southwest Track & Field Club, he is teaching Geography and Physical Education at Great Lakes Secondary School. This knowledge has proven hel...
Donovan Woods
Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods was born and raised in Sarnia. He now lives in Toronto and spends a fair amount of time in Nashville, writing for some of the industry's biggest acts. I started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager. I didn't really play gigs in Sarnia. I star
Stonepicker Brewing Company Inc.
From bacon to beer. That pretty much sums up the career path Joe Donkers has taken. A pig farmer for nearly three decades, Joe did a 180 about five years ago when he made the decision to start brewing his own beer at home. That ultimately led to him and his wife Mary starting Stonepicker Brewing Co.
