Nothing cheesy about new shop coming to Manor

By Aidan Dusenbury-Dalto and Osei Helper | Manor Ink

Livingston Manor, NY – Let’s face it. When most people hear the term “vegan cheese,” they don’t necessarily think of delicious treats they can’t wait to try. But Lori Robin is here for you. Tired of tasting what she called “really dreadful vegan cheese,” Robin has decided to open a new vegan cheese shop in Livingston Manor called Cheeze Hound that will feature non-dairy cheese that tastes good.

In the mid-1960s, when Robin was only eight years old, she decided that she wanted to go vegan. She had been inspired by an old man who she had grown fond of at a summer vacation spot her family would go to. Robin noticed that the man wouldn’t eat any animal products, so she went to her mother and told her about it, and the rest is history.

Robin started making vegan cheese in 2011, and the Cheeze Hound name has been in use since 2014. Robin’s business was named after her dog, Verdi. “He was a wee little man at the time, into everything when I was creating my recipes, so I began to call him my Cheeze Hound.” Now many people can enjoy some of her products that are currently sold at Fare Haven.

Robin says that in her store, “everything that’s edible will be made using non-dairy cheese.” Those items include foods such as her typical cheeses, but also perogies and frozen pizzas. “There is also going to be the making of analog cheeses, which are cooked cheeses,” she said. “Via a hole in the wall, people will be able to view the cheese being made. So hopefully it will be educational as well.”

Most of her cheeses are made from sources such as cashews, macadamia nuts and soy milk. “The nuts are ground to a creamy paste, and then culture is added to that,” Robin said, explaining the process. “They’re put into molds and left to dry out a bit or age. Some of them are washed, and I tend to wash the rinds with things like brandy or beer.”

When the new shop opens, there will be various new cheeses that are not sold in Livingston Manor. “I’ll have Kasko Fire, which is a really great burrito cheese. It’s firm, but you could melt it. Motion Arc is another good one. It’s basically a smoky, gouda-type flavor. And that’s great with stuff like onions and potatoes.”

After purchasing some Cheeze Hound cheese, make sure to either wrap it back up in the paper it came in or wrap it loosely in wax paper. Robin points out that cheese should never be packaged in air-tight tupperware. “That creates an environment of humidity and mold grows in that situation,” she said.

A family recently brought home Robin’s Grey Blue Day and Chuffle cheeses to try, and everyone thought they were delicious and complex, including family members who had never tried vegan cheese. They were a hit, and they look forward to trying more Cheeze Hound products once the store opens later this month. For updates on that event, visit cheezehound.com.