Cheese making is like a love story for Philippe Marchand, a master cheese affineur, or cheese refiner, from France.
Marchand comes from the oldest family in the cheese-making business in Nancy, eastern France. Since 1880, family members have passed on their love for cheese and traditional recipes to six generations.
Since childhood, he has witnessed how the tradition in cheese making was valued with love and respect. 'When I was 10, I would follow my mother to the market every weekend to help sell our home-made cheese,' says Marchand, 49, a father of two. 'I still remember the way she talked to customers about the product - how everyone loved it.
'In the old days, cheese was sampled after the main course of lunch and dinner - and also at breakfast, when families in the countryside would dip cheese in freshly brewed coffee. Now, we enjoy cheese at any time, day or night. It is accompanied mostly by wine, also with beer - but never with soda or juice.'
Influenced by the family's passion for cheese, Marchand grew up learning about the food and how to make it. Today he is one of the top cheese refiners in France; his technique has twice won him the prestigious cheese artisan of the year title from France's influential Pudlo food and restaurant guide.
Now he and his brothers, Patrice and Eric, take care of the family brand, Les Freres Marchand. They produce 400different cheeses that are refined in five cellars and sold in France, Europe, North America and Asia.
Marchand works with more than 200local farmers, who produce the cheeses. One of his jobs is to ensure they all mature perfectly in the cellars. The process involves varying the temperature, humidity and time period - plus the touch of a human hand to wash and 'gently massage' the cheeses, he says.
