![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/vintage6-scaled-e1688770311418.jpg\")
The Bixby Knolls shop is a reimagined and much more colorful evolution of Cheese Addiction, which previously operated in the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, when (Cheese Addiction) came up for sale, I was like, \u2018Oh my gosh, this fulfills all of those fantasies that I\u2019ve had for the last 20 years,\u2019\u201d Harmon said.<\/p>\n
That shop was purely a retail space, but Harmon wants her customers to have the option of experiencing charcuterie on-site\u2014something she says no one else in Long Beach is doing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a party in the front, retail in the back,\u201d she said. \u201cThe front aspect is very European, sit-down and have some cheese, wine, beer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Operating on a small budget, she illustrated her own logo, filled the space with art and furniture mostly from her home and designed a space that is reflective of its name.\u00a0The atmosphere seeks to harken back to the mid-1970s\u2014hanging pendant swag lights, vibrant earth tone paint and colorful vintage nappy glassware all characterize the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just kind of undecorated my house and brought it in here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you a blue cheese hater?\u201d Harmon jokes, slicing a bit of what she considers to be a divisive cheese.<\/p>\n Harmon sells about 75 to 100 different types of cheeses that are cut to order at any given time. She also offers jams, gourmet butters, sandwiches and of course, charcuterie, which, she reminds us, is just a 15th century French term for cured meat (that\u2019s shar-coo-ter-ee).<\/p>\n But The Vintage LBC also has a robust amount of offerings for vegetarians and vegans alike.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople don\u2019t realize that a ton of really popular cheeses, really great cheeses, are vegetarian,\u201d Harmon said. That\u2019s because \u201cthey\u2019re made with vegetable rennet instead of animal rennet.\u201d<\/p>\n But these are different from vegan cheeses, she said. \u201cEntirely different.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe rennet is the substance that coagulates the curds of the cheese and traditionally rennet is the line of a calf\u2019s stomach or cow\u2019s stomach,\u201d she said. \u201cBut they now make vegetarian rennets which do the same thing \u2026 and that doesn\u2019t add flavor or change the flavor in any way. \u2026 So it\u2019s still made with milk obviously, but it\u2019s not made with animal.\u201d<\/p>\n For example, plant-based rennets can be produced with artichokes.<\/p>\n Alternatively, vegan cheeses are often nut-based. At The Vintage LBC, Harmon offers a vegan cheese flight for $24.<\/p>\n The shop\u2019s cheese flights and charcuterie plates, ranging from $19 to $43, are entirely customizable at the counter and can be ordered for dine in or takeout.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it goes cheese first, then meat and what I call accompaniments,\u201d Harmon said.<\/p>\n For those who aren\u2019t confident in their charcuterie board building skills, Harmon and her staff are able to advise. When it comes to charcuterie design, Harmon says there are no rules, but it\u2019s always good to have a balance of complementary cheese and meat flavors as well as starches and accouterments.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I always let the customer take the lead,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause the way they\u2019re going to learn about cheese is by experimenting.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are four steps to building a charcuterie board.<\/p>\n Like fruits and vegetables, there are seasons for some cheeses, but not all, Harmon said.<\/p>\n First, not all animals produce milk year round. Second, there are seasonal changes in milk composition, and third, grazing green grasses in the summer will produce different flavors than eating hay in a barn during the winter.<\/p>\n Thus, different flavors also characterize certain seasons. For example, Harmon says she likes a pumpkin spice Gouda in the fall, a Red Witch Alpine cheese around Halloween and Alp Blossom, which is covered in dry flowers and only available during the spring.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring the winter, I might like something really heavy and stinky,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cIn the summer, I\u2019m gonna want something a little lighter\u2014but I always love an aged Gouda with the little salt crystals.\u201d<\/p>\n Balance between flavor and texture is important when it comes to selecting cheeses. For example, you might want a variety\u2014a hard or semi-firm cheese such as the Drunken Goat (goat\u2019s milk); a soft, double-cream cheese such as Fromager D\u2019affinois or an aged Gouda.<\/p>\n Harmon encourages customers to taste a few cheeses before committing to them on a cheese flight or a charcuterie order.<\/p>\n “I would say not to limit yourself with one kind of cheese\u2014don\u2019t have five hard cheeses,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have a variety and range of milks and textures.\u201d<\/p>\n After selecting a balance of cheese textures and flavors, it\u2019s time to select the charcuterie, which, if you remember, just translates to cured meats.<\/p>\n \u201cAt that point I\u2019d say with the super creamy cheese, let\u2019s get you some prosciutto,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cSomething really nice to kind of enhance that flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n To pair with a hard cheese, Harmon suggests salami or a patte.<\/p>\n Aside from the delights of grazing culture, the world fell in love with the pandemic era charcuterie platter for its colorful palette and endless possibilities from vegan platters to Mediterranean assortments.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always learning new techniques,\u201d Harmon said. \u201cYou can make the meats into a salami rose, you can make these little bridges. There\u2019s different ways of folding and cutting cheeses. \u2026 If it\u2019s a nice firm cheese, you can make these nice little geometric shapes.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, Harmon fills in the gaps with sweet and savory accompaniments like fresh and dried fruit, chocolate, honey, jam, almonds, roasted tomatoes and olives.<\/p>\n \u201cLot\u2019s of dried fruit and (dried candied) oranges are wonderful,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives it a nice pop of color.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, the sky is really the cheese board limit when it comes to adorning it with the finishing touches\u2014from edible flowers to rosemary.<\/p>\n \u201cFresh sage is also beautiful, especially during Christmas and Thanksgiving,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/vintage3-scaled.jpg\")
Cheese board basics<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/vintage4-1-scaled.jpg\")
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Step 1: Consider the season\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
Step 2: Choose your cheese\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/07\/vintage7.jpg\")
Step 3 – Choose your charcuterie (cured meats)\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
Step 4 – Make it pretty, fill in the gaps<\/b><\/h4>\n