Formaggio Kitchen Staff
There are three backbones of our business: our customers, our suppliers and our staff. We are proud of the fact that we have many employees who have been with us for over 10 years. We are also proud to offer a wonderful environment for young, hardworking and passionate people to work with us and learn the trade. Many of these folks have since gone of to start their own stores which we are pleased to say have been wildly successful in their own rights. Whether it be washing our dishes, working the registers, baking cookies and cakes, preparing our meals, caring for our cheeses or sourcing the best produce possible, our staff is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of quality in the work we do. We hope you have the chance to stop in and visit us at any of our stores – you’ll see what we’re all about.
The history of the store is intertwined with that of owners Ihsan and Valerie Gurdal. Ihsan and Valerie own and run Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, South End Formaggio in Boston's historic South End and their newest venture Formaggio Essex Market in the Essex Street Market in New York's Lower East Side. All of their stores offer a wide selection of handcrafted cheeses, artisan meats and specialty foods.
Ihsan was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey surrounded by a culture famous for its bazaars full of varied flavors and fragrances. Ihsan added his own twist to this mix by becoming a star volleyball player and in 1976 he participated in the Olympics as a member of the Turkish Olympic volleyball team. In 1977, Ihsan left Istanbul to pursue a college education at UC Berkley. As a student at Berkley Ihsan played volleyball and tapped into his natural appreciation of specialty food by working at a local wine shop. In 1982, Ihsan took advantage of an offer to become head volleyball coach at Harvard University and left Berkley for Cambridge, Massachusetts. While in Cambridge, Ihsan kept his interest in food alive by working at a small specialty food store called Formaggio Kitchen. Soon after starting his work at the shop, Ihsan became manager and cheese buyer.
Following his retirement from Harvard volleyball, Ihsan was able to put all of his energy into Formaggio Kitchen. In 1992, Ihsan took over ownership of the shop and since that time has presided over the shop's development into one of the leading retailers of gourmet foods in the country. He has worked extensively with celebrated cheese makers and affineurs throughout the United States and Europe, including Neal's Yard Dairy of London, Pascal Jacquin of France's Loire Valley, and Paris' Fromagerie Barthelmy. His travels around the world have brought to Formaggio Kitchen an unparalleled selection of rare and unique cheeses and fine foods from around the world. Many have been introduced to the US for the first time and are only available from Formaggio Kitchen.
In 2006 Ihsan was inducted into the Guilde du Fromage by Roland Barthelemy.
Valerie moved to the Boston area from Miami, FL in 1980 to pursue a college education. Before moving to Boston she spent 6 months living in Madrid with her aunt and uncle. While in Madrid she developed a love for the daily market experience of visiting her local cheesemonger, bakery, meat purveyor and various fruit and vegetable stands. After arriving in Boston she sought out similar shops with an eye for the unique and inspiring and she soon discovered Formaggio Kitchen. While working in the kitchen at the well-respected Cambridge restaurant Chez Nous, she got to know Ihsan from her frequent trips to the shop and in 1984, she decided to work at Formaggio Kitchen full-time. Since then, Ihsan and Valerie have worked together to create in their stores the "market-experience" that inspired their love of food and the desire to share that with their community.