Rice, for all of its simplicity, can be a confusing, finicky food. Various varieties, milling techniques, and even ages can be matched with equally varied cooking methods that call for different rice to water proportions. Our Cambridge shop offers over a dozen prized varieties of rice and we love serving them up in our cold salads for lunch or as an integral part of our dinner menu.

At Formaggio Kitchen we prepare months in advance for the busy, festive holiday season by placing orders, stocking up on gift baskets and ribbons, and planning our holiday menus. By October we're ready and waiting for the first harbingers of the holidays to arrive from Italy: fluffy, hand-wrapped panettone from Perbellini. About the same time these gorgeous sweet breads arrive, we're also on the lookout for incoming pandolce and panforte.

Formaggio Kitchen has been selling pain Poilâne for more than 20 years since the first time Ihsan met Lionel Poilâne in his tiny Paris bakery on the rue du Cherche-Midi. Kindred spirits, passionate about good food and good fun, Ihsan and Lionel hit it off quickly and Formaggio Kitchen became the first US retailer to fly in the famous bread each week.

You don't have to know a lot about wine to enjoy it, but misconceptions can get in the way of widening our experience. Some I regularly encounter: that German white wines are always sweet, that Burgundy can be made in California, that sherry is something only maiden aunts and Oxford dons should be seen drinking.  When we pour Beaujolais, folks often reveal that they know it appears in November, that it's cheap, and that it tastes like Welch's grape juice with a banana thrown in.

As with any of our products, we believe a little bit of knowledge and understanding about various types of beer can help our customers appreciate the flavors, aromas and textures coming from the bottle. With this in mind, this post provides information about how different applications of wood barrels can affect the resulting qualities of a beer.

Come along with Formaggio Kitchen employee Nikki Crugnale on a recent trip to Spain, visiting Proyecto Los Aires, a small olive oil producer based in Arcicollar, Spain. Husband-and-wife Guillermo and Laura operate this picturesque olive grove, about 1 hour from Madrid. Interestingly, both were biologists who changed career paths to pursue family traditions, teaching themselves the art of olive oil production.

Join Formaggio Kitchen's Marianne Staniunas on her journey to western Uganda to aid the Kasiisi Project. Among other things the project provides conservation and health education in 15 public primary schools.  The Kasiisi Project also runs its own small farm. We have introduced and modeled sustainable farming practices, and hope to eventually raise some income for our programs. On my latest adventure, I helped update an apiary and build infrastructure for local honey production.

In June, our very own Kyra James (cheesemonger and chocolate buyer for our South End location and event coordinator) placed third in the annual Cheesemonger Invitational in NYC - a two-day competition for 40 cheesemongers from across the country, testing their knowledge of and skill with cheese. We took some time to ask her about her experience and success.