Anaïs Saint-André Loughran

Owner, ACS Certified Cheese Professional

I was born and raised in Lyon, France. Despite the fact that I grew up in a big city, I travelled a lot with my parents, which is how I started discovering what cheese is all about. On our travels, we would visit creameries and farms, buying cheese directly from the producers. Once, when I was three or four years old, we visited the Alps and, on our way home, stopped to buy a Tomme de Savoie. Without my parents noticing, I discretely nibbled on the wheel, eating half of the cheese by the time we got home! My parents were not happy. But I was!

I moved to the US after high school, attending Santa Barbara City College for communications. Upon graduation, I moved from California to New York City. It was there that I got my first job in cheese, working at Greene Grape Provisions in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. I was hooked. I knew it was the only thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Only, I didn’t love New York. Just the cheese. Pittsburgh would be the place I would call home.

I opened this shop because I love food, especially cheese. It is always new and versatile, always something exciting to learn about it, something delicious to cook it in. You can never get bored! I think it just makes people happy to eat cheese, and if I can be a part of bringing a little joy to someone, there is nothing better. Cheese is social and convivial. It really brings people together and that’s why I love it.