By Andrea Sachs
What is a cheesemonger, you might ask?
According to Merriam-Webster, a cheesemonger is a “merchant who specializes in cheese.” But to a passionate foodie, that would be considered a Velveeta-quality definition. A gifted cheesemonger can elevate any celebration or gathering by expertly recommending the correct cheese to pair with your wine or food, while also advising which cheeses are in season and at their peak.
Enter Martin Johnson, 64, an accomplished Upper West Side cheesemonger who has been in the business for 40 years. Johnson has helped a number of Manhattan-and-beyond enterprises launch and run their cheese divisions.
In late 2021, during the pandemic, the owners of 67 Wine and Spirits, in business on Columbus Avenue since 1941, came calling. The business had a space down the street and wanted to open a cheese shop.
Since then, Johnson has been the manager and guiding force behind 67 Gourmet, a small gem of a shop on Columbus Avenue between West 68th and 69th streets. This compact but bountiful store — New York Times food and wine writer Florence Fabricant in 2022 called it a “well-stocked nook” — is a popular destination for the culinary community and a happy discovery for many local shoppers and passersby.
“We’re not just selling cheese; we’re selling a passion for cheese,” Johnson told me when I recently visited the shop. As their website declares, “At 67 Gourmet, we believe in the transformative power of deliciousness.”
Like a docent in an art museum, Johnson’s observations and anecdotes made the tour of the store a treat, especially for someone like me who was raised on American cheese.
The store is a trove of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, exotic olive oils, expertly aged vinegars, honeys, jams, and preserves. Jonathan Auerbach, one of 67 Gourmet’s employees, has become somewhat of a neighborhood celebrity with his outside table of cheese samples.
The store carries 150 cheeses, 40 at any given time, with seasonality, availability, and sometimes Johnson’s whims determining what is currently available.
67 Gourmet’s most popular cheese?
Essex Comte, a Gruyere-style cheese that Johnson describes as “super-approachable and nutty.” Their most expensive cheese? Rogue River Blue, which comes in at more than $100 a pound and is among the most coveted blue cheeses in the world.
Has Johnson found Upper West Siders distinctive in their taste for cheese?
“Being where we are, in the shadow of Lincoln Center,” he says, “I think that there’s a greater appetite for experimentation with cheese and a good bit less price sensitivity.”
Johnson, who grew up as the youngest child of what he describes as a “foodie family” in Chicago’s Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood, and later in Dallas, is a man of many interests. Besides being a Big Cheese in the culinary world, he is also a widely published freelance writer. He recently did his first segment as a jazz critic on NPR’s Fresh Air.
The beginning of Johnson’s career was less than auspicious, though.
After graduating as an English major from Columbia University in 1982, Johnson set out to find a job as a journalist. That ended up being a difficult experience. “I interviewed at several news organizations, the New York Times, the New York Daily News, this new joint that hadn’t started yet called USA Today, but I got nowhere,” he said.
Needing a job to support his writing, Johnson followed his taste buds. That turned into decades of dairy at numerous places such as Bloomingdale’s, Petak’s on Madison Avenue, the Bedford Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, and Gastronomie 491 on Columbus Avenue. Gourmet 67 is his fifth cheese startup.
During the same years, he wrote scores of freelance stories, often about jazz, for a number of leading publications, including The New York Times, which had turned him down for a job. His writing has also been included in seven books.
How does Johnson reconcile the two disparate paths his life has taken?
They’re not all that different, he says.
“As a jazz critic, or even as a journalist in general, what I’m trying to do is make the pleasures of something somewhat exotic, more approachable. And as a cheesemonger, I’m trying to make the pleasures of something somewhat exotic, more approachable.”
Nothing cheesy about that!
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Thanks for the article; I didn’t know about this store. Looking forward to visiting it!
Wonderfully cheesy story!
This shop is a hidden gem. Thank you for the article, hopefully it will bring more business to this wonderful shop.
This story is great! I love going here – Martin has always been so helpful when I stop in. As someone who is not very versed in the cheese world, his explanations are illustrative and easy to understand. I’ll always remember his description of a cheese as “it’s like the animals are sitting at the table with you” thank you for highlighting such a remarkable neighborhood gem.
Terrific!
This store single-handedly makes our neighborhood better. Martin and Jonathan (along with Daniel and Vince) are knowledgeable, approachable, and passionate about the cheese and other food they sell, and I never regret following their recommendations! Also much love to the sister store 67 Wine, which can provide wonderful wine pairings.
Wow, we pass by this store all the time and is always overlooked because Venchi is at the corner. Will start going in for cheese and stuff.
It would be more helpful in promoting local businesses to provide the address. Of course I can google it and I look forward to going here but some people won’t. (And the address is 194 Columbus @ 69th.)
The hand churned salted butter sold here is worth every penny in deliciousness.
Martin Johnson is delightful (as you may guess from that smile)! 67 Gourmet is refreshingly authentic, amid a barrage of chain stores. Even those who avoid dairy products may discover surprises, such as the gorgeously-crafted maple cutting board I purchased there.
Cheese mongers are amongst the most multifaceted of the mongers who grace the neighborhood : who remembers Maya Schaper Cheese AND Antiques? I think of that duality whenever I speak to someone who thinks they need to narrow and squeeze themselves into only lane.
I am a frequenter of this store – love the selection and the staff – Martin, Jonathan and Daniel. Because of the tasting table out front, I’ve gotten to experiment with new tastes which I’ve loved. Friends have noted how good my selections have been when offered at parties. I am the designated cheese supplier at our and others’ parties.
Have watched the little UWS kids come by to taste after school – it’s the cutest thing to watch them cultivate their palates. Love this store.
Nice to see someone who really enjoys his work!
So great when you report on these small shops which most of us are unaware of!!! Please, please keep it up & thank you thank you!
Does anyone remember the name of another “gem” that sells (Spain) Spanish food among other things? I wrote it down & promptly lost it!! Thanks!!
Absolutely love this shop and it’s my go-to for fantastic cheese. I have also learned a lot from Jonathan while chatting at the outdoor stand. So happy to see them featured! (And who could say no to the Essex Comte? I highly recommend).