From left: Fromagerie L’Amuse Brabander Reserve; Vacherousse d’Argental; Linedeline; Robiola d’Alba al Tartufo; Uplands Cheese Rush Creek Reserve.
Photographer: David Chow for Bloomberg Businessweek; Prop stylist: Young Gun Lee
The Six Easiest Ways to Get a Holiday Party Going in an Instant
Rule No. 1: Start with cheese.
If there’s one guest you want to invite to a party, it’s cheese. The sumptuous dairy product isn’t demanding—generally it just needs to come to room temperature and land on a nice cutting board. You can dress it up with dried or fresh fruit and a wedge of the Spanish quince paste membrillo, or it can arrive unadorned.
“It’s easy to curate and a beautiful conversation starter,” says Tess McNamara, head of salumi and formaggi at Eataly North America, the Italian market that has stores around the world. “Put it out, and all of a sudden a crowd gathers.”