Reed P.
Cheese Specialist, El Dorado Hills
Although Cheese Specialist Reed Pattison is a long-time Nugget Markets associate (he’s been with the company since 2007), his history working with cheese goes back even further, to his very first job, at Round Table Pizza. “I started early with cheese,” he says. Today, Reed is a Certified Cheese Professional, having passed the exam given by the American Cheese Society. “It was a grueling experience, but I learned a ton about every part of the cheese making process,” Reed says. “So if anybody needs to know what disease causes miscarriages in dairy goats or how cow and camel milk differ in cholesterol, protein, fat and mineral content, you know where I am!” Reed enjoys recommending cheese parings to his guests, and particularly likes to point out delicious cheese-and-beer matchups. “Everyone thinks of wine and cheese as the be-all, end-all pairing, and while there are some real gems out there, I think the richness of beer pairings are too often overlooked,” he says. “In particular, with the growth of the craft beer market, there are some amazing combinations of flavors to be discovered!”