At this point in history, when people brag about how many grams of fat they’ve crammed into their day (because macros or something?) and avoid carbs as cautiously as we avoided fat in the ’90s, it’s a really good time to be a fan of cheese — nature’s power bar, loaded with fat, protein and minerals. But cheese is more than its calories — it’s fun, it’s tradition, and it’s connection. Mention cheese to most people, and their eyes will light up and their stomachs start rumbling. Throw a photo of cheese up on Instagram and you’ll be showered in likes. And, with so many independently owned cheese shops in L.A., staffed by earnest, cheerful cheese professionals (called mongers), there’s really never been a better time to run out for a cheese snack. Whether you want to call it your new keto diet, supporting local business or simply treating yourself, we support you wholeheartedly and offer five of our favorite cheese shops in Los Angeles County for your immediate pilgrimage.

To read the full article, CLICK HERE.

We were thrilled and honored to be invited to the KTLA 5 Studio to be showcased on the 9am news for National Picnic Day!

To watch the complete segment on KTLA’s website, CLICK HERE.

http://ktla.com/2018/06/18/celebrating-national-picnic-day-with-milkfarm-the-larder-at-tavern-and-the-larder-at-burton-way/

Milkfarm, Eagle Rock’s only artisan cheese shop, is a dangerous place. From the Bandaged Bismark to the Brie de Meaux, one can imagine even the most disciplined vegans struggling to walk in and out without giving the carefully constructed French ham ficelle sandwiches a double-take.

Equally overwhelming are the six women behind the counter, each wearing a headband in her own style, eager to educate customers on proper cheese storage and appropriate wine pairings. Customers, unfamiliar with most of the gourmet brands, pick up blocks of white, blue and yellow cheeses, asking them, “Is this any good?”

“Literally everything on the shelves, we think is good,” four-year Milkfarm employee Devra Golden said. “At least Leah has tasted everything on the shelves, and whenever possible she tries to always make sure to save samples so that the rest of the staff have an opportunity to taste all the things that we bring in to sell.” ………..

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE FULL ARTICLE

Milkfarm
A fairly recent addition to the cheese-shop scene, Milkfarm opened in 2014 when owner Leah Park Fierro struck out on her own after managing the Cheese Store of Silverlake. Milkfarm carries one of the best selections of cheese and a great stock of accompaniments, including baguettes and mini loaves from Bread Lounge. The store emphasizes knowledgeable service from cheesemongers versed in the science and production of each cheese. It also carries a variety of interesting extras, everything from cheese-themed, letterpress greeting cards to cheese knives, with a preference for made-in-L.A. products. (Keep an eye out for the popular raclette nights to return this fall.)
2106 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock; (323) 892-1068, milkfarmla.com.

To read the full article CLICK HERE.

With its myriad food options and niche stores, there is a reason Redfin named Eagle Rock the second “hottest” neighborhood in the country. Eagle Rock is booming with small businesses, a number of which are owned by women. Many of these women comprise the Lady Bosses of Eagle Rock, a club of local female business owners.

Lady Bosses of Eagle Rock was founded in March 2015, by Michelle Harwell, owner of Michelle Harwell Therapy and Leah Park Fierro, owner of the cheese shop and lunch counter, Milkfarm. The group is comprised of approximately 50 members and meets quarterly, rotating locations to the businesses which can host. The club’s only requirement is that members identify as female and own brick and mortar business owner within the 90041 zip code. Each meeting focuses on one informational aspect of business, ranging from accounting to social media or business security, as well as supporting each other in their personal experiences as female entrepreneurs in a typically male-dominated career.

“Women want to know other women, and we have this unique capacity to build community and learn from each other and support each other,” Harwell said.

LEAH PARK FIERRO

Park Fierro is the owner of Milkfarm, an artisanal cheese shop and lunch counter located at 2106 Colorado Boulevard. She has lived in Eagle Rock and been running her business for three years. Fierro has been working in the food industry for 18 years, originally as a pastry chef for luxury hotels. After quitting her pastry job, Fierro traveled around the world for a year. Upon returning home, she missed the niched, specialized food shops she found in Europe and she looked for a job at an independent cheese store. She worked at the Cheese Store of Silverlakefor six years. Fierro wanted to create something of her own, however.

“When you’re young and a child and you’re growing up, you know if you have the entrepreneurial spirit,” Fierro said. “You know if you want to own something one day, you know if you want to be your own boss. So that’s always kind of been at the back of my mind. Just because of my life experiences and where I was in my life, it happened to fall heavily in cheese and gourmet food.”

Harwell is a frequent customer of Milkfarm. A year ago, when Harwell had the idea to start the club, Fierro was one of the first women she approached.

“I was 100 percent on board immediately, like the second the words came out of her mouth, I was all about it. I’m very, very, very proud to be a female, minority business owner,” Fierro said.

Fierro enjoys being a member of a club that provides not only a network of support, but also informational sessions to help guide the members as entrepreneurs.

“It’s very empowering … to just be around so many successful women who have really, really great, popular shops in Eagle Rock. It makes you feel really extra proud to be in this neighborhood because you know there’s so many other women that stand side by side with you,” Fierro said. “I’m very proud to say that I am a business owner in Eagle Rock and I think that this group really brings us together.”

To read the full article CLICK HERE.
Here is the full URL: http://www.theoccidentalweekly.com/features/2017/04/25/lady-bosses-eagle-rock-unify-female-leaders/2887922

Milkfarm is serving an incredible raclette dish—but you can only get it once a month

If you were to dream about cheese, it might look something like an occasional night at Milkfarm in Eagle Rock. In November, owner and cheesemonger Leah Park Fierro launched Raclette on First Fridays, a once-a-month event that takes place the first Friday of each month from 5 to 8pm. Will it be happening tonight? You bet—and if you love cheese, you should probably be there.

Raclette—which comes from the French word ‘racler,’ meaning ‘to scrape’—originates from Switzerland, but Fierro uses Reading raclette from Spring Brook Farm for Milkfarm’s version, a cheese that is grass-fed and 100 percent raw (as opposed to pasteurized). The plate comes piled high with twice cooked fingerling potatoes, speck, arugula salad and cornichons, plus a side of Dijon mustard. After the raclette is heated—the massive, half-wheel of cheese bubbling under a broiler—it is then scraped off into an oozing, molten pile over the potatoes. If it sounds delicious, that’s because it is. And at a reasonable $15 per plate, it’ll leave you full, satiated with cheese and already planning your next First Friday visit.

Milkfarm only recently extended their Friday hours to include more dishes suited for dinner; each Friday, they offer grilled cheese, mac and cheese, cheese plates, and beer and wine. But if it’s the raclette you’re after, you’ll have to come tonight—or wait until January 6 for your next chance at cheesy bliss.

*ALL PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL JULIANO.

To see the full article on Timeout click HERE

To watch a video clip of Raclette by Timeout click HERE

By Yuno Imai

To see the full article on-line:
https://welove.expedia.co.jp/destination/usa/21728/

A cheese shop guide to LA

Named for the massive rock visible from the 134 freeway in northeast Los Angeles, Eagle Rock is home to longtime residents and newly arrived millennials who embrace a quiet neighborhood with hometown joie de vivre. Once part of Route 66, Colorado Boulevard bisects Eagle Rock, stretching from Glendale into Pasadena over the high arches of the Colorado Street Bridge. Cruise Eagle Rock and discover architecture as diverse as the numerous family-owned businesses, shops, and restaurants, some of which have been operating for decades.

6. Milkfarm
Cheese aficionados flock here, where about 150 varieties of cheese are available, along with sandwiches, charcuterie, local jams and jellies, and, of course, wine. 2106 Colorado Boulevard. 1-323-892-1068; milkfarmla.com.

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON-LINE CLICK HERE.
FOR A PRINTABLE WESTWAYS DAY TRIP MAP CLICK HERE .