EPISODE 8
Brad Leone
Chef Brad Leone on Staying Connected to Our Food in a Digital Age
Watch internet sensation Brad Leone bring his infectious energy and deep respect for nature to five exceptional cheese courses. From explaining why he cried after shooting his first deer to defending New Jersey's honor and teaching Adam the art of outdoor cooking, Brad proves that staying connected to your food—whether through hunting, fishing, or fermenting—is what keeps us human. Plus, discover why the season becomes a part of you and how meaningful connections across generations can fix the world one cheese at a time.
IN THIS EPISODE 🧀
IN THIS EPISODE 🧀
Course 1 Cheese:
Baron Bigod
Producer: Fen Farm Dairy | Suffolk, England
Cheese Profile: Raw milk Brie-style cheese with a nutty, mushroomy rind. Paste has a smooth, silky golden breakdown which will often ooze out over a delicate, fresh and citrusy center.
Pairing: Curry powder, red pepper, and shallot
Taste: This vegetal cheese with brothy, brassica notes inspires an Indian pairing. Vadouvan Curry adds warmth and spice to balance the savory qualities, while red pepper heat and shallot acidity cut through and bring it all together.
Course 2 Cheese:
Dulses
Producer: Belgium
Cheese Profile: A creamy soft-ripened cheese with notes of sweet, buttery caramel.
Pairing: Cantillon spent-fruit jam, fennel pollen
Taste: Buttery brightness meets lightly smoky, oceanic notes in this Belgian-inspired pairing. A black cocoa-charcoal cracker's bitterness balances the fermented brightness of Cantillon Jam made with spent Lambic fruit. Fennel pollen adds herbal licorice notes and perceived sweetness.
Course 3 Cheese:
Alp Blossom
Producer: Hofkäserei Kraus Dairy | Bavarian Alps
Cheese Profile: The beefy, umami-packed interior is juxtaposed with a sweet, floral rind to create a stunningly beautiful cheese.
Pairing: Juniper-lemon trout, scallion, alpine flower tea
Taste: Just like fishing on a stream in the mountains without a care in the world. Buttery and herbal, Alp Blossom gets an upgrade with juniper, lemon and cured trout as well as a light garnish of fresh mountain flowers from Austria.
Course 4 Cheese:
Winnimere
Producer: Jasper Hill Farm | Lombardy, Italy
Cheese Profile: Spoonably soft and tastes of bacon, sweet cream, and spruce
Pairing: Pickled mustard greens, lonza bacon
Taste: Rustic, raw, and meaty, this pairing emphasizes the full flavor of raw milk cheese. Spiced lonza bacon's crunch melds with the gooey paste, while pickled mustard greens play off the cheese's vegetal qualities and cleanse the palate.
Course 5 Cheese:
Sbrinz Alpage AOP
Producer: Gourmino | Oberland, Switzerland
Cheese Profile: bloomy and aromatic notes of fresh chamomile blossoms, toffee and clarified butter with large cheese crystals
Pairing: Black garlic caramel, peppercorn
Taste: Baked into a tuile, Sbrinz takes on a full Grana character with a carmelized, maillard profile and light fruitiness. Black garlic caramel supports the saltiness of the cheese by adding a fermented sweetness while a light dusting of a 6 peppercorn blend brings some zip and effervescence to the pairing.
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