{"id":1859,"date":"2024-06-02T04:28:26","date_gmt":"2024-06-02T04:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/does-lq-foodings-mamaison-offer-the-best-cheese-cart-in-southern-california\/"},"modified":"2024-06-02T04:28:26","modified_gmt":"2024-06-02T04:28:26","slug":"does-lq-foodings-mamaison-offer-the-best-cheese-cart-in-southern-california","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/does-lq-foodings-mamaison-offer-the-best-cheese-cart-in-southern-california\/","title":{"rendered":"Does LQ Foodings @ MaMaison Offer the Best Cheese Cart in Southern California?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Laurent

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Laurent Quenioux<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Avant-garde French chef\u00a0Laurent\u00a0Quenioux<\/a>\u00a0hosted elaborate ticketed dinners in his Highland Park backyard in the Before Times and became known for his beyond-abundant\u00a0French cheese carts<\/a>\u00a0with housemade condiments. During the pandemic, he delivered raw milk cheeses to customers spanning from Dana Point to the Pacific Palisades. As COVID-19\u2019s fog lifted, Quenioux resumed pop-ups at his new home in Corona. Before dessert, he rolls out a seasonal cheese cart that\u2019s almost certain to convince people to order too much cheese.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Bistro<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Seasonality of Cheeses from France<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Quenioux is originally from Sologne in France\u2019s Loire Valley and continues to work with a cheesemonger in France. He also uses\u00a0top-secret methods\u00a0to source prized cheeses\u00a0that truly stand out in Los Angeles. Many cheeses he buys are\u00a0made from raw cow’s milk, including\u00a0Abbaye de Citeaux,\u00a0Maroilles<\/a>, and\u00a0Galet D\u2019Albatre. In spring, he also gets fresh goat’s milk cheese.\u00a0\u201cAll cheeses in France are mostly season driven,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cFor example a cheese like Valencay<\/a> is these days available all year long. However, it is best in March and April because of the milk and the spring grass the goats are grazing on. Vacherin season starts in November because cows graze the summer high-altitude grass and wild flowers.\u201d Quenioux often trusts his cheesemonger\u2019s suggestions.<\/p>\n

Serving Cheese to Please\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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\"Bistro<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Serving cheese is involved and\u00a0Quenioux takes affinage (refining) seriously at his house. \u201cWe separate all cheeses by milk and follow our expertise from our cheese monger about temperature, moisture and rotation,\u201d he says. \u201cWe also limit inventory in order to run out rather than to keep them on shelves getting overripe. That is why we asked our clients to be patient by ordering them a week ahead in order for them to get the best quality with no compromise. We use a special refrigerator with wood planks that are maintained in a very sanitized way. No short cuts.\u201d\u00a0Sales are modest, and he\u2019s okay with that. \u201cYou never make money with cheese,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cYou just want to do it. We want to offer something genuine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0Quenioux\u2019s Corona home features enough room to host a 150-person banquet and three distinct environments\u2014a fruit orchard with cherry, apricot, peach and plum trees, a more casual setting near the vegetable garden and water fountain can seat 10 people, and a fire pit where up to 20 people can be seated. He also hosts bi-weekly pop-ups at an undisclosed location in Glassell Park and at Joanna Bassi\u2019s Rose Hill Farm in Montecito Heights. \u201cBut if you want the true experience, you\u2019ll have to come down here,\u201d Quenioux says.<\/p>\n

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\"Bistro<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

An Epic Cheese Cart<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Quenioux\u2019s cheese cart has become a big attraction, typically touting 30-40 choices. Before the pandemic, he actually had two cheese carts, one focusing on French cheeses, the other featuring U.S. cheeses. For COVID-19\u2019s sake, he consolidated to a single cart. Quenioux personally explains each selection and even though most people are full by this point in the meal, they still order plenty of cheese. \u201cThey eat more with their eyes than their stomach,\u201d he says.\u00a0At LQ Foodings @ MaMaison dinners,\u00a03 cheeses cost $15, 5 cheeses cost $24, and 7 cheeses cost $30. Every additional cheese is $5. \u201cWe\u2019ve had people buy the whole thing,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cIt does happen more than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raw Milk Cheese<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Quenioux, serving raw milk cheeses is \u201cthe only way.\u201d He\u2019s convinced that pasteurized cheese is \u201cnot the same,\u201d citing texture and taste differences.\u00a0When it comes to his preferred origin, he looks to his homeland. \u201cI know more about French cheeses because it is my terroir,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cI know the cheese, I know my birth country souls and traditions, I know where the cheese are made, and I know the players who are passionate about making those raw milk\u2019s cheese.\u201d That said, he respects U.S. cheese makers and will feature U.S. cheeses later this year, after he builds his knowledge and relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cheese Accompaniments\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Accompaniments vary by season, but July\u2019s selection included apricot jam made with homegrown fruit, blueberry jam, and strawberry balsamic jam. Apricot and blueberry jam will last the whole year. Fall brings onions in maple syrup, quince, apples, and pears. Winter welcomes preserved pumpkin purees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For his July 2021 cheese cart, Quenioux also provided a pitcher of truffle honey featuring wildflower honey infused with house-made winter truffle oil. He also soured walnut and candied cranberry bread from a Pomona bakery, though he says, \u201cTo be honest, the better bread for cheese is a beautiful plain baguette.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe truffle honey<\/a>, you can smear that everywhere,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cIt works with all the cheese. The blueberry jam, we suggest on hard cheese like Cantal<\/a>, Comt\u00e9, and Beaufort<\/a>. The apricot will go on the ripe cheese, if you wanted Epoisses, Pont l’ Eveque or Camembert\u2026In the apricot jam we add vanilla, so it really balances the pungent cheese. I would say strawberries with balsamic vinegar or the onions with maple or the quince, that\u2019s goat cheese.\u201d Of course, personal preferences transcend recommendations. \u201cYou can always try crisscross everything with the jam and having fun with your cheeses,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cSome people just have different tastes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Depending on the season, and for occasional classes, Quenioux may also experiment with cheese flights on the cart. For example, he\u2019ll offer Comt\u00e9 aged 12, 18, 24, and 30 months.\u00a0\u201cPeople are totally amazed by it on how different cheese can get during their appropriate ripening process,\u201d Quenioux says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also applies that approach to goat cheese. \u201cFirst they are fresh, then a few weeks later they are ripe at the heart, then a few later they are starting to pieule (French expression that means that they are sharp in the inside and runny on the outside; this is my favorite stage for those cheese),\u201d he says. \u201cSo on the cart we may propose a fresh one, next to a ripe one, next to a pieule one.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWhen I was a kid, my father used to take me, before I was 10, to three-star restaurants,\u201d Quenioux recalls. \u201cHe used to say, \u2018Son, you know if it\u2019s a good restaurant when you check out the bathroom and the cheese cart.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He estimates 85% of diners venture to his pop-up from the Westside, downtown, or Pasadena. Drives could take two hours round-trip. \u201cSo we have to give them something,\u201d Quenioux says. \u201cWe have to offer them an incredible experience.\u201d Not making the trek to Corona? Whole or half wheels, or 5-ounce cheese can be ordered directly through <\/strong>Laurent Quenioux<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Laurent Quenioux Avant-garde French chef\u00a0Laurent\u00a0Quenioux\u00a0hosted elaborate ticketed dinners in his Highland Park backyard in the Before Times and became known for his beyond-abundant\u00a0French cheese carts\u00a0with housemade condiments. During the pandemic, he delivered raw milk cheeses to customers spanning from Dana Point to the Pacific Palisades. As COVID-19\u2019s fog lifted, Quenioux resumed pop-ups at his new … Okumaya devam et “Does LQ Foodings @ MaMaison Offer the Best Cheese Cart in Southern California?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1859","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1859"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1859\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1859"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1859"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1859"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}