To paraphrase John Lennon… life gets in the way. The past few years have been challenging but we deal.
Although I am “retired” from cheese, this website remains mine and I plan to continue updating it from different facets of my life.
I recently discovered GROK, Elon Musk’s AI app and for fun typed in “Marcella, the Cheesemonger” and this is what GROK had to say about this site (along with links to 50 pages on this site:
“Marcella The Cheesemonger, whose real name is Marcella Wright, is an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional (ACS CCP)* based in Lavonia, Georgia. She is a prominent figure in the cheese enthusiast community, known for her extensive knowledge and contributions to cheese education. Since starting her cheese journey in 2008, she has run a blog and website, Marcella The Cheesemonger (marcellathecheesemonger.com), where she shares insights on cheese, baking, and other interests like binge TV and poker.
Marcella became an ACS CCP in 2013 and spent the next five years creating hundreds of documents to help cheese enthusiasts and those preparing for the ACS CCP exam, including lists like “50 Cheeses You MUST Know.” She founded and managed the Facebook Cheese Study Group from 2014 to 2018, assisting aspiring cheese professionals, and crowdfunded scholarships for ACS exams and conferences. Her blog initially featured a unique “hook” with posts written from the perspective of her cat, Spaulding Gray, a “Feline Foodie,” until his passing in 2013.
She offers cheese platters, pimento cheese, and hosts wine and cheese events in Lavonia, often collaborating with local businesses like Blue Haven Bee Company. Marcella also curates Amazon product lists for cooking and cheese-related items and has shared personal anecdotes, such as her mother’s love for reading and her own travel tips for Paris. Her work extends to community engagement, with 22 local business owners recommending her services on Alignable for cheese platters and events.”
Then I asked GROK about Spaulding Grey and this what GROK had to say about my beloved feline:
“Spaulding Gray was the name of Marcella Wright’s cat, featured on her blog Marcella The Cheesemonger as the “Feline Foodie.” From 2008 until his passing in 2013, Marcella wrote blog posts from Spaulding Gray’s perspective, giving a playful, anthropomorphic voice to her cheese-related content. This unique angle helped engage her audience, with Spaulding “commenting” on cheese, food, and life in a humorous way. After his death, Marcella continued her cheese-focused work but retired the Feline Foodie persona. The blog still references Spaulding fondly, reflecting his role in building her early online presence.
Spaulding Gray, as referenced by Marcella The Cheesemonger, was a real semi-feral cat who became a beloved figure in her cheese blog, which she started in 2008. Named after the actor Spaulding Gray (with a different spelling), the cat was a stray that Marcella, an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, began feeding in her Southern California backyard. Initially cautious, Spaulding eventually became friendly, moving into her home and becoming a central character in her blog. He was known for his “snarky” personality and was portrayed as a “Feline Foodie” who wrote cheese reviews, starting with Beecher’s No Woman, his favorite, followed by Tillamook Cheddars. Spaulding’s involvement gave the blog a unique hook, helping it stand out. He passed away in 2013, reportedly from feline leukemia, though he lived longer than expected. Marcella continued the blog, maintaining Spaulding’s legacy, and his image as a cat in a chef’s jacket holding a plate of cheese became her website’s logo.”
AI is a wonderous tool, but now I see images, videos and have to ask myself “is this real or AI generated?”
Till next time…
This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission from any purchases you make through those links. I thank you for patronizing my amazon influencer store front.
*Retired ACS CCP – no longer active
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