How do I teach a successor to select and age cheese the way I do?

Your judgement is built on thousands of small observations, so begin by making them visible. Choose several cheeses and talk through why you picked them: the rind, the texture, the smell, the producer’s consistency, how they will hold in the case. Ask your successor to describe what they notice before you give your view. Write the shared vocabulary down.

For ageing, teach the checks rather than the schedule. Show them how to turn, wash, brush and test cheeses, and what a problem looks like early. Keep a log where both of you record dates, conditions and decisions. Mistakes will happen, so let the first ones be small and talk about them afterwards.

Finally, hand over the relationships. Introduce the producers, the affineurs and the delivery contacts that give you your choice of product. Let your successor place the next order while you watch. Decide how you will stay available for questions, and write that into whatever agreement you make. A lawyer can help with the terms, and an accountant can look at the cost of the stock they are choosing.

Key takeaways

• Taste together and say your reasons aloud until your successor can do it.
• Teach the checks for ageing and keep a shared log.
• Introduce the producers and let your successor place real orders.
• Let the first mistakes be small, talk about them afterwards, and decide how you will stay available for questions.