Fromology (CHEESE) with Kyra James

Part 1: Soft. Hard. Fresh. Aged. Stinky. Illegal. Let’s talk cheese with Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) and Fromologist, Kyra James. We chat about proprietary bacterial slurries, basement caves, cheese knife etiquette, rind eating, vegetarian versus vegan cheeses, cheese history, different warm-blooded animals whose milk is used for cheese, American cheese side-eye, shoe deodorizers, and how to chat up a monger. 

And come back next week to learn more about plant-based cheese options, how to properly store cheese, the difference between orange and white cheddar, the grilled sandwich debate, DIY cheese, pricey varieties, squeaky curds, the moon’s composition, how cheese changes your brain chemistry, and the ultimate charcuterie board. Plus: holes and crystals and maggots, oh my! 

[Content warning: we discuss dairy and do make acknowledgments of animal rights concerns, and next week we discuss vegan options in more depth. However this episode and expert’s focus isn’t the ethics of dairy farming as a whole, but rather the process of cheesemaking. We do have a future episode planned about plant-based diets.]

Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Part 2: We’re back with molten hot cheese trivia in Part 2 with Fromologist Kyra James of OwnYourFunk.com. Part 1 covered the foundations and this week we address your listener questions about cows on boats, plant-based cheese options, how to properly store cheese, how cheese changes your brain chemistry, the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, the great grilled cheese debate, DIY cheeses, squeaky curds, Missouri’s cheese caves, the moon’s composition, and the ultimate charcuterie board. Also: holes, and crystals and maggots, oh my!

Listen via Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Podbay, Podcast Addict, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Visit Kyra’s website and follow her on Instagram and LinkedIn

Donations went to the Cheese Culture Coalition and Team Up’s 2025 Building Schools in Kenya


Links to things we discussed - Part 1:

Cheesy Personalities: Kyra James

The Women Bringing BIPOC Representation to the Cheese Industry | Vogue 

Get to Know America’s Greatest Women Cheese Professionals | Saveur

The Hot List: 9 Cheese Stars to Watch | culture

Prairie Breeze™ Cheese 

H.R. Giger Museum in Gruyere 

The Definitive Guide to 5 Kinds of Cheese Rinds and Which Are Edible?

Patterns of world history with sources. Vol. 2 (Third ed.). 

Emerging trends and future prospective in enzyme technology

How to Eat Cheese When You’re Lactose Intolerant

Colby, Wisconsin

Sodium Citrate: The Secret Ingredient That Makes Nacho Cheese So Melty

Effect of Trisodium Citrate Concentration and Cooking Time on the Physicochemical Properties of Pasteurized Process Cheese

Why Sodium Citrate is the Secret to the Silkiest Cheese Sauce

Comparison of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium citrate as anticoagulants in collection of samples for cytomegalovirus pp65 antigen detection in renal transplant recipients with suspected cytomegalovirus disease

Miriam Simun, a breast-milk cheese-maker

Making Human Cheese, 2011: HD Video with audio, 4:10

'Deliciously creamy': The world of breast-milk cheese

Cows, Goats, and Sheep, Oh My! What Difference Does a Milk's Source Make for Cheese?

WebMD: Goat Milk: Are There Health Benefits?

Sanctity of the cow in Hinduism

Buffalo Milk 101

Raw Milk Recalls - Current Events and Summaries

Époisses or Époisses de Bourgogne stinky cheese

Origin and meaning of phrase "cut the cheese"

Drain Weasel

PediFix® SteriShoe® UV Shoe Sanitizer

Types of cheese knife

Meet the Lesbian Cheesemongers of the ‘LGBrieTQ’ Community

BabyBel Cheese recycling program 

You Can Win A $1500 Voucher Just By Making A Sculpture With Babybel Cheese Wax — Yes You Read That Right

Is dairy disturbing your dreams? Here's what a study on food and sleep found out.


Links to things we discussed - Part 2:

Thrillseekers tumble down hill in UK’s Cheese Rolling contest 2025

2025 Gloucester cheese rolling competition ragdoll

Piophila casei: the cheese fly or ham skipper

Brunost or Gjetost: Norwegian sweet cheese food 

The secret resistance behind the world’s most dangerous cheese

Guinness World Records 2009, Most Dangerous Cheese

Emmental Cheese FAQ: 13 Most Burning Questions Answered

On the Formation of “Eyes” in Emmental Cheese

Powder permitted to help with holes in Emmental cheese

Switzerland: Scientists Find the Secret to the Holes in Swiss Cheese: Hay Dust

Mechanism and control of the eye formation in cheese

Scientists Have Finally Figured Out Why Swiss Cheese Has Holes

America’s Test Kitchen: Should I Use Butter or Mayo on the Outside of My Grilled Cheese?

Cheese Caves and Food Surpluses: Why the U.S. Government currently stores 1.4 billion lbs of cheese

Silja’s baking! Mormor’s Goods

Throw Momma From The Train - Cows

How To Pronounce Ossau-Iraty (French Basque Cheese Name)

Video: Random Yumminess - Squeaky Cheese in Wisconsin


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Editing by Mercedes Maitland of Maitland Audio Productions and Jake Chaffee

Managing Director: Susan Hale

Scheduling Producer: Noel Dilworth 

Transcripts by Aveline Malek

Website by Kelly R. Dwyer

Theme song by Nick Thorburn

FoodAlie Ward