About The Salty Cow, LLC
Dan The Cheese Man (He’s the one on the right)
“Cheese is for everyone, as long as you have the nose for it.”
AboUT YOUR CHEESEMONGER (TL;DR Version)
Dan The Cheese Man is the owner of The Salty Cow, LLC. Which means he cuts the cheese(s). With over 16 years of experience focused on cheese, wine, and beer, he knows a thing or two about dairy. He believes in the idea of an unpretentious pallet. He believes that you shouldn’t eat something unless you actually like it because who cares what someone else thinks. Taste is subjective.
He also does educational events in partnership with Working Foods and the UF Culinary Program.
The Salty Cow Story
Dan has been cutting the cheese since he was 26 years old. He started out in a grocery store selling beer, coffee and cheese in the specialty department. Having a love for biology, he couldn’t help but obsess over edible cultures and fermented foods. After developing a $75 a week habit, he started to focus in on the ever expanding world of cheese.
Dan’s passion for cheese grew, and so did his desire to further spread The Word of the Curd. Dan truly enjoyed sharing his vast knowledge of all things cheesy, and in 2018 he started to host parties and tastings. They featured cheese and accoutrements from around the globe, introducing people to new places and experiences through pallets and palates.
During this time, his old friend Kyle Polvere reached out to him about selling cheese at a farmers market. “How do I source cheese? Where can I get things from? Who do I talk to?“. Dan gave his friend Kyle all the information he could, becoming more and more intrigued with this idea himself.
That conversation planted a seed in Dan’s brain. After thinking about it for a few days, Dan realized that this idea could actually be an opportunity to start something new! The allure of being able to have his own business focused on something he was truly passionate about, and in a way that allowed him the creative freedom to share his love and passion for cheese was something he couldn’t stop dreaming about. Not to mention being able to be his own boss and leave the rigidity of corporate team membership behind sounded absolutely fantastic.
With this new dream in mind, Dan decided to reach back out to his friend Kyle. He left him some messages, and waited patiently to hear back from him. Kyle had been out of the country, but when he came back he contacted Dan and they talked. Dan shared his excitement and his vision of cheesy goodness with Kyle, and his friend loved it. Together, they decided “OK, We’re doing this!”
With his wife Linsy’s full support, Dan quit his corporate job with a company that he’d been with for 11 years and started The Salty Cow, LLC with Kyle. Starting out, the new business had an hour long commute each way to Lakeland, FL. It was all worth it to pursue the dream of owning an independent Cheesemonger service that focused on making cheese accessible, and making it fun! The business took off, and grew into regularly vending in several Orlando area farmer’s markets, having guest spots at countless breweries, catering special events, hosting beer pairings, parties, and at one point in time even having a storefront.
Unfortunately, like many businesses that were impacted during Covid’s peak, The Salty Cow had to shut down. Kyle left the business to start a new life, while Dan and his wife Linsy moved to Gainesville.
Dan, however, was just as determined and dedicated as ever to the world of cheese, and a few months later he and Linsy re-built and re-opened The Salty Cow Cheesemongers, LLC from scratch in Gainesville, with no one knowing who they were or what they did (or what “Cheesemonger” even meant, for that matter). In July 2021, they started selling cheese at The GNV at Hartwood. The Gainesville population of turophiles (people that love cheese) exploded, and demand for these new local Purveyors of Parmigiano skyrocketed. Dan quickly added in more regular local markets and special events to their schedule, and even hired additional curd nerds to spread the Word of the Curd far and wide.
The Salty Cow, LLC has established itself as a highly sought after staple in the local community. Customers enjoy stopping by and talking to Dan, sampling the newest cheeses while he shares his knowledge and expertise, often recommending pairings, sharing recipes, or tips on what to serve at their next party.
Dan’s ability to introduce customers, both new and old, to high quality cheeses and make them accessible without feeling pretentious is at the heart of The Salty Cow. He creates a safe space for the curd curious to come and explore the wonderful, wide world of cheese in a fun and comfortable environment, and with someone who is truly doing what he loves to do: cutting the cheeses wherever he pleases.