| Twenty years ago, an Alabama woman named Liz Parnell visited Paris with her husband. The romantic sights of the city captivated her, but it was the cuisine with which she truly fell in love. Especially the chèvres. After her first bite of goat cheese, she knew she had to find a way to get the same great cheese at home. That lead to the creation of Fromagerie Belle Chèvre. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, all four of Belle Chèvre’s distinct chèvres have won numerous awards for taste, quality and authenticity. We’re recognized as one of the best chèvre creameries in the United States, and arguably the world, by the American Cheese Society and The American Goat Dairy Association. Even internationally-acclaimed cheese expert Steven Jenkins calls our cheese an “American Treasure.”
This year, Belle Chèvre’s legacy of excellence is being passed to Tasia Malakasis, who comes from a successful career in high-tech marketing software. Why the switch from a fast-paced, no-nonsense world to a slow, careful one? One word: passion.
Tasia’s interest in creating fine food led her down many paths, including a stint at the Culinary Institute of America. It was during this time that she discovered Belle Chèvre’s cheese at Dean and Deluca in New York City. Impressed, Tasia wound up contacting Liz, convincing her to teach her how to make cheese –– and, after gaining her trust over time, to lead the business.
“I am pleased to be passing the business I built on to someone with passion and the desire to bring fine, hand-crafted cheeses to the market,” said Liz Parnell, Owner Emeritus.
“It was fateful, I believe, that out of all of the grand cheeses in that store I would pick up one from a creamery that is just 20 miles from my home in Alabama. It was love at first bite,” said Tasia. Indeed
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