Contrary to some popular old tunes/sayings it is not “love that makes the world go ‘round” and it isn’t “all you need,” nor is the “bird the word” or the “hokey pokey what it’s all about.” Napa resident Hayley Pingree knows the answer to all of the above is, in fact, cheese.
New York natives, Pingree and her older sister and business partner, Maren Swenson are the owners/operators of The Napa Table, LLC, “a food and culture experience featuring cheese tastings, cheese and charcuterie boards, virtual courses and cheese tours to France and California.”
Located in Napa Valley, the two-year old business has options to host guests at its private tasting barn, L’Atelier, or travel within Napa Valley and the Bay Area for offsite tastings and events, the women said.
The thing about cheese is the “romantic” and “grand” process, Pingree said.
“I bought this book about French cheese on a whim and there’s something so romantic about the process to me. It all seemed so grand to me. It really opened up my eyes. It made me appreciate it so much more. I love the stories behind how the cheeses are made. The history of things. The animals.”
The business grew out of this.
Angie Clayson / Courtesy Photo
“The Napa Table is a dream that I never thought would become a reality,” said Pingree, 33, in a statement.
“Three years ago, I found myself deep in the obsession of the slow food movement, mindful-eating culture and the amazing world of artisanal and farmstead cheese. Book after book, late-night internet searches and long, philosophical conversations couldn’t satiate the passion and excitement I felt toward this long-timecoming calling.”
The slow food movement, which started in Italy in the 1980s, is basically, “a rebuttal to the fast food movement,” she said. “It’s designed to help preserve heritage and traditions being lost in the fast food culture. It encompasses the work of trying to preserve heritage and agriculture.”
Pair this love of cheese and the slow food/mindful-eating movement with her life-long fascination with all things French and a move to Napa Valley, and The Napa Table was only a natural outgrowth, she said.
“As a Francophile, my travels in France (and reading, researching and talking endlessly about it) always focused on the culinary world and the pure pleasure and passion the French derive from the simple act of preparing and eating meals, eventually led me behind the cheese counter, where I mongered (sold) for one of the greatest cheese shops in the country, Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Austin, Texas.”
Commuting from San Antonio, Pingree said she brought home “bites of knowledge” and lots of cheese, to share with friends, which turned into teaching small groups about cheese in their homes “and sharing as much as I could about the slow food movement in a town that otherwise was filled to the brim with BBQ, burgers and queso.”
Then the pandemic hit, she and her husband of 14 years had a baby — a now 3-year-old son — and they moved to Napa, Pingree said.
“Life eventually landed us in Napa, and into my gastronomic heaven,” she said. “From bounties of produce at the Farmer’s Market, to cheese shops, local grocers,
world-class restaurants, rolling hills and vineyards, I felt right at home.”
Watching “the fig tree, then the apple tree, and then the pomelo tree all blossom right in our backyard,” made Pingree think about “sharing this love of mine around the table, under the trees and bistro lights in the crisp Napa air,” she said.
Hayley Pingree / Coutresy Photo
Not that there was anything in her early family background that might have predicted this outcome, she said. The family isn’t French, for instance.
“I’m just French at heart. It’s hard to know how it happened,” she said. “When I was younger, I had a romanticized view of France and Paris. I was bored in my advertising job. I married at 19 and felt I’d skipped a lot of stuff, like studying abroad.”
Pingree always wanted to visit Paris, and learned when she did, the food culture there had much to teach.
“Little did I realize that going there multiple times really scratched an itch for me,” she said. “They have the cure for the Victoria’s Secret school of eating — No one was stressed about what they were eating. All low stress, and I’d never experienced that in American diet structure. It sparked something in me. It helped me reframe my way of looking at eating.”
American food culture lacks balance, Pingree said, describing it as a “vicious cycle of binge, restrict, repeat.”
The concept that grew into the Napa Table is based on the approach born from these experiences and lessons learned.
“When I started the idea for the Napa Table I was living in Texas as a yoga teacher and decided to take the modality of mindfulness and translate it into a way of approaching food. I started with cheese specifically,” she said.
“Cheese seems simple but is really complicated. When you think about what goes into it, it has to be really mindful from the beginning, through every step, and I fell in love with that.”
They hope clients will come away with a more thoughtful way of eating and seeing cheese.
Those who engage with The Napa Table, will experience the company’s “beautiful cheese and charcuterie boards” and expert lessons for “you and your friends to do the same,” according to the firm’s website.
“Offering public classes, private events and subscriptions…, we introduce you to the best cheese, wine and food pairings and how to eat and entertain mindfully,” the site said.
The sisters are two of four siblings.
Swenson experienced a life-altering event in the form of a divorce and remarriage that changed her perspective on everything, she said.
“I was used to business, chaos, doing things to meet others’ expectations, and not spending a lot of time developing myself,” she said. “After my divorce, then a remarriage and blending of families, I needed a reboot on life.”
Discovering “mindfulness and breath work,” the mother of three biological and three step children said she also found “connection with myself,” and that “once I cultivated these parts of my life, I was able to be more present and give more fully to those around me.”
Making the conscious effort to “move through life joyfully and mindfully,” Swenson said she was determined not to just survive.
“I want to live,” she said. “And today, I live. This company and all that we stand for is a reflection of my inner-work and values. The cheese, the cheese, the cheese.”
The sisters said they hope that clients walk away from a Napa Table experience, “first and foremost with a greater understanding of the cheese world; how to better taste and pair cheese. Maybe seeing cheese doesn’t have to be unreachable and stuffy. Making it more accessible and they can pick it out with more confidence — making it less intimidating,” Pingree said.
“The most important thing to know about cheese is to have an idea of what you like. Like wine, it’s a good cheese if you like it. Start with what you like and branch out from there. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. A good cheese monger will be happy to give you advice and help you find something you’ll like.”
As far as Pingree is concerned, the best part of being involved in this business is the human connections being made.
“Primarily those coming to cheese tasting or classes. There’s something so connecting about sitting around a table and sharing food,” she said.
“Alongside that, the amazing people in the cheese world. People really trying to make a difference in the sustainable and regenerative dairy industry.”
Not that there are no challenges. There are.
“I find it hard to balance everything,” she said. “There’s so much exciting opportunity in the valley. Amazing partnerships. But as a mom, I’m tired a lot of the time. And awareness — helping people feel that eating high-quality dairy products is important. Not just for the ag industry but for the environment. That can be tricky.”
Info: thenapatable.com, [email protected]
