Provolone. Mozzarella. Cheddar.
You’re familiar with the basic cheese options. But what about Valençay, an aged French goat cheese covered in salted ash that, legend says, so infuriated Napoleon with its pyramid shape as he returned from his disastrous campaign in Egypt that he chopped the top off with his sword?
Valençay is one of the many specialty cheeses available at Farmstead Inc., a small shop at Wayland Square in Providence owned by husband and wife Matt and Kate Jennings.
The couple met while working at Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Mass., where Kate was a chef and Matt was the restaurant’s cheese buyer. Afterwards, the couple moved to California, where Kate continued her culinary education and Matt took a job in a wholesale warehouse. There, he built more connections and learned more about the variety of cheeses.
After moving to Providence about four years ago, Matt Jennings began looking to open a gourmet cheese shop, eyeing places as far away as Oregon. But the couple decided to stay in Providence not only because they loved the area, but because they saw an unmet need.
“Providence didn’t have any really good food retail, with the exception of [Costantino’s Venda Ravioli],” he said.
He and a business partner, who later dropped out of the venture, began looking for a store in the city. They found a spot on Wayland Square: a cheese shop with an owner looking to sell.
They stocked Farmstead with a wide array of cheeses from around the world, hard and soft, mild and pungent, familiar and exotic. Along with well-known imported and domestic varieties, the store features several exclusive items, Matt Jennings said, because it has cultivated relationships with small farmers who provide exceptional varieties.
“In the past, we’ve made trips to go out and collect our cheese and taken local area chefs on cheese-making trips,” he said.
Farmstead has gained a reputation in the community by catering special events – from wine tastings to fundraisers for nonprofits. Nine months ago, the couple also opened a 34-seat restaurant, La Laiterie, next door to the store, featuring cheese-tasting platters (you can try three or five at a time, choosing from groupings such as “bloomy, sweet and salty” and “veined, blue and robust”) as well as soups, salads and entrees, plus beer and wine.
Kate Jennings said that the idea for the restaurant came from customers, who were looking to have a place to have a glass of wine or beer with their cheese.
“Farmstead had reached a point where we needed to be doing more,” she said. “A lot of our customers were always saying that we should have a café or do more.”
The couple turned the retail space next door to the shop into a restaurant and bar, with seasonal outdoor seating and a separate entrance from the store – but also a second door that connects the two. The goal of the restaurant, the Jenningses said, is to be a neighborhood bistro that attracts the community, building on Farmstead’s reputation as a premier cheese supplier.
“It’s very separate from the cheese shop, but it wouldn’t exist if we didn’t have the cheese shop,” she said.
So far, the restaurant has been received well, they said. Because of the variety the menu offers, Kate said that La Laiterie has been successful in attracting people from all walks of life.
“There’s quite a variety, so our customers are college kids, they’re young kids … [or] they’re older people with maybe a more refined palate. We kind of try to appeal to everyone.”
The restaurant has allowed the couple to host more educational and promotional events. The last Sunday of every month, for example, La Laiterie hosts a “visiting chef” brunch, during which Matt Jennings and another chef team up to offer a unique menu.
The third Sunday of each month, Farmstead sponsors a “cheese class” at the restaurant to educate consumers about different types of cheese. This Sunday, for example, there’s a class on “Artisan Cheeses & Craft Beer.”
Asked about the potential for more expansions, the Jenningses were tight-lipped, only saying that they will happen. And speaking with Matt, it’s clear that he loves what he’s doing.
He said he acquired his taste for specialty cheeses from being a chef and learning to appreciate the role of unique ingredients.
“It’s an art,” Matt said. “That’s what’s so neat about it.”
Company Profile: Farmstead Inc.
Type of business: Specialty cheese shop plus a restaurant, La Laiterie
Owners: Matt and Kate Jennings
Location: 186 Wayland Ave., Providence
Employees: 20
Year founded: 2003
Annual revenue: WND
