Specialty Food Magazine

several high-end spaces for fine-dining restaurants in Toronto, Miami, Las Vegas, and elsewhere. "The addition of Proper Eats to Aria's food and beverage portfolio will deliver a fun and lively communal dining experience to our resort," says Anton Nikodemus, Aria's president and chief operating officer. "Every detail has been carefully curated—from creative concepts to venue design— bringing together a first-class culinary epicenter that is approachable with a variety of options to choose based on preference, taste, or mood." Proper Eats is the latest in a series of food halls to open in Las Vegas, and more are on the way, according to Eater Las Vegas, including one at Fremont Hotel and Casino and another at the UnCommons, an office, retail, and restaurant complex in suburban Las Vegas. Valley Cheese and Wine 1570 WEST HORIZON RIDGE PARKWAY #140, HENDERSON Valley Cheese and Wine Offers In-Store Experiences Diana Brier, owner of Valley Cheese and Wine, has transformed the longtime wine and cheese shop into an experiential venue where customers can not only benefit from her extensive product expertise, but also enjoy happy hours, sports-watching parties, wine classes, and other activities. "Vegas can be a little 'nose in the air' when it comes to wine, because we've got a lot of sommeliers in this town," she says. "So, it's really important that we're friendly, approachable, and have experts who deliver an outstanding experience for your pallet, but also for your soul." Valley Cheese and Wine, which was first established in 2012 and acquired by Brier's family in 2020, prides itself on offering boutique, artisanal wines produced in small batches, often by women- or LBGTQ-owned winemakers. Brier herself is a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level Two sommelier, in addition to being a cheese expert. She is an affineur (a specialist in aging cheeses) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator and a Certified Cheese Professional, as well as a former cheese maker for Rogue Creamery, the specialty cheese company based in Central Point, Oregon. She previously worked for MGP Specialty Food (see related article, p. 18) before taking over management of Valley Cheese and Wine. All of the store's cheeses are cut to order, "fresh from the wheel," says Brier. Brier sources product both directly and from a variety of distributors. In addition to offering a carefully curated assortment of wines and cheeses, Valley Cheese and Wine also carries several specialty food accompaniments, such as imported pastas, tinned fish, and some specialty condiments and dressings such as soy sauces, olive oils, and balsamic vinegars. It also offers gift baskets and charcuterie boards. "It's a small but mighty selection," Brier says. The store also carries a curated selection of beers, and conducts a lot of beer-and-cheese pairings as well. Among its many popular events, Valley Cheese and Wine also offers a happy hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. for $40 on Tuesday through Friday, which includes a cheese board and a bottle of wine. "It's a really great way to introduce people to the personality of the shop and the team," says Brier. "But it's also about the personality of our cheese selection, and we try to illustrate that it is for everyone." The store features a 14-seat classroom as well as a barrel-top table seating area for happy hours that seats about 20. The store regularly gets about 50 people for some events, such as its Producer Spotlights, Brier says. During the 2023 Winter Fancy Food Show, Brier is offering 10 percent off anything in the store for attendees who show their badge. WINTER 2023 21 Mark Hamstra is a regular contributor to Specialty Food and SFA News Daily. PHOTO: KATE STOWELL

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