C'Est Cheese

Opening and owning this cheese shop for the last six years is truly our dream come true. We are Michael & Kathryn Graham and we opened C'est Cheese in December of 2003, with the plan of filling up our little store with the finest cheeses and artisan foods that we can get our hands on. The seeds for C'est Cheese were first planted in college during study abroad programs in Europe. That was where we first gained the appreciation for small downtown specialty markets. The cheese shop next to the butcher, next to the bakery, next to the pastry shop, that was heaven to us! Upon our return to the States, it was a source of continuing frustration trying to seek out little havens of great food. After college, Michael took a job at Zingerman's Deli, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the acclaimed gourmet food store famous for both its top-notch food selection and excellent customer service. With Zingerman's, we learned that is indeed possible to have a business dedicated to the wonderful, traditionally made foods of the world. So after moving to New York City, exploring the food world there and doing unfulfilling stints in the corporate world, we settled on the idea of opening our own business. The only question was what and where? The answer came in October 2002, while visiting Santa Barbara, we noticed an acute lack of a downtown food market. Great restaurants: yes, great wine: yes, great cheese shop: no. We had found our calling. We look forward to serving this community with the best service and quality that we can possibly provide.