Solstice with the Studds:
Q&A with Sam & Ellie Studd
Hill Street was very excited to catch up recently with Sam and Ellie Studd, the “Studd Siblings” and children of Will Studd, international cheese specialist and a luminary of the industry in Australia and overseas. Read on to find out how they “do cheese” and when they’re coming for some special events at Hill Street!
Hill Street has had a long association with Will and we’re thrilled to have the second generation of Studds visit us soon to continue this tradition, holding two very special cheese events in June at our Sandy Bay store, see more below.
Hill Street: Do you “do cheese” differently from your dad? How would you describe your style or signature when using cheese and talking about cheese.
Sam: Will is our inspiration, he’s our guru and we’re able to tap into his depth of knowledge and then make it approachable for a broader range of people. Cheese can be a bit like wine, we want to ‘de-wankify’ it, remove the barriers and help more people enter the cheese universe.
Ellie: I’d say we want to be approachable for the cheese curious – so when you walk into Hill Street and there are so many cheeses to choose from, you aren’t overwhelmed. We’re telling the stories in our way, bringing it to all ages and all cheese buyers.
Ellie, Will and Sam Studd
Hill Street: Both of you have had other careers and experiences before you committed to a life of cheese - can you tell us about your past lives?
Sam: I studied commerce at Uni, and then I travelled through Asia and India, and had hospitality jobs in between. I went to New York in 2012 and worked at Murray’s Cheese in Bleeker Street, which opened my eyes to the world of cheese and I met some real characters I’m still friends with now. I tried my hand at cheesemaking at Rogue River and Jasper Hill, I moved back to Australia after three years and continued to make cheese, and then I asked Will for a job. It was a catalyst for Ellie to come into the business: she was thinking “Mmm, what’s Sam up to? I’m missing out!” [Both laugh]
Ellie: I had ten years in nursing and health promotion working in adolescent medicine and cystic fibrosis. It was great but I started to feel that I wanted to use my creativity and be around food. I worked with Neal’s Yard Dairy in London and also did some part time work at the Spring Street Cheese Cellar in Melbourne to test the waters, and then Will asked me to come on his TV series, Cheese Slices. It was great to see that side of things.
Hill Street: And so you both returned to cheese?
Ellie: Sam and I both had an “aha moment” – the question of who is going to do what dad does, tell the stories he tells – and we came home to that passion. Will made sure we were mentored and got educated, and we did our CCP cheese exams in the US. Knowledge is wealth, Will believes that, so he is always encouraging us to continue to educate ourselves and visit producers overseas.
Sam: Yes, there was a gravity which kept pulling us back. It’s a shared experience with loved ones; we have an incredible bond over cheese. I think of cheese as our church, we break bread, we have our communion, it’s a shared passion. Ellie’s said this before, cheese runs through our veins instead of blood.
Hill Street: And are there any there any signs of Will actually taking it a bit easier any time soon?
Ellie: I don’t think he’ll ever retire. It keeps him alive!
Sam: Our dad is not one to put his feet up, so our goal is for him to continue following his passions and Ellie and I can pick up all the things that actually make the business run like labels and compliance and all the nitty-gritty stuff. I’m happy to work with dad and alongside Ellie until we’re both in retirement.
Tell us about your day jobs with Studd Enterprizes and what keeps you busy every day?
Ellie: I’m part-time at the moment because I have a one-and-half year-old to look after, my daughter Stella, who keeps me pretty busy. At work my role is marketing the Will Studd Selection cheeses and maintaining relationships with our producers overseas, who are all families. We’re now working with the next generation, which is nice.
Sam: My position description would be sales, education and business development, I travel overseas a lot attending trade shows, visiting our producers, and I do a lot of customer education around Australia. I’m probably away more than six months in a year.
Hill Street: You released your book The Best Things in Life are Cheese late last year. It educates and talks about cheese in a refreshing and irreverent way. Was that your intention?
Ellie: Yes, it’s a celebration of cheese, you have to have fun and bring joy into your life every day, with things like toasties, snacks and treats. The recipes bring cheese into your daily life – cheese for a midnight snack, for a date night, for a picnic, a brunch or a slow Sunday.
What’s your favourite cheese region of the world?
Ellie: My most recent trip was to Switzerland. It was so strikingly beautiful and pristine, and I loved the way they have relationships with their farmers and protect their dairy industry. But as far as my favourite cheese region, I’ve got to say France. Normandy – it’s coastal and so beautiful.
Sam: If I had to take off somewhere tomorrow it would be to somewhere new – say Sardinia, somewhere I don’t know so I can get more versed in that area.
Hill Street: What’s your worst cheese experience?
Ellie: I tried casu marzu, the maggot cheese from Sardinia. It had been smuggled into an Italian cheese shop by a Japanese businessman. I regret eating it. It tasted awful and it was a little bit traumatising. I couldn’t stop thinking about the maggots and the eggs. It was a bucket list cheese, and my ego made me do it, but no. It was awful.
Sam: I had some yak cheese in Ladakh on the border of Pakistan, China and Tibet. Yak cheese is essential for the traditional people’s sustenance. It looked like a piece of coral, with yak hair in it. It had absolutely no moisture content. They put it into their tea, or chew on it. It’s almost like a cheese jerky. It was really terrible. It tasted like baby vomit.
Hill Street: And your favourite cheese, or if that’s too hard, maybe your top two or three?
Sam: As a general everyday cheese, Comté is my desert island cheese. It’s a good melter, it’s delicious and it’s durable. I’ve also been enjoying some great Roquefort this week. I accidentally got too much so I’ve used it in salad dressing, I’ve been putting it on my steak – it’s a umami flavour bomb!
Hill Street: And Ellie, what’s in your fridge right now?
Ellie: Right now I have a big hunk of Quicke’s cloth bound cheddar, aged 24 months. It’s perfect for a snackie with a bit of apple – that’s my lunch!
Hill Street: Have you been to Tasmania before? What’s your favourite place in Tassie?
Sam: Dad has been close to Nick Haddow for a long time because their philosophy on cheese is similar. So we’ve spent a lot of time on Bruny Island filming and we’ve also visited Hill Street a few times. We love Tassie.
Ellie: I’ve been to dark MOFO in the past few years, I loved it. Tasmania is a beautiful, stunning part of the world.
Hill Street: When you come down in mid-June we will be nearing the solstice, and it will be nice and chilly. What do you have in store for us cheese-wise?
Ellie: Our vision for the night is gooiness, melted, molten, drippy cheeses. Winter solstice is a celebration. It’s all about hibernation and restoration, and we want everyone to feel really nourished. So we’re going to do things like a baked cheese with dipped bread, all really comforting.
Sam: It’s going to be like a hug, like sitting by the fire. We really want to play into the fact that it’s going to be freezing, and tell stories about how cheese offers sustenance when it’s cold.
Hill Street: What’s your favourite cold weather comfort food?
Ellie: Baked camembert, my dinner party trick, it’s failproof!
Sam: Yes, I would agree, with a piece of warm bread.
Ellie: And spuds with melted cheese on top. Also soup…
Sam: Yes, French onion soup with cheesy croutons!
Hill Street: And what’s coming up in the next 12 months for both of you?
Ellie: I’ll be recovering from the book!
Sam: I’m going to New York in June and in October there’s an affinage course in France for ten days in the caves. And Will’s doing a new TV show at the moment called Taste of Place, keep an eye out for it!
Ellie and Sam are holding two very special events, Solstice with the Studds, at Hill Street Sandy Bay on 14 and 15 June at 7.30pm. Find out more, and book here
