Curd your enthusiasm.
An enterprising Philadelphia dairy recently unveiled a highly sophisticated cheese and charcuterie vending machine that’s receiving raves — and attracting customers at all hours of the night.
Perrystead Dairy, steps from the City of Brotherly Love’s fashionable Fishtown district, is now robotically selling many of its own high end cheeses — some good enough to find their way into the cases at Murray’s in Manhattan.
The automat-style vendor also includes hams, chorizo, crackers, preserves, and the brand’s “really Philly schmear” cream cheese. It features a neon “cheese” sign, just in case of confusion.
Turophiles have stopped in as late as 1 a.m. for a nosh at the London phone booth-looking device, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“I’m selling coast to coast, but I operate within a community,” Perrystead founder Yoav Perry told the outlet.
“We want to give something to the neighborhood.”
The state-of-the-art device even includes charcuterie boards in either marble, wood, or slate and Perry said cheese knives are next to be stocked.
It was a well-kept secret for weeks until chef Michael Solomonov spilled the fondue on the machine recently by posting it on his Instagram.
Since then, Perrystead’s newest addition — imagine a much smaller version of a rotating Carvana automobile vending machine — has been an unbrie-lievable hit.
“Then a bunch of people posted stories about it,” Perry, who had been working for two years to have the concept meet Food and Drug Administration standards — added of its social media eruption.
The move has led to a new audience for Perrystead’s internationally awarded products.
These include Moonrise, a 35-day aged blend of French calf rennet and Iberian cardoon thistle flowers, and Treehug — a gooey concoction wrapped in bark, available in the winter only.
As the big wheels keep on churning, Perry will also look into adding other local cheeses to the machine. That is along with making it a testing ground for experimental recipes.
“Just like making cheese, you never know what the response is going to be,” Perry said.
“It’s a surprising welcome.”
