Return of TJ’s cheesiest club has students excited.
by Robert Lampert
photo by Kevin Fleming
Listen up Spartans, here is possibly the most important news you’ll get all year: the Cheese Club is back!
With the return of the cheese club, students at Thomas Jefferson High School await a new start to their unprecedented club. The Cheese Club here at TJ had its inaugural year last year and, as with the start of any new club, it met many obstacles standing in its way. Lack of sponsors and funds, as well as a small club membership, made the progression of the organization difficult. But do not let that fool you. The Cheese Club is back, and with the leadership of founding seniors, the plans to take the club to the next level are in full effect.
"The cheese club got off to a rough start mainly due to the fact that people didn’t take us seriously, but we want people to know that we are back and are serious about eating cheese," said Founding Member Sam Stavish. With expanding membership and growing sponsorships the club is fast making its way to being a driving force in the TJ community.
New plans for the club include meetings that will involve the examination, exploration, and consumption of cheeses from around the globe. "Allowing our members to experience cheese beyond the world of the classic cheddar, American, Swiss etc. is what we’re all about," said senior and Founding Member Andrew Briss.
The cheese club was started on a random, spur of the moment idea when five of our own here at TJ sat down to enjoy some cheese. The framers of the cheese club include Jake Hazan, Sam Stavish, Andrew Briss, Robert Lampert, and PJ Sleichter. "Being a senior here at TJ I’ve taken notice that creating clubs revolving around your favorite recreational activities is a great way to get involved in the TJ community. My favorite recreational activity just happened to be hogging massive amounts of cheese, so I thought I would be doing the TJ community a service by co-founding the cheese club," said Hazan.
The club is opening the door for anyone at TJ who has an undeniable passion for cheese, yet struggles finding the means by which to express that love. The benefits of a cheese club are not only due to the fact that cheese is a delicious, healthy treat that can be enjoyed at any time of the day; but the educational foundations, such as how cheese is made and the history of cheese, will promote open-mindedness among students in the club. Did you know that the earliest signs of cheese making were more than 7500 years ago? At that point in time people would take curds (coagulated milk), and drain them through unbaked pots. In the 5th century AD, Roman soldiers and athletes were fed a diet of cheese, wheat bread and figs.
The plethora of information found in the history of cheese provides members with a valuable vault of knowledge that has the potential to expand the way one thinks about history. There are over 900 known types of cheeses in the world coming from six continents and over 50 countries. Founding members ask potential club joiners to simply imagine the potential.
Not only does the club serve as a way to enjoy one of the most simple but elegant of foods, it also promotes an interesting way to learn more about a food enjoyed for centuries. The organization’s first meeting will be held November 6, 2008 at lunch in Mr. Almonds room (225). The club is open membership for anyone who wants to join, so feel free to show up and share your passion for cheese.
So, Thomas Jefferson, if you’re in the market for anything and everything that has to do with cheese, then the cheese club is for you!
