KATE ARDING

Kate Arding is an internationally recognized authority on cheese with over 25 years of experience in the farmhouse cheese industry.

Kate grew up in Kent in the Southeastern part of England. In 1992, she began working for her family’s mustard and sauce company, Tracklements, before landing a job running the wholesale department at Neal’s Yard Dairy, London’s beloved specialty cheese shop. Working with founder Randolph Hodgson, she focused not only on selling cheeses from the British Isles, but also on learning how to help cheesemakers refine their craft. The company grew on a trajectory that coincided with Britain’s larger culinary renaissance. During her tenure at Neal’s Yard Dairy, Kate helped establish many high profile accounts,
including The Ritz, the Houses of Parliament, Claridges, and Buckingham Palace.
 

While at Neal’s Yard Dairy, Kate met Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, founders of Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, California. Drawn by the culinary potential of the Northern California coast, in 1997, Kate crossed the Atlantic and joined the duo as Head Cheesemonger and Buyer, a position she held for seven years. During this time, she was part of the burgeoning American cheese movement and helped the company establish the foundation from which it grew into one of the country’s esteemed cheese businesses. Wanting to further share her expertise and passion for cheese, Kate left Cowgirl Creamery and spent the next three years consulting to farmers and cheesemakers on dairy
development projects across the globe - from East Africa to South America and Eastern Europe.
 

In 2008, Kate co-founded Culture: The Word on Cheese, America’s first magazine devoted to the diverse and delicious world of cheese. As the resident cheese expert, she worked closely with the editorial team, advising on content as well as writing and photographing.
 

In 2013, she left the magazine to found her own company, Talbott & Arding, with life and business partner Mona Talbott. Opening its doors in 2014, Talbott & Arding quickly became a beloved cheese and specialty food shop in the heart of New York’s Hudson Valley. At Talbott & Arding, Kate oversees the running of the business as well as the shop’s notable cheese program, one of the premier collections of cheese in the Hudson Valley region. She curates a counter that spotlights the best cheeses of the Northeast along with international imports.
 

Kate was an editor for the 2015 Oxford Companion to Cheese (Oxford University Press) and has been featured in national press, including The Martha Stewart Living Show, Heritage Radio Network, San Francisco Chronicle, The LA Times, and The Times UK.

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Kate and Mona are at work on a forthcoming book.