Introducing James Cook

"I grew up in a small fishing town on the west coast of Scotland where my passion for cheese started at a very early age. In my family, dessert was on Sundays only. The rest of the week, a plate of cheese and fruit after dinner was our treat. These cheeses were mainly from local farms and occasionally my grand father (a local fisherman) brought us cheese from the Western Isles. My father, on his bi-weekly trips to London, always returned from his travels with other European delicacies; Roquefort, Gorgonzola and good Brie.

When I moved to the United States in 1979, I discovered very quickly that true artisan cheese was difficult to find. I worked at a variety of specialty food shops in California but found that most of these places lacked serious cheese counters. However, I never lost my interest in cheeses; if anything, it blossomed. In 1990, I moved to Seattle where I immediately started work at DeLaurenti Specialty Food Markets, becoming cheese buyer and manager. My goal was to bring authentic cheeses to the Pacific Northwest. I soon discovered terrific response to our ongoing customer education and an increasing inventory of new and exciting products.

It was during this time that I began a relationship with Neal's Yard of London, bringing their top-notch cheeses to the Northwest. This gave Seattleites a chance to taste traditional farm cheeses from the British Isles. As time passed, I began to dream of opening a world class cheese shop of my own, complete with an aging room and the best selection of rare and seasonal cheese on the West Coast.

I am delighted to announce my agreement with Tom Douglas to open COOK & D'Amico, starting with a holiday mail order of the largest selection of Neal's Yard cheeses in the United States (please see insert). Our goal is to provide you with an educational environment where we can share the excitement of tasting new cheeses with you, our customer. If I can answer any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 448-2001."

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