Cheese to Please

When a country storefront at Tiverton’s Four Corners came open last year, Diana and Bill Bothelo decided to go for it, refurbishing the space and calling it The Cheese Wheel Village Market. Bill had been in sales; Diana in massage therapy and acupuncture. But they’ve hired Susan Arruda, an experienced cheesemonger (plus Emily Brayton and son Joshua who are learning, too), and they’re dedicated to becoming a farm-to-table business by supporting local farms and producers in Rhode Island, nearby Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast. Though Bill is quick to mention a Swiss cheese, Challerhocker, as a customer favorite, Joshua jumps in with two cheeses from Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown, Massachusetts (Tobasi and Maggie’s Round), and one from Shy Brothers in nearby Westport, Massachusetts (Cloumage). “It’s been a surprise how much people love cheese,” says Bill. They stock many Vermont cheeses, too, and among their charcuterie choices, Joshua picks out the mole and tartufo salamis from Gastros, made in Providence. The Village Market also carries milk from local Arruda’s Dairy, pasta from Litl’ Rhody Pasta, plus Newport Sea Salt, Little Compton’s own Sweet & Salty Farm yogurt and honey from two local apiaries: Bee Bop and Sakonnet Seaside Bees.

The Cheese Wheel Village Market, 3838 Main Rd., Tiverton Four Corners. 401.816.5069; TheCheeseWheelRI.com