Afrim Pristine is known as Canada's top cheese expert, and now he's set to host a new documentary series called Cheese: A Love Story on the Food Network.
He is the only Canadian to hold the title of Maître Fromager by France-based Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, an exclusive association representing more than 5,000 dairy professionals worldwide. He grew up in a family cheese business right here in Toronto known as Cheese Boutique that has been around for over 50 years. The shop is loved by many Torontonians and carries some of the most unique cheeses and pantry products from across the world.
Cheese: A Love Story is a six-part series that will see Pristine travel to some of the most iconic locations that specialize in cheese. The show will take Pristine and the audience to spots like Switzerland, France, Greece and back home to Canada in Toronto, Quebec and British Columbia.
Pristine will discover how each culture has developed and crafted cheeses in their traditional ways. The show will allow him to connect with farmers, cheese makers, shop owners, affineurs and chefs to learn more about the art of cheese.
A few familiar culinary moguls will make an appearance in the show, including Chuck Hughes from Le Bremner, Michele Forgione from Chez Tousignant in Quebec, Elia Herrera from Colibri and Aiko Uchigoshi from Aburi Hana in Toronto among many more. With cheese being an industry that keeps changing, we will get to see new ways of making and aging cheese with Pristine.
Pristine has over 25 years of experience in cheese making and has studied amongst some of the world's greatest cheesemakers. To name a few, he's learned from Luigi Guffanti, Stefano Sarti, Carl Schilit, Jean-Paul Morin, and of course his own father. He has supported and collaborated with many popular restaurants in Canada like Momofuku, Alo, Langdon Hall, Canoe, La Palma, Scaramouche and Piano Piano. Currently at his own Cheese Boutique, he has been hosting weekly Cheese Boutique food truck pop-ups with local chefs.
Cheese: A Love Story will premiere on June 9 at 8 p.m. This will be available for streaming through STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels or the new Global TV app, live and on demand if you sign in with your call subscription.
