A Vegan Cheese Shop on the Lower East Side

Today, I learned that there’s an all vegan cheese shop on the Lower East Side. I’m not talking about the plastic-packaged sliced or shredded Daiya stuff that’s made of tapioca and doesn’t melt. I’m talking honest to goodness wheels of fermented vegan milks! I haven’t actually tried it yet, but you can bet it just moved to the top of my NYC to do list. The person who told me about this cheese shop said all but the blue cheese he bought were really convincing as cheese. The blue cheese was tasty in its own right, but wouldn’t fool anyone.

In their own words, here’s Riverdel Cheese’s description:

Riverdel, located on the Lower East Side,
is the ultimate vegan cheese experience.

As you arrive at Riverdel you’ll immediately notice the vast display case filled with large wheels of vegan cheese, which are cut-to-order and sold by weight - a very traditional cheese shop experience.

Riverdel offers a vast selection of artisanal vegan cheeses, including housemade cashew and oat cheese, and a highly curated selection of gourmet foods, chocolates and non-alcoholic spirits.

Since first opening in Brooklyn, NY, in 2015, Riverdel has continuously striven to be the foremost expert in vegan cheese. Five years later, Riverdel fully relocated to the historic Essex Market in Manhattan, New York City.

I’m pescatarian, so you might be surprised that I’m so excited about vegan cheese. But as someone who doesn’t eat meat, cheese is actually quite a minefield. Rennet, which is an enzyme used to curdle every cheese, is more often than not animal derived, despite the fact that it can be made more cheaply when produced via microbial culture. This obviously frustrates me to no end - why make something that could be vegetarian not vegetarian, especially when doing it vegetarian is actually cheaper?! Anyway. I hate having to ask about the origin of rennet, because it’s often not even labeled; you don’t have to disclose the origin of an ingredient - just its final form. A lot of people who sell cheese in shops and supermarkets do not even know whether their cheeses contain microbial or animal rennet. So, if vegan cheese can even 90% match animal milk cheeses, I’m in!

I’ll update when I get to try Riverdel Cheese!