Murray's Cheese
{{Short description|Cheese shop in New York City}}
{{coord|40.7310376|N|74.0031512|W|type:landmark|display=title}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Murray's Cheese
| logo = Murray cheese logo.svg
| logo_size = 200
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| image = File:Murray's Cheese.jpg
| image_size = 250px
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| image_caption = Murray's Cheese shop
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| type = Private
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| industry = Food
| genre =
| fate = Acquired
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| founded = {{start date and age|1962 c.|p=y}} in Greenwich Village, Manhattan
| founder = Murray Greenberg
| defunct =
| hq_location = Greenwich Village
| hq_location_city = New York City
| hq_location_country = United States
| num_locations = 800+
| num_locations_year =2021
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| services = Artisanal cheese and specialty foods retailer and wholesaler
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| owner = Kroger Company
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Murray's Cheese is an artisanal cheese and specialty foods retailer and wholesaler based in Greenwich Village in New York City.{{cite web|last1=Wharton|first1=Rachel|title=Murray's Cheese (article)|date=7 March 2012|url=http://www.ediblemanhattan.com/magazine/murrays-cheese/|publisher=Edible Manhattan|accessdate=16 October 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Florence|first1=Fabricant|title=Food Stuff; Why Did the Cheese Shop Cross the Road?|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9900EED9133CF933A25752C1A9629C8B63|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 November 2004 |accessdate=16 October 2014}} It was founded in Greenwich Village in 1962 as a spinoff of Glen Alden farms, an egg and dairy wholesaler.{{cite book|last1=Pride|first1=William|title=Business|date=2011|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0538478083|page=161|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h96lvYoQJtMC&q=%22Murray%E2%80%99s+Cheese%22&pg=PA161 |accessdate= 16 October 2014}} The company later expanded, and in 2012 opened a restaurant in Manhattan named Murray's Cheese Bar. In February 2017 the franchise was acquired by the Kroger Company. As of 2021, there are more than 800 locations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.murrayscheese.com/about-murrays|title = About Us | Murray's Cheese}}{{cite web|url=http://www.progressivegrocer.com/industry-news-trends/national-supermarket-chains/murray-s-cheese-reaches-milestone-350th-store?eid=364736789&bid=1611434|title=Murray's Cheese Reaches Milestone 350th Store|publisher=Progressive Grocer |date=9 December 2016}}
History
The store was founded by Murray Greenberg, born Moische Schuchelmann a Ukrainian-Jewish immigrant,{{Cite web |date=2021-04-04 |title=Is the legend of Murray's Cheese only a myth? |url=https://forward.com/culture/467020/is-the-legend-of-murrays-cheese-only-a-myth/ |access-date=2024-09-11 |website=The Forward |language=en}} in Greenwich Village in 1962 initially as a spinoff of an egg and dairy wholesaler, Glen Alden Farms. Louis Tudda later took over as the store's owner until 1991, when the store was purchased by Robert Kaufelt,{{cite magazine|last1=Zarin|first1=Cynthia|title=Big Cheese|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/08/23/big-cheese|magazine=New Yorker|accessdate=16 October 2014}} who published the 2006 book The Murray's Cheese Handbook. Murray's formed a partnership with the Kroger Company in 2007 to place branded shops selling cheese and other foods in select Kroger supermarkets in the United States. New York City Mayor Ed Koch during his lifetime was among the specialty store's faithful customers.{{cite book|last1=Pride|first1=William|title=Marketing 2014|date=2013|publisher=Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1133939252|page=660|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l65Y5uMPYVkC&q=%22Murray%E2%80%99s+Cheese%22&pg=PA660|accessdate=16 October 2014}} Murray's was voted the "Best Cheese Shop in New York" by Time Out New York in 2007.Time Out New York, April 12–18, 2007; Issue 602
After a second location was opened in New York's Grand Central Market in Grand Central Terminal in 2002, in 2008 a charcuterie named Murray's Real Salami opened, also in Grand Central Market.{{cite news|last1=Fabricant|first1=Florence|title=Food Stuff; Murray's North Meets Metro-North|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/27/dining/food-stuff-murray-s-north-meets-metro-north.html|newspaper=New York Times|date=27 November 2002 |accessdate=16 October 2014}}{{cite news|last1=Fabricant|first1=Florence|title=Cured Meats, and Lots of Them|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/dining/05meat.html?fta=y&_r=0|newspaper=New York Times|date=4 November 2008 |accessdate=16 October 2014}} In 2010 the two Grand Central Market locations merged to become a second flagship store.{{cite news|last1=Fabricant|first1=Florence|title=Off the Menu|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/04/dining/04off.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1413440794-mm84j7CegpYhkU93YW9xwQ|newspaper=New York Times|date=3 August 2010 |accessdate=16 October 2014}} After 2010, Murray's has since expanded to include a 48-seat cheese-centered wine bar and restaurant (also located in Greenwich Village){{cite web|author=Jasmine Greene |url=http://forkit.com/blog/mac-and-cheese-nyc/ |title=Best Mac and Cheese Places in NYC |publisher=Forkit.com |accessdate=15 July 2016}} named Murray's Cheese Bar, opened in 2012.{{cite web|last1=Morabito|first1=Greg|title=Murray's Cheese Bar, Now Open in the West Village|date=August 2012|url= http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/08/murrays_cheese_bar_now_open_in_the_west_village.php|publisher=New York Eater|accessdate=16 October 2014}}
On February 7, 2017, it was announced that Kroger Company had purchased Murray's Cheese.{{Citation
| last1 = Morris
| first1 =Keiko
| last2 =Haddon
| first2 =Heather
| date =February 7, 2017
| title =Kroger Co. Gobbles Up Murray's Cheese
| publisher =The Wall Street Journal
| publication-place =New York City
| url =https://www.wsj.com/articles/kroger-co-gobbles-up-murrays-cheese-1486489733?tesla=y
| accessdate =8 February 2017}}
In 2021 an article by Andrew Silverstein in The Forward refuted an odd couple of facts in the purported mythos of Murray's; first correcting that it was founded circa 1962 rather than 1940, and second that Greenberg did not fight in the Spanish Civil War as then stated on the Murray's cheese website.
Gallery
File:Cheese_box_Camembert_Murray%27s_FR-78-077-002_top_side.jpg fermier product of France]]
The store ages cheese in a state-of-the-art caves facility in their warehouse in Long Island City.{{cite news|last1=Gordinier|first1=Jeff|title=Cheese: A Coming-of-Age Story|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/05/dining/cheese-and-affinage-a-coming-of-age-story.html?pagewanted=all|newspaper=New York Times|date=4 October 2011 |accessdate=16 October 2014}} The company has a line of Cave Master exclusive cheese, which is aged in its caves. In 2016, Murray's launched a new Cave Master variation titled Annelies, made in cooperation with Swiss cheese maker Walter Räss. In April 2017, Murray's Cheese introduced a new exclusive cheddar, Ezra, to its Cave Master line. It was the first "cheese created from initial concept into R&D by Murray’s, made by Murray’s, and then aged in Murray’s Cheese caves." The Ezra cheese was developed in collaboration with Cornell University and Old Chatham Creamery in New York.{{cite news |author= |title=urray's Cheese Introduces Exclusive Cheddar |url=http://www.gourmetretailer.com/top-story-cheese__dairy___deli-murray_acute_s_cheese_introduces_exclusive__cheddar_-13271.html | work= The Gourmet Retailer|date=April 25, 2017 |access-date=May 19, 2017}} The store sells Danish cheeses such as Havarti and Tilsit cheese, and in April 2017, it added a collection of artisanal organic Danish cheeses. The company imported a dozen types, including Danish White Cheese, Vita Mundo, Flora Mundo, Versterhavsost, and Trelleborg.{{cite news |last=Burner |first=Front |date=April 24, 2017 |title=New Danish Cheeses Make Their American Debut |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/dining/murrays-cheese-denmark.html?_r=0 | work=The New York Times |location=New York City, United States |access-date=May 19, 2017}}
Classes
In July 2017, the company launched its Game of Tommes class, which has a cheeseboard inspired by Game of Thrones.{{cite news |author= |title=11 medieval activities for Game of Thrones fans in NYC |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/blog/11-medieval-activities-for-game-of-thrones-fans-in-nyc-071417 | work=TimeOut |date=July 14, 2017 |access-date=July 30, 2017}}
References
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External links
{{commons category}}
- {{official website|http://www.murrayscheese.com/}}
- [https://www.kroger.com/topic/murrays-cheese Profile at Kroger]
{{Portal|Food}}
{{Kroger}}
Category:Dairy products companies of the United States
Category:Food retailers of the United States
Category:Retail companies based in New York City
Category:American companies established in 1940
Category:Retail companies established in 1940