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Ihsan Gurdal, co-owner of Formaggio Kitchen, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a purveyor of fine cheeses, meats and specialty foods.
After playing volleyball in the 1976 Olympics for Turkey, Ihsan left Istanbul in 1977 to pursue a college education at UC Berkley. Combining his dual passions for food and volleyball, Ishan moved east in 1982, and became head volleyball coach at Harvard University and cheese buyer for Formaggio Kitchen.
Ihsan has developed his expertise over twenty years at Formaggio Kitchen, presiding over its development into one of the leading retailers of gourmet foods in the country. He has worked extensively with celebrated cheese makers and maturers throughout the United States and Europe, including Neal's Yard Dairy of London, Pascal Jacquin of France's Loire Valley, and Paris' Fromagerie Barthelmy. His travels around the world have brought to Formaggio Kitchen an unparalleled selection of rare and unique cheeses and fine foods from around the world. Many have been introduced to the US for the first time.
Ihsan is an active and vocal supporter of farmhouse cheese making in the United States and has consistently championed craftsmen from farms and dairies across the country. He is active in numerous trade associations and serves on the board of directors for both the Boston Chapter of AIWF (American Institute of Wine & Food) and the American Cheese Society.
Ihsan and his wife Valerie can be found at Formaggio Kitchen, or at Valerie's new store, South End Formaggio in Boston.
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