The Cheese Traveler still melts our hearts

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Happy Tuesday, Capital Region! Today, we’re taking you to The Cheese Traveler in Albany. Despite being around for years, some folks still don’t know about this heavenly artisanal shop tucked into the DelSol neighborhood. It’s a good time to give them some love because they just got a hot new neighbor (Bitchin’ Donuts!) and a spiffy new website (thanks to Karley, who not only co-publishes this newsletter, but also designs websites for brands & small businesses 🤯).

FOMO alert! If you were not one of the dozen folks who got to join us for The 518 x KOS sauna session last Sunday in Saratoga, well, you missed a good one! See photos & videos from our first-ever subscriber meetup.

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

🖼️ Thank you to everyone who’s donated to the Americana/ble Pop-up Art show on Kickstarter so far. We’re 1 week into our month of fundraising, and 26% of the way to our goal. Today, we want to send out a special thank to Pastor Heather Kirk-Davidoff of Westminster Presbyterian Church for helping us to keep the faith. We hope you’ll consider supporting us too, even $1, $5, or $10 would be such a gift.

Make a $100+ pledge and we’ll invite you to join Heather and our other patrons for a special Patrons Dinner in June, featuring Phat’s famous Vietnamese cooking!

🧀 The gouda life: The Cheese Traveler still melts our hearts

When Mary Rizzo first stepped into The Cheese Traveler years ago, she was just a customer with a better palate than most. Now she’s the proud owner, going on seven years.

“I’ve always loved this shop,” Mary tells us. “It’s a neighborhood gem. When I found out it might be for sale, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”

Mary purchased the Albany store from the original owner, Eric Paul, in 2018. She had never owned a business nor was she a cheesemonger. But she knew she loved cheese, food, traveling, and stories—all things that also seem to attract customers to this artisan shop where the heady aroma of ripe cheese instantly sends you on a journey.

Located in the DelSol (South Delaware) neighborhood of Albany, The Cheese Traveler has built a loyal following for its world-class cheese selection (probably the best in the Capital Region), gourmet grilled cheese, and tasting events. 

It’s the kind of place you wander in looking for one thing and leave with six—a gooey wedge of French Brie stuffed with black truffles (​​fantastique!); a grilled cheese sandwich with semi-soft Fontina, smoked duck breast and blueberry jam; an order for a charcuterie plate for your next dinner party; a bottle of Scrumpy Ewe artisanal cider from Schoharie County, and some gourmet chocolate for the road.

“It’s more than just cheese. It’s about creating an experience,” Mary says. “We want you to come in and feel inspired to try something new, to share it with friends.”

A recent grant from Albany County is helping her invest in better marketing. She has a much improved website and signage (bravo Karley). 

“It’s a huge boost,” she says. “Small businesses don’t always have the resources to tell their story. This gives us a chance to really connect with our community.”

One of Mary’s favorite things to do in the shop? Making grilled cheese sandwiches. But these aren’t just two pieces of bread slapped together with a run of the mill cheddar. Cheese is her passion, and it shows with her locally famous, made-to-order grilled cheese sandos featuring artisan cheeses with a touch of hand-churned butter slathered on locally sourced sourdough bread.

“I love crafting them — mixing cheeses, adding surprises like caramelized onions or fruit preserves,” she says. “A grilled cheese sandwich is a comfort food, but it can also be gourmet.”

Also comforting: knowing that The Cheese Traveler isn’t going anywhere. Mary now owns the building itself. Even better, she just welcomed a new tenant: Bitchin' Donuts, the cult-favorite vegan donut shop that recently lost its Lark Street location to fire damage. They signed a two-year lease with Mary.

“They needed a new home, and we had space,” Mary says. “It just felt right.”

Next time you’ve got a grilled cheese craving or need a beautiful charcuterie platter for your dinner party, get to The Cheese Traveler. You can thank us later.

Want to develop your cheesy palate? Mary hosts a regular Cheese 101 Workshop where you can taste your way through the world of cheese. Already a funky cheese connoisseur? Mary is looking to hire a cheesemonger for her shop, inquire within.

📍 The Cheese Traveler, 540 Delaware Ave, Albany

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🍸️ Jack’s is back, baby. Jack’s Oyster House, once the quintessential power meeting spot in downtown Albany, is reopening on Dec. 18. Table Hopping’s Steve Barnes has an exclusive look at the seafood-heavy menu. [Times Union]

🧂Go easy on the salt, folks. That’s the word from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, which is urging New Yorkers to use rock salt sparingly. DEC officials noted that it takes just one teaspoon of salt to pollute five gallons of water. [News10]

🥚 Following its historic $19.5 million renovation, The Egg will “hatch” from the biggest makeover in its history on Jan. 8, 2026, with public tours of its new digs, plus a free evening show featuring performances by DJ Hollyw8d and Good Karma Studio aerial artists. [Times Union]

Live and play along one of Albany’s most picturesque boulevards in this 1890 charmer full of historic craftsmanship. Inside, you’ll find ten-foot ceilings, smooth hardwood floors. The place is brimming with original built-ins including bookshelves (who needs Ikea when you have craftsmanship?!), pocket doors, stained glass, an antique stove, and several cozy fireplaces spread across three generous floors with six bedrooms and four baths. Thanks to multi-use zoning, this massive beauty is perfect for a “house-hacking” live-work situation, building community, or simply stretching out in comfort. And outside, an oversized wraparound porch sits beneath the shade of towering old-growth trees in the beloved Pine Hills neighborhood. Sounds like heaven to me!

The deets: 6 bd, 4 ba, 4120sf. Asking: $589,000. Days on market: 5. See the full listing here.

Note: Our Top 5 Weekend roundup now publishes on Thursdays!

TUESDAY

📼 No one will hear you scream at No Fun’s VCR Vortex featuring The Terminator (1984) & Aliens (1986).

WEDNESDAY

🎄Playhouse Stage Company begins their run of A Christmas Story – The Musical at Cohoes Music Hall, through Dec 21.

FRIDAY

💫 Catch a falling star as the Geminids meteor shower peaks on Friday and Saturday.

SATURDAY 

🩲 Lark Street’s 20th Annual Santa Speedo Sprint is the week’s big holiday event, so pull out your speedos and prepare to get sleighed!

🍻 Or dress to impress and spread the holiday cheer with other festively dressed pub crawlers at Saratoga SantaCon 2025, one of the Capital District’s largest pub crawls.

🎅The Ten Broeck Mansion brings santa to town, old world style, with their Free Children's Holiday Program, featuring story time with Sinterklaas and ornament making for families.

⭐️ The Albany Institute opens for a free International Makers & Flavors Market where you can shop over 20 international vendors, artisans, and makers with handmade goods rich with craftsmanship and heritage. Oh, did we mention the food?!

✨ Shine on as Oropendola & Ellen Atwood light up the Troy Listening Room.

👋 Toast to the past and the future at the Holiday Hootenanny / Last day in business as the SingleCut Beersmiths in Clifton Park goes out with a bang beginning at noon.

📢 Tour the magnificently acoustic EMPAC building with Executive Director Dena Beard.

SUNDAY

🎤Stroll in as Open Mic Night at the Armory returns to their swanky sports lounge.

MONDAY

🎺The Dave Kitchen Quintet brings their eclectic blend of jazz, pop classics, and Great American Songbook standards to the Moon & River Cafe.

TUESDAY

👯‍♀️ 2025’s final Velvet Visions at September's Too promises to channel the season in inventive, unpredictable ways.

ON VIEW

• Don’t miss the delightful Nina Katchadourian: Fake Plants and Other Curiosities at the Hyde Museum.

• Family Forms at the Tang Teaching Museum presents art and archival photographs from the Tang collection that highlight themes of kinship and care and offer an expansive vision of family. 

• Liberation and For Life celebrates 50 years of Black Dimensions in Art, showcasing 90+ artists and 100+ works that will blow your mind | Albany Institute of History & Art

• Noel W Anderson: Black Excellence and Romare Bearden & Ralph Ellison: From the Archive | UAlbany Art Museum

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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