The Frigo Family Crest depicts the town of Asiago, where wheels of this wonderfully aromatic mountain cheese are made in the foothills of the Italian Alps. It boasts the words, “always look forward, never back”. A mantra happily repeated by Joe’s grandpa, Nono, while working behind the cheese counter in early years of Frigo’s store.
The ancient Italian custom, transhumanza is the springtime migration of sheep and cows from low-lying plateaus to high altitude pastures. It is an arduous journey for both man and cattle, and one surely would be well advised to keep looking forward to successfully complete the passage. The milk collected from transhumanaza livestock is the sweetest of prizes. Fed on a diet of wildflowers, sweet grass and mountain herbs, the flavor of spring unmistakably finds its way into the milk, cheeses and butter.
The blustery winds of March aren’t quite ready to give way to the warmth of April, but our tastebuds sure are. A piping hot bowl of polenta [ask Joe for a recommendation] will warm you up, and a handful of freshly grated Asiago cheese with give you the faintest taste of the spring to come. At Frigo’s we look to these two northern Italian staples to keep us satiated and moving forward until the arrival of la primavera.