Gina Freize

After visiting her parents’ home in Austria while growing up, Gina often wondered why America didn’t have fabulous European-style cheese shops. Hence, Venissimo Cheese was born. In 2003 Gina opened the first Venissimo Cheese in Mission Hills, intending to do for cheese what Starbucks did for coffee. Since then, she has opened neighborhood shops in Del Mar, Belmont Shore & Downtown East Village San Diego. Soon the camembert will be as well-known as the cappuccino!

Gina has compiled a knowledge-base of more than 2000 domestic and international cheese varieties! (Incidentally, she has tasted nearly all of them.) She can tell you the type of milk, country of origin, production methods, and perfect wine and food pairings for each one.

Over the years while visiting both domestic and international cheesemakers in her quest for the worthy title of “Cheese Wiz,” she learned elegant simplicity. Nothing is more simple and elegant than wine & cheese.

Gina is a member of the American Cheese Society and teaches classes all over San Diego. She has written articles for various trade publications and is working on a screenplay plus the country’s first cheese television program.