1. 6 • THE EASTCHESTER REVIEW • October 31, 2014
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Eastchester
THE
REVIEW
Cheese shop to celebrate five years
By JOHN BRANDI
Staff Writer
Passersby on Pondfield
Road won’t ‘Brie’-lieve what
they’ll see next week when the
cheese shop, Dobbs & Bishop
marks its fifth anniversary.
The fine specialty store,
owned and operated by Ruth
Walter and Kevin McNeill,
will commemorate the event
with a petting zoo outside its
107 Pondfield Road location.
The anniversary event will
feature some of the animals
whose milk is involved in the
production of the cheese that
the shop sells. Those walking
through the village’s down-
town business district on Nov.
2 between 9 a.m. and noon will
get to meet a small calf named
Joker, two goats, Cocoa and
Vanilla, and three lambs Pippi,
Stilt and Shadow.
Village Administrator Jim
Palmer called the permit re-
quest a “unique one” since it
required the owners to sub-
mit a schematic rendering of
where the zoo would be situ-
ated. However, this won’t be
the first time the owners are
wrangling farm animals, as the
cheese shop hosted a similar
event when it first opened its
doors back in 2009.
Backthen,BronxvilleMayor
Mary Marvin cut the welcome
ribbon and remains a dedicated
customer of the shop. She said
the shop has a quality product
and that the cheesemongering
duo generously gives back to
the community.
“It’s a real honor to say
thank you to them [with this
event]. They are extremely
generous to everything in
the village, the schools, the
churches. I love these mile-
stones and celebrating happy,
successful occasions. It helps
remind us all the importance
to shop local and keep the vil-
lage the special place it is,”
Marvin said.
McNeill said having the
farm animals come to Bronx-
ville is a way for the consumer
to connect with where their
cheese comes from. Though
mapping out a petting zoo on
a heavily populated street like
Pondfield Road may be com-
plicated, Dobbs & Bishop has
a straightforward business for-
mula: it’s the animals, their
milk and the end product, the
cheese.
McNeill said the shop shies
away from fare that is overly
processed and he sticks to a
model of “good, simple food.”
The name Dobbs & Bishop
reflects on a piece of home-
town history for the owners.
Walter comes from Dobbs
Ferry, while McNeill grew
up in a town just north of
Glasgow, Scotland called
Bishopbriggs; hence the name
that has become a bit of an
iconic space in Bronxville.
The idea to open the store-
front came five years after the
couple moved to Bronxville
from Manhattan’s East Village
with their two children. Mc-
Neill said another cheese shop
existed in the village about 15
years ago, but closed. He felt
there was a need to try and
rekindle what the community
lost in terms of flavor.
Though this cheese shop
adventure is relatively new—
Walter worked in computers
and McNeill is still in real es-
tate—the couple has always
had a flair for quality products.
“It seemed like a good idea
to try and have another one,”
he said.
When it comes to the shop,
it’s a family affair. Walter is in
charge of operations and Mc-
Neill is tasked with sales. Mc-
Neill said their two children,An-
drew and Laura, both contribute
to the store’s success.
“They both participate in
the shop, sometimes willingly,
sometimes under duress,” Mc-
Neill joked. “But they’re both
very good behind the counter.”
Even in this unpredictable
economic climate, the cheese
shop has persevered and even
managed to recently hire new
staff to work the counter. It’s
staying afloat even with com-
petitors like Whole Foods,
which has its own cheese de-
partment, Scarsdale-based Bal-
duccis and Auray Gourmet, a
Larchmont eatery, which boasts
a Best in Westchester 2009
distinction.
Still, what drives the busi-
ness is the owners know and
love their cheese.
Perhaps the cheese that
holds a special place in Mc-
Neill’s heart is a raw-milk
cheddar called Isle of Mull,
as it’s the only Scottish cheese
in the store. Walter enjoys a
three-milk cheese by the name
of La Tur from Italy which she
recommends for a shindig.
Meanwhile, a customer
favorite right now is a triple
crème brie from Burgundy,
France rightfully named De-
lices de Bourgogne after its
place of origin. Even though
cheeses in stock come from
the local farmer’s market and
domestic sources in New York
and Maine, the road to arti-
sanal greats can be traced to
places as far away as Italy and
Norway, the latter represent-
ing “the most easterly of the
European cheeses.”
The shop also sells other
gourmet food items such as
pastries, breads and olive oils.
Fine cheese gourmet gift bas-
kets and trays for an array of
parties or events can be pre-
ordered on the shop’s website,
dobbsandbishop.com.
In this business, McNeill
said, there is a trickle down
of dairy education. He teach-
es his staff; in turn, the staff
then teaches the consumer.
It makes for an environment
where cheese that’s being con-
sumed and sold is better ap-
preciated.
In terms of a 10-year anni-
versary, McNeill doesn’t know
what the future holds, but right
now he said there’s no need to
worry.
“So far, so good,” McNeill
said. “The store’s good. We
have a great staff, great new
staff coming in all the time.
It’s a very nice way to spend
your time, being here.”
CONTACT: johnb@hometwn.com
The cheese shop at 107 Pondfield Road in Bronxville urges
customers to “Eat More Cheese!” Photos/John Brandi
On display is a sheep mannequin to give customers that farm feel and
remind them where the cheese they are purchasing comes from.
The inside of the Dobbs & Bishop cheese shop features olive oils,
perishables, books on the art of cheese and, of course, a variety of
cheeses.
Co-owner Kevin McNeill stands behind the counter of his Bronxville storefront Dobbs & Bishop.