At the Easton Public Market, a glass case of triple creams, aged goudas and small-batch domestic cheeses marks the spot where Ron and Jennifer turned a 15-year dream into a storefront. Centre Square Cheese is part gourmet shop, part community table, and entirely a labor of love from two people who believe good cheese is one of life’s great, and most accessible, pleasures.
A Name Rooted in Easton
The couple wanted something memorable that flowed, and the alliteration did the rest. “Centre Square Cheese is a great alliteration that communicates what we’re about, Easton and cheese,” the owners said. Centre Square is one of the most recognized landmarks in the city and a longtime gathering place for residents, which is exactly what they hope the shop becomes for its customers.
Inside the Easton Public Market stall, cookbooks and pantry goods share the floor with the cheese counter.
Fifteen Years in the Making
Ron spent more than two decades as a professional chef, but owning a business had been a goal since he was young. He knew roughly 15 years ago, well before the Easton Public Market opened, that he wanted it to be a cheese shop. He saw a need for the experience of a gourmet shop, a place where people who already love good food and those looking to expand their tastes could come and discover handcrafted cheeses.
The push to finally act came during the pandemic, when Ron and Jennifer both caught a severe case of COVID. “It was a defining moment for me. I saw that life was short,” Ron said. He decided to stop waiting, put every penny he could into savings and investments, and when a space opened in the Market, the couple jumped on it.
A crowd fills the counter at Centre Square Cheese inside the Easton Public Market.
Jennifer’s path to cheese was more innate. “I was born a caseophile,” she said, using the term for a cheese lover. She pairs a lifelong love of all things culinary with a background in management and content creation, skills that transfer neatly to running a stall.
What’s in the Case
Most mornings start with administrative work until the counter gets busy. When it comes to what to stock, Ron leans toward cheeses that are not so well known, alongside a deep bench of domestic options meant to support the farm-to-table and slow food movements in the United States.
The curved case anchors the stall, stocked with triple creams, aged goudas and lesser-known wheels.
For sourcing, he works with Third Wheel Cheese, a Philadelphia supplier run by Ann and her son Caleb, who carry a deep selection from around the Northeast, from Virginia to Vermont, and are expanding into imports. Pennsylvania producers hold their own place in the case. Calkins Creamery in Honesdale makes Vampire Slayer, a garlic cheddar the shop sells and folds into its Vampire Slayer grilled cheese. Goat Rodeo, outside Pittsburgh, supplies playfully named wheels like More Cowbell, a luscious alpine cheese.
A closer look at the case, from farmstead Buttercup Brie to Papillon Roquefort and Shropshire blue.
Ask what sells and the answer is cheese, with triple creams and aged goudas leading the way. But Ron is quick with a joke that hints at another passion. “Sometimes I jokingly say we’re a tinned fish shop that sells cheese,” he said. Tinned fish, he notes, is an up-and-coming category for gourmet shops, appealing to everyone from protein-minded eaters to fans of fish from historic companies.
More Than Cheese
One of the more unexpected finds at the stall is a collection of Japanese knives. It was part of Ron’s original vision, an item few shops carry, especially outside major metro areas. He had bought Japanese knives online himself and always wished he could hold and feel them before making the investment, so he decided to offer that chance to others. “We’re more than cheese, we’re a shop for everyone interested in gourmet food and cooking,” he said.
Beyond cheese: a taste-and-fill olive oil and balsamic bar, cheese knives, boards and a wall of cookbooks.
An Investment in Easton
For Ron and Jennifer, the shop is inseparable from the city around it. “Easton has given us a place to truly call home, which means everything to us,” they said. They describe a community that is generous and eager to support its own, and they see the business as an investment in that community as much as in their own dream, a complementary addition to Easton and the Lehigh Valley’s celebrated food scene.
The Easton Public Market has been a fitting home base. Ron had waited years for a spot to open, and he values the way vendors help one another and stay mindful of the shared space. The customers are the reward. He lights up describing the moment someone new to good cheese tastes something exceptional for the first time. “Their face lights up because it’s such a new and intense experience,” he said.
What’s Next
The case rotates constantly as seasons and availability change, and the couple has a bigger addition on the way. This fall, Centre Square Cheese will launch a Cheese Club, a two-tier monthly subscription featuring three cheeses per month with an option to add curated accompaniments and charcuterie meats.
Cured meats from makers like Smoking Goose, the kind of charcuterie bound for the shop’s new fall Cheese Club.
For anyone who has never set foot in a specialty cheese shop, Ron keeps the pitch simple. “Come in for the experience,” he said. Customers can sample as they go and taste the difference between basic cheeses and small-batch wheels made with care. “Cheese is a very accessible way to experience high quality gourmet food and see why it is so enjoyable.”
At a Glance
- Who: Ron, a chef with more than 20 years of experience, and Jennifer, a self-described caseophile with a management and content background.
- What: Centre Square Cheese, a specialty cheese and gourmet shop that also carries tinned fish and Japanese knives.
- Where: Easton Public Market, in downtown Easton.
- Known for: Triple creams, aged goudas, PA cheeses like Calkins Creamery’s Vampire Slayer, and a Vampire Slayer grilled cheese.
- Coming this fall: A two-tier Cheese Club subscription with three cheeses a month, plus optional accompaniments and charcuterie.
