A classic “Monty Python’s Flying Circus” sketch is set in a most unfortunate cheese shop that is devoid of fermented curds of any kind. Visitors to Caputo’s Cheese Market in Lake Forest will not face a similar fate.
“We have more than 500 different cheeses,” proclaims owner Trina Caputo. There are some from Wisconsin and California, but they are primarily either imported from Italy or produced by the Caputo family.
Selections range from traditional Cheddar to the trendy Burrata, which is a fresh Mozzarella shell with a cream center. The best-selling cheese “by far,” offers Trina’s brother and co-owner Natale Caputo, is Parmigiano Reggiano ($7.99 a pound), which he proclaims to be “the king of all cheeses.”
The Caputo Cheese Market occupied a small space in Lake Forest before it expanded into the space formerly occupied by coffee shop Nonno’s. It opened Oct. 25, 2009, and is the sister store to the family’s Melrose Park production facility and retail shop.
Their parents, Pasquale Caputo, who came to the United States at age 11, and Rene, opened an Italian food importing business in 1978. A specialty retail shop with a heavy concentration in cheese followed. Pizzerias to which Caputo originally distributed began to ask him to pre-shred Mozzarella for them.
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“That’s how the Caputo Cheese processing business really took off,” Natale said in an email. “We started shredding and grating Mozzarella, Provolone, Parmesan, Romano and Asiago. Today, we process on average over 200,000 pounds of cheese per day.”
“(My parents’) work ethic was amazing,” adds Trina. It has rubbed off on her. “I’m always working,” she said with a laugh. “Seven days a week.”
The Lake Forest establishment began under the moniker Caputo Cheese Market and Cafe, but as it evolved, the name was shortened to put the focus on cheese. “Cheese is really is the life of the party that brings a smile or a sense of comfort to anyone in any situation,” Natale said.
He describes the Lake Forest store as “a gourmet cheese (and wine) shop and specialty grocer with a full deli that just so happens to have pretty good sandwiches, coffee and desserts.” There is also a fresh salad bar.
Caputo’s offers an all-day menu, including a Breakfast Burrito ($3.49) and several varieties of Frittatas (starting at $3.99). Not surprisingly, the Italian Grilled Cheese Panini ($5.99) is a best-seller. Daily specials include beef sandwiches on Saturdays, meatball sandwich on Mondays and Lobster Rolls imported from Boston on Fridays.
Caputo’s recently began selling prepared dinners to reheat at home. The entrees, which start at $5.99, include Pasta with Garlic and Oil, Lasagna, Sausage and Peppers, and Chicken Cacciatore.
One does not live by cheese alone. Caputo’s signature dessert is a house-made Cannoli (99 cents) available in basic, chocolate chip and a hazelnut Nutella.
The patio area is a popular stop for cyclists, Trina observes, while the market itself is in character for Lake Forest. “It’s such a quaint town,” she said. “You have Market Square with all kinds of shopping and the beach a block away. Everybody knows everybody; I love it.”
Natale appreciates Lake Foresters’ “love of food and the sophistication of their palate as well as the willingness to try new things.”
Over the years, Trina has become something of the Cheese Whisperer for her regulars. “I know people’s favorite cheeses,” she said. “They order a cheese tray and they say, ‘Trina, do your thing.’ I do feel like a bartender sometimes.”
Hours: 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.
Caputo Cheese Market is at 231 E. Wisconsin Ave., Lake Forest. Call 847-482-0100 or visit www.caputocheesemarket.com