Cheese + Provisions Aiming for Early Fall Opening in Sunnyside

The Cobbler's Corner development from Paul Tamburello's Generator development company announced its first tenant earlier this year: the evocatively named Bacon, which will open some time this summer. A second lease has been signed for the corner of 44th Avenue and Alcott Street, a new cheese and salumi shop with the equally succinct name of Cheese + Provisions, which owners Steve and Kim Duty plan to open in mid-September or early October.

Steve Duty is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked as a chef, wine maker and sheep dairy farmer, mostly in Virginia. The couple have been in Denver for seven years and moved to the Sunnyside neighborhood three and a half years ago. They're excited to be opening a shop in their own neighborhood, which Kim says has been traditionally underserved, especially when it comes to artisan products.

Cheese + Provisions will focus on American-made cheeses from all around the country and will also offer salumi and charcuterie, many from local makers. "Because of  Steve's background, we're taking a chef, winemaker and cheesemaker approach to curating our collection," explains Kim. "We'll focus on telling the stories behind the artisans." 

She also points out that while cheeses from both coasts have grown in popularity, there are plenty of great products from other regions, including Colorado, Montana and Wisconsin (where artisan cheese makers now outnumber commodity cheese companies). Cheeses at the shop will always be cut to order, rather than pre-cut and wrapped, in order to promote interaction with customers. Kim points out that cheese can often be an intimidating topic, so she and Steve plan to work with customers to determine their tastes and guide them toward good selections. 

When looking for a site for their new store, the Dutys made sure they picked a space with enough room to host classes too. "We'll have classes on pairings, cheese 101 — all kinds of fun stuff where people can learn something new or have a fun date night."

The shop will also offer grab-and-go sandwiches, with a little outdoor seating for those who want to linger in the neighborhood, and a small market with pasta, olive oils, sauces and other provisions for the home cook. 

With so much new development going on in Sunnyside, at least residents will have no trouble finding bacon, cheese and provisions.

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