ONCE UPON A TIME…

IT ALL STARTED WITH A CONVERSATION…

Some stories begin with a business plan.

Ours definitely didn’t.

It started in India, more than twenty-five years ago.

We’d both been travelling for months, living on delicious curries from dawn till dusk. Don’t get me wrong—we absolutely loved Indian food. But after six months, we were craving the flavours of home so badly that we were beginning to look at the sacred cows rather differently… 😉

Then I met Tom, and within minutes, we were talking about food.

Not just any food.

French cheese, good bread, family meals, and a proper bottle of wine!

The little things you never think you’ll miss… until they’re suddenly thousands of miles away.

The more we talked, the hungrier we became.

That conversation became a feast in itself.

Looking back, we often say that’s when Cheese Forever was really born.

Not because we dreamed of opening a cheese shop, but because we discovered something we’ve stayed faithful to ever since:

Good food is meant to be shared.

And somehow, twenty-five years later, we’re still having that same conversation.

These days, it just happens to take place in our shop in Chamonix.

TWO DIFERENT JOURNEYS, ONE SHARED PASSION

I grew up in England, while Tom spent his childhood between England and France. His family roots lie deep in the French countryside, where generations of winemakers and goat cheesemakers taught him that food is never just food. Every cheese, every bottle of wine, every family recipe tells the story of the people and the place behind it.

When Tom first introduced me to rural France, I completely fell in love with it.

The village markets, the tiny cheesemakers, the vineyards.

The endless family lunches where nobody seemed to notice that four hours had passed.

It wasn’t just the food that fascinated me, it was the way food brought everyone together.

After living together in England for several years, moving to France suddenly felt like the obvious thing to do.

So we packed our bags once again.

This time, not to travel the world…

…but to build something of our own.

Our first food shop opened in the Alps, long before Cheese Forever.

Looking back, it was the first chapter of the adventure we’re still living today.

WHY CHAMONIX FELT LIKE HOME

People often ask us why we chose Chamonix.

The mountains certainly played their part. We both love skiing, hiking and spending time outdoors… even if these days we seem to spend far more time behind the cheese counter than on the slopes!

But that’s not the real reason.

What makes Chamonix so special is its incredible mix of people.

On any given day, we might chat with a local family, help a couple from London choose their first raclette, recommend a wine to visitors from California or introduce Beaufort to guests from Australia.

That diversity is something we absolutely love.

Every customer brings a different story, a different culture and a different curiosity about French food.

And somehow, cheese has an amazing way of bringing everyone together.

We like to think that Cheese Forever reflects Chamonix itself.

A place where people from all over the world meet, slow down for a moment, and discover a little piece of France.

MORE THAN A CHEESE SHOP

When we first imagined Cheese Forever, we never wanted it to be just another delicatessen.

We wanted to create the sort of place we’d love to discover ourselves while travelling.

A place where nobody feels intimidated.

Where asking questions is encouraged.

Where tasting comes before buying.

Where every cheese has a story, every bottle has a reason for being there, and every recommendation is genuinely personal.

Over the years, Cheese Forever has grown into much more than a cheese shop.

Today, you’ll find our cheese counter, our wine shop, our Cheese Bar and our tasting experiences all under one roof.

Some people pop in for a piece of Beaufort.

Others stay for an hour, chatting over a cheeseboard and a glass of wine.

We honestly love both.

Because, for us, French gastronomy has never been about fancy restaurants or complicated etiquette.

It’s about sharing good food with good people.

That’s all it’s ever been.

One of my favourite moments is when someone walks in saying, “I don’t know anything about French cheese…”

By the time they leave, they’ve discovered a new favourite, learned something they weren’t expecting, and usually have a bottle of wine tucked under one arm as well.

Those are the moments I love most.

— Emily

TWO DOORS, ONE PHILOSOPHY

People are often surprised when they visit us for the first time.

“Hang on… is this a cheese shop or a wine shop?”

The answer is…

Both.

Cheese Forever and our NICOLAS wine shop share the same building, the same team and, above all, the same philosophy.

We’ve never believed that cheese and wine should live separate lives.

One makes the other even better.

Some customers come in looking for a bottle of wine and leave with a piece of Comté.

Others arrive for cheese and suddenly find themselves leaving with a beautiful bottle of Chignin to go with it.

That’s exactly how we like it.

Because helping people discover the perfect pairing is every bit as rewarding as helping them discover a new cheese.

For us, they’re simply two chapters of the same story.

MEET THE REST OF THE FAMILY

For a long time, Cheese Forever was just the two of us.

Not anymore.

A few years ago, Farah and Jérémy joined the adventure, and today it’s impossible to imagine the shop without them.

Farah came from the restaurant world, where looking after guests was always just as important as the food itself. She’s one of those people who somehow remembers exactly what you liked last time… and somehow always knows which cheese you’ll enjoy next. Oh, and if you want to make her day, ask her about wines from the south of France (and make sure you have a bit of time on your hands…).

Jérémy is passionnate about anything with an interesting taste… Wine, spirits, cocktails, and of course… cheese (the stronger, the better)! although if you get him talking about craft beer, you might be there for a while! He even brewed his own beer for several years before joining us. His curiosity and enthusiasm are wonderfully contagious, and we secretly suspect he enjoys helping people discover new flavours almost as much as we do.

The funny thing is…

We didn’t just find great colleagues.

We found people who share exactly the same curiosity, generosity and love of good food.

These days, Cheese Forever is very much a four-person adventure.

And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

WELCOME TO OUR TABLE

Whether you’re visiting Chamonix for a weekend, a week or just passing through, we’d love to welcome you.

Come in.

Ask questions.

Taste something you’ve never tried before.

Tell us what you usually enjoy and we’ll help you discover something new.

There’s no right way to explore French cheese.

Just curiosity.

And perhaps a little appetite…

After all, that’s exactly how our own story began.

We can’t wait to share a little piece of France with you.

See you soon,

The whole team.