Robert Kaufelt

Robert Ian Kaufelt (born October 7, 1947) is an American specialty-food retailer and former owner of Murray's Cheese, a cheese shop in New York City. He purchased Murray's Cheese in 1991 and expanded the business, including educational programming,cheese aging caves, food service and additional locations. He later entered a partnership with Kroger in 2005. In 2017, Kroger acquired Murray's Cheese; Kaufelt remained affiliated with the company as a strategic adviser.[1][2][3][4][5]

Early life

Kaufelt was born in Highland Park, New Jersey, to a family involved in the grocery business.[3] His paternal grandfather, Irving Kaufelt, was a Polish immigrant who opened Kaufelt Brothers Fancy Groceries in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1920.[6] His father, Stanley P. Kaufelt, owned Mayfair Supermarkets Inc., which operated a chain of 28 grocery stores under the Foodtown banner. In 1995, Stanley Kaufelt sold Mayfair Supermarkets to the Dutch supermarket company Ahold.[7]

Career

Early career

After graduating from Cornell University in 1969 with a BA in Government, Kaufelt joined Mayfair Supermarket Inc. and eventually became President.[3] He left Mayfair in 1985 to open two specialty stores in Princeton and Summit, New Jersey, called Kaufelt's Fancy Groceries, named after the original family grocery in Perth Amboy.[3] One of the stores closed in 1987; Kaufelt subsequently sold the Summit location and moved to Greenwich Village.[8]

Murray's Cheese

In 1991, Murray's Cheese was going out of business when Kaufelt purchased the brand and moved it to the corner of Bleecker and Cornelia Street. [3]

During the 1990s, Kaufelt worked in the store and expanded its retail and educational operations.[9] During his tenure, Murray's Cheese expanded its retail footprint and distribution and developed a national wholesale and retail presence.[10]

Murray's Cheese has been included in travel and lifestyle lists of notable cheese shops.[11][12]

In addition to the flagship location on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, Kaufelt opened a branch in Grand Central Terminal in 2002[8] and the restaurant Murray's Cheese Bar in 2012.[13]

Innovations

Kaufelt expanded the selection with an emphasis on American Farmstead cheeses. With the creation of Cheeses of All Nations, he imported foreign foods, and added temperature-controlled cheese-aging caves beneath the store.[14] He also established educational programming, including classes and a multi-day training program.[15]

Kaufelt developed the Murray's Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) program in partnership with the American Cheese Society.[8] According to Edible Manhattan, the store served as an early training ground for a number of specialty-food businesses.[15]

Kroger partnership

In 2005, Kaufelt entered a partnership with Ohio-based Kroger.[16] By 2016, the partnership had expanded Murray's shop-in-shop locations to hundreds of Kroger stores nationwide.[17]

In 2017, Kroger acquired Murray's Cheese, and Kaufelt remained affiliated with the company as a strategic adviser.[18] There are now over 1100 Murray's Cheese Shops in Kroger locations across the US.

Publications

  • The Murray's Cheese Handbook (2006) Broadway Books
  • "Who Moved My Arugula" for The New York Times
  • "Fancy Grocery" for Gastronomica
  • "My Life as the Big Cheese at Murrays" for The Forward
  • Essay in Greenwich Village Stories: A Collection of Memoirs (2014)

Awards

  • Prud’Homme, La Guilde Internationale des Fromagers (2017)
  • Garde et Jure, La Guilde Internationale des Fromagers (2004)[19]

Personal life

Kaufelt's first two marriages ended in divorce.[20]

In 2010, Kaufelt married food writer Nina Planck.[21] The couple have three children and live in New York City and Stockton, New Jersey.

References

  1. ^ Morgan, Richard (31 March 2016). "Local cheesemonger reinvents the wheel".
  2. ^ Gordinier, Jeff (Oct 4, 2011). "Cheese and Affinage : A Coming-Of-Age Story". The New York Times.
  3. ^ a b c d e Zarin, Cynthia (16 August 2004). "Big Cheese". The New Yorker – via www.newyorker.com.
  4. ^ "Kroger Company buys Murray's Cheese flagship". 3 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Kroger acquires Murray's Cheese".
  6. ^ Kaufelt, Robert (1 February 2004). "Fancy Groceries". Gastronomica: The Journal of Critical Food Studies. 4 (1): 86–90. doi:10.1525/gfc.2004.4.1.86 – via gcfs.ucpress.edu.
  7. ^ "DUTCH FOOD RETAILER TO BUY MAYFAIR SUPER MARKETS". Dow Jones. 22 June 1995 – via The New York Times.
  8. ^ a b c "Murray's Cheese and Rob Kaufelt's Next Chapter - Cheese Connoisseur". 3 April 2017.
  9. ^ Preuss, Joanna (April 3, 2017). "Murray's Cheese and Rob Kaufelt's Next Chapter". Cheese Connoisseur.
  10. ^ "Kroger Company buys Murray's Cheese flagship". 3 February 2017.
  11. ^ LLC, Andrew Harper (28 March 2019). "Best Cheese Shops in the World - Andrew Harper".
  12. ^ Living, LuxEco (15 May 2013). "The Best Cheese Stores in the World: Venissimo and Murray's in New York". HuffPost.
  13. ^ "New York's Most Beloved Cheese Shop Is Opening A Wine And Cheese Bar". Business Insider.
  14. ^ Gordinier, Jeff (30 September 2011). "What's Going On Below Murray's Cheese Shop".
  15. ^ a b "Murray's Cheese - Edible Manhattan". 6 March 2012.
  16. ^ Lee, Jennifer 8. (20 November 2008). "Mass Meets Class for Artisanal Cheeses".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Murray's Cheese Opens Milestone 350th Store - News". Specialty Food Association.
  18. ^ "Kroger acquires Murray's Cheese".
  19. ^ "Paris, France Recognizes United States Cheese Professionals in New York City, NY – Guilde Internationale des Fromagers Confrerie de Saint-Uguzon" (PDF). 2017-06-25. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  20. ^ Hamilton, William L. (2002-02-28). "HOUSE PROUD; Renovating With Industrial Strength Lace". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  21. ^ "Nina Planck and Rob Kaufelt". The New York Times. 22 August 2010.
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