It's time to fill your picnic basket! Formaggio Kitchen's Vince Razionale tells us, "For summer picnics in New England heat, longer-aged, firm-textured cheeses hold up better than softer, more delicate cheeses. Comté Grand Cru and a wedge of Cabot Clothbound Cheddar aged at the Cellars at Jasper Hill pack a mean one-two punch. Also bring along some of our housemade charcuterie like the duck paté, studded with dried tart cherries. Some olives or cornichons make a perfect snack alongside the meat and cheese. For dessert, I always bring along Salty Oats cookies, made in Hyannis, MA, by Terri Horn. And beer! You can't forget beer! (Or wine. But with Comté and Cabot Clothbound, beer is a better fit.) Grab a bottle of Pretty Things' Jack D'Or saison, crafted by Dann Paquette in Westport, MA. It's fruity, yeasty, slightly funky, and hoppy — my go-to summer beer."

Tired of cooking? Formaggio Kitchen's Vince Razionale dishes on his go-to eateries in Boston. "I love going to Eastern Standard — wonderful people, great food, and a killer drink selection. Hungry Mother has some of the best cocktails around, and the food is so well-thought-out and well-executed. I live down the street from Sofra, and I think they have the best pastries and the best iced coffee around. I've only eaten at Coppa once, but it was one of the best meals I've ever had. Same goes for O Ya. I haven't been to Bergamot yet, but I've heard nothing but good things, and I really like Keith, the chef — he's one of the chefs in Boston who cares the most about his cheese plate."

Formaggio Kitchen's Vince Razionale knows how important it is to buy local. "I love Twig Farm, run by Michael Lee and his wife Emily in Cornwall, VT, where they make outstanding aged goat's milk cheeses from their 31 milking goats. We work very closely with the Cellars at Jasper Hill, managed by the brothers Kehler up in Greensboro, VT. In addition to making top-notch cow's milk cheeses on their small farm, they also manage a wholly revolutionary aging facility where they're helping to facilitate new cheesemakers in New England. In ten years, I think that everyone will know what positive things they're doing for American cheeses and cheesemakers."

Formaggio Kitchen's Vince Razionale fills us in on a pairing class he plans to teach in October: "My friend and colleague Adam and I are duking it out in October to see who can come up with the better flight of cheese pairings. Basically, we're both big cheese nerds, and we're finding a good outlet for our competitiveness by doing what we love: eating and talking about cheese. The pairings we're going to offer are going to be more out-of-the-box, exciting ones that we have come up with. The last session, the class will break up into two teams and put their own pairing together with Adam and me to guide them. It's going to be so much fun — I already can't wait until October!"