Meet the team

The people behind the counter

Good cheese goes with good wine, with other good stuff, and with good people. Here's who you'll meet at 614 Gerrard St E: what they'd eat for a year, what they pour, and where they'd send you after us.

Luke

Owner

Luke opened Good Cheese on Gerrard East in 2017 as a wine bar with a cheese counter (ask Meg about the fondue). Then Covid rewrote the plan, and the shop you walk into today is what came out the other side: cheese, natural wine and tinned fish, still run like a room for gathering. Good cheese goes with good wine with other good stuff. That was the idea then, and it still is.

What owning it looks like

The buyingWhen a tin he loves comes back from a supplier, he buys as much as he can. Suppliers run dry all the time, and he'd rather never tell you it's gone.
The tillHe hates being asked for his email when he's buying something small, so nobody here will ask you for yours. If you'd like us to remember what you loved, just say so.
DecemberNo events. Every square foot and every pair of hands goes to the holiday rush. The tasting calendar comes back in January.
The teamFair pay, room to grow, and a counter full of people who know their stuff. Everyone below is the reason the shop feels the way it does.
Being good0.5% of everything we sell goes to causes we care about.
What's nextYear ten, in August 2027. We're building toward it.

Steven

Wine Manager

Years selling wine for importers and distributors across the U.S. and Canada. When Luke was looking for help at the shop, Steven saw a chance to focus on the wine side, and he's been helping with it since November 2023.

One cheese for a year

Aged cheddar. Full-flavoured and very versatile.

How he finds your bottle

He starts with what you usually drink. Full, medium or light-bodied? Red or white? On its own or with a meal, and what's the meal? Regulars get steered toward the new arrivals he thinks they'll love.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

"Are you open every day?"

Favourite part of the day

Talking wine with customers: what they drink, what they've loved, and what they should try next.

What surprised him here

New and old customers alike are open to trying something different, not just the thing they always buy.

Friday night, from our shelves

Baguette, sliced meat and cheese. And a bottle of wine!

After us, go to

Issho.

You'd never guess

He's explored all 20 wine regions in Italy. Except Sardinia.

Roxanne

Cheesemonger

Fourteen years in cheese, from monger to buyer to department manager, then her own brand ambassador company for artisan Canadian cheesemakers. She missed the conversations across the cheese case, so she came back to the counter. Good Cheese was the small neighbourhood shop she trusted, doing everything right.

One cheese for a year

It changes almost weekly. Right now, a tie: Le Sandwich goat cheese from Quebec, and Handeck from Gunn's Hill.

The pairing she pushes

Lambo by Paradise Vineyard, a super fun Lambrusco-style red (dark fruit, florality and fizz) with La Tur. The cheese is buttery and tangy, and the cherry and pomegranate bubbles ripple through it to reset your palate for the next bite.

The rest of the chat

Before Good Cheese

Studied photography and worked in pre-press and digital retouching, then switched to cheese in 2010 after training as a Professional Fromager at George Brown.

Most asked at the counter

"I need 3 cheeses." :)

Favourite part of the day

The first two hours on a Monday, reacquainting herself with the case and discovering what's arrived since her last shift. Then deciding what she's most excited to share.

What surprised her here

That an aphid from America nearly wiped out Europe's vineyards about 125 years ago, and most European vines have grown on resistant American rootstock ever since.

Friday night, from our shelves

Something bubbly, something soft and funky, and something salty like Marcona almonds or Brets chips.

After us, go to

Issho, Gerrard St Bakery, or Jupiter Bakery.

You'd never guess

"I'm kind of an open book, much to the chagrin of a few of my coworkers."

Meg

Online orders & knows where everything is

Self-described imposter cheesemonger. Meg was a regular back when Good Cheese was a cheese shop, wine bar and restaurant. So. Much. Fondue. What she did before? "That information, my friends, is top secret."

One cheese for a year

Hommage Goat Blue Gouda. A firm, mild blue with a burst of tang from the goat's milk. Perfect with a glass of red, shaved onto a salad, or transformed with a smear of honey or pomegranate syrup.

The tin she pushes

FANGST Cod Liver, the foie gras of the sea. With a Blackbird baguette, some cornichons and a nice Muscadet.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

"I had a cheese that was SO GOOD but I can't remember what it was called, but it tastes like butter." (Yes, we have Délice de Bourgogne.)

Favourite part of the day

The calm AND the storm. 8:30am, sun streaming in while she packs the overnight orders, is pure bliss. Weekends, with customers three deep, are a thrill of their own.

What surprised her here

She liked wine but didn't love it. Our natural wines blew the roof off her tastebuds.

Friday night, from our shelves

A Blackbird baguette, Rosewood honeycomb, prosciutto, a hunk of 5 Brothers and a juicy red to wash it all down.

After us, go to

Directly across the street to New Bakery. Despite the name and the tired signage, there's an outstanding hot table of real Chinese food (best eggplant she's ever eaten) and yuenyeung, a coffee and milk tea mix that's dangerously drinkable.

You'd never guess

She throws very straight. Darts, bowling balls, frisbees, baseballs. Competitive 5-pin bowling as a kid will serve you for life.

Marc

Cheesemonger

Six years as a cheesemonger in France and a lifetime in food. When he moved to Canada, he went looking online for the best cheese shop in town. He found us.

One cheese for a year

Le Sandwich. He loves soft goat's milk cheese, and this one has a creamy texture and a very fresh taste with a citrusy finish.

What he pours with it

A white from Touraine, or a Muscadet.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

5 Brothers, or how the clubs work.

Favourite part of the day

He usually closes the shop, and he likes the 6pm rush.

What surprised him here

Canada has an amazing cheese industry. He wasn't expecting to find that many good Canadian cheeses.

Friday night, from our shelves

Délice de Bourgogne, a Blackbird baguette and a bag of Brets chips.

After us, go to

Issho, for the best coffee in town.

You'd never guess

He drove a train when he was 13.

Lindsay

Cheese Curator

Lindsay found their way into specialty food and coffee while studying for their Bachelor of Fine Arts, then became an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, which deepened their appreciation for this wonderfully weird food. A mutual friend introduced them to Luke at the right time and place, and they've been curating our case for nearly four years.

One cheese for a year

Cave-Aged Gruyère. It might seem everywhere, but it's so versatile and works with all kinds of food, dessert included. And the reverence and care Swiss cheesemakers have for the land and the animals is truly world class.

The pairing they push

David Eagle Gamay 2024, an easygoing, chillable red that straddles the line between sour cherry candy and herbed floral notes. It pairs wonderfully with a sunset, pastries, and a wedge of Stonetown's Wildwood.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

How to best store your cheese, and how long the cuts will keep.

Favourite part of the day

The interactions behind the counter. Watching someone try something that expands their horizons, and hearing how the cooking projects and grazing platters we helped with went over.

What surprised them here

They knew they'd learn about wine, but had no idea how much there is to natural and biodynamic wines. It's a whole new world.

Friday night, from our shelves

A pack of Baldessarre fresh pasta in a quick cream sauce with Taleggio, herbs and garlic.

After us, go to

Bakerrae, for one of the most decadent hot chocolates and an ube croissant.

You'd never guess

They have their SCUBA licence!

Tristan

Behind the counter

Sports journalism, plumbing and steam fitting, a bunch of different schooling, then ten years at Longo's. When he hit the decade mark he freaked out, applied here, and got hired at the first place he interviewed. That was October 2022.

One cheese for a year

L'Amuse Signature Gouda. Extremely moreish, perfectly balanced between sweet and salty, with just a touch of texture. Works really well grated into eggs or over pasta in a pinch, too.

The pairing he pushes

Whatever Beaujolais fits your budget with a soft cheese. Or Espinaler Premium Small Sardines with the saltiest bottle of sparkling wine in the shop.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

"I had this cheese last weekend and I can't remember the name but it's ______ and ______?" The answer is always Délice de Bourgogne.

Favourite part of the day

Noon. The morning craziness is out of the way, the whole team is usually in, and everyone's expertise is spread across the shop.

What surprised him here

We North Americans think of European countries as tidy, separate things, but over there the borders don't really mean much (on the plate, anyway).

Friday night, from our shelves

Solo: a couple of crispy beers, a couple of hoppy beers, a pack or two of Hot Buggy Whips and a big bag of Pallys. With company: whatever wine he's loving most (usually a light red or orange) and a bag of Jura Brets.

After us, go to

Tung Hing, the Viet bakery around the corner. One of the women who works there has a mom who makes pandan honeycomb cake three days a week, and he always tries to grab a slice.

You'd never guess

Despite the ever-present baseball cap, there's a (sometimes) frustrating amount of hair trapped under there.

Christian

Wine Specialist

A neighbour first. Good Cheese was already his go-to for wine and cheese when Luke posted on Instagram that the shop was hiring someone with good wine knowledge. Christian holds the WSET Diploma, works as a buildings engineer by day, and hosts and teaches tastings on the side. His first thought: "Well, this is perfect."

One cheese for a year

La Bête à Marc Séguin. So complex, layered and rich in flavour that you could never get bored of it. One of his favourite cheeses we carry.

The pairing he pushes

It changes with the shelves, but for a simple classic: Bruno Dangin Crémant de Bourgogne with Délice de Bourgogne. The grapes grow 3km from the Champagne border, on land that was once part of the Champagne AOC before the boundaries were redrawn.

The rest of the chat

Most asked at the counter

"I'm making a charcuterie board and don't know anything about cheese. Can you recommend three (or four?) and help me find a wine to go with everything?"

Favourite part of the day

When someone walks in unsure of what they want and walks out confident and happy after a chat. And the regulars who come back for the same bottle because they loved it, or for something new because they trust you.

What surprised him here

How many French speakers live in the east end. Four of the team are Francophones, and when they speak French behind the counter, customers join right in. That's how le French Social, our wine and cheese tasting in French, came to be. Also how much there is to learn about cheese: the team teaches him something every shift.

Friday night, from our shelves

Bubbles or a new wine from a cool region (Georgian wines lately), La Bête à Marc Séguin with a few other cheeses, some charcuterie and a bag of Brets, a new flavour every time.

After us, go to

On a Tuesday, Goods and Provisions for half-price bottle night. Any other day, walk down Broadview to Queen and head east, stopping at as many spots as you can with vintage shopping in between. Then do Gerrard going west from Coxwell. His shortlist: Belle Isle, Lake Inez, Ricky and Olivia, Corduroy Lounge and Bar Bokeh for food and drinks; Mercury, Issho, Alice Marie, Maha's and Conci for coffee and snacks.

You'd never guess

He's a classically trained violinist, and he works a 9 to 5 corporate engineering job. But wine is the passion.

Flo behind the cheese counter at Good Cheese holding a wedge of cheese

Flo

Cheese Clerk

Flo spotted an ad for our French social wine and cheese night and decided she'd rather be on the other side of the counter. She studied translation, but food was always the pull. "I'm French, so I can't help it." She's been behind the counter since September 2026, learning the wine wall one bottle at a time.

Most asked at the counter

Délice de Bourgogne! She barely has time to put it back in the window before the next person in line asks her to leave it on the counter.

What she's pouring

The white from Mâcon-Villages, one of the bottles that's stuck with her so far. For tins, she points people to the best sellers. "Can't go wrong, right?"

The rest of the chat

One cheese for a year

It depends on multiple criteria.

Favourite part of the day

Watching the cheese platters go out when customers pick them up. So pretty!

What surprised her here

Canadian cheeses are full of surprises, from their stories to the people behind them. "I feel like I'm rediscovering the cheese world."

Friday night, from our shelves

Cheese, for now. She's still working her way through everything else.

After us, go to

New Bakery or Bakerrae. Sweet tooth alert!