The Story Behind the Box
Old World roots. New World makers. Classic cookout flavor.
This month’s cheese lineup is rooted in Connecticut, one of America’s first states — and a state making some seriously exciting cheese. For the 250 Summers box, we used Connecticut as the anchor: three cheeses inspired by European classics, reimagined by American makers, and paired with the savory flavors of a summer cookout.
Cheese Notes
Europa is the headliner. This Dutch Gouda-inspired cheese made national history when it became the first cheese ever to win Best in Show at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest twice in a row. In 2025, it beat 2,414 entries with a score of 98.89 out of 100 — winning by just one-hundredth of a point. Food & Wine also covered the win, calling Europa the No. 1 American-made cheese. Well done Arethusa.
Check out the story here
Whaledale by Mystic Cheese Co. is a Connecticut homage to English Wensleydale, with a bright, lactic, farmhouse personality. It was also named one of Food & Wine’s 25 Essential American Cheeses to Try Right Now, where it was described with notes of sour cream, wet stone, and buttered popcorn.
Check out the rest of the list here-- (many of them have been included in Curdbox!)
Crybaby is Arethusa’s Swiss-style cheese: nutty, snackable, and cookout-friendly. Arethusa describes it as a cheese made for both the cheeseboard and the ham sandwich, with tiny “eyes,” a subtle nutty aroma, and that classic Swiss-style bite. It also won Bronze in the Swiss category at the 2024 Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition.
Info Card
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Spotify Playlist(Listen to this month's curated playlist) |
Setting Up
Pull the cheeses out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to eat. Don’t throw away the cheese paper or wrappers — these are the best way to store any leftovers.
For this box, think less “formal cheese plate” and more summer cookout board. Put the jam in a small bowl, pile the toasted corn in little clusters around the board, and fold the salami into loose ribbons so people can build their own bites.
This box is especially good with: cold lager or pilsner, dry cider, sparkling white wine, rosé, light red wine, iced tea or lemonade
Want to build it out even more? Add cherry tomatoes, pickles, kettle chips, mustard, grilled bread or pretzels alongside your favorite beverage.
Best Bites
Europa + Salt & Pepper Toasted Corn
Aged, nutty richness meets salty toasted corn crunch.
Whaledale + Tomato Jalapeño Jam
Bright farmhouse tang meets savory-sweet summer heat.
Crybaby + Cerveza Seca Salami
Nutty Swiss-style cheese meets beer-cured salami for the box’s most cookout-ready bite.
LOADED Bonus Bite:
Crybaby + Cerveza Seca + Salt & Pepper Toasted Corn + Tomato Jalapeño Jam
It is the ultimate backyard cookout bite in this box.
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Didn't finish all the cheese? Wrap them back in the cheese paper they came in- they will last longer and taste better that way.
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