Riffs: Kelly Willis at Blue Rock
Riffs, Roams and Raves uncovers the creative, noteworthy and accomplished in the Wimberley Valley and beyond with tips on who to hear, where to go and what to see from managing editor Teresa Kendrick.
Singer-songwriter Kelly Willis is touring. She played Wimberley’s Blue Rock Studio on January 11 and will appear in Austin for a Studio Show with Darden Smith on January 18. On Saturday, January 20, she’ll perform at the Bugle Boy listening room in La Grange at 7 p.m. Then it’s back to Darden Smith’s Studio on the 21st and then on to Houston, and the Red River Songwriters’ Festival in Red River, New Mexico with the likes of Susan Gibson, Drew Kennedy, Walt Wilkins, and Josh Grider, recent performers at the WinterNights Showcase in Wimberley.
For you audiophiles, you might recall that Kelly’s voice appeared in the film “Thelma and Louise,” singing “Little Honey” and “I Don’t Want to Love You (But I Do)” and in another high profile film, “An Unfinished Life,” where she sang the song, “Getting to Me.”
Roam: A Brie Not Too Far
As temperatures began to plummet this week I contemplated a roam to feed a wintertime obsession of mine: artisan cheeses. For some reason, the concentrated protein of cheese is not so heavy as to encourage prone digestion on a nearby sofa, but is hardy enough to toast a chilly midsection, especially when melted or grilled. I supposeIcamebymy obsession honestly as many a Christmas eve found my family gathered around the table over a tabletop grill with roasted peppers, potatoes, meats and bubbling raclette cheese.
As the arctic blast moved its way south, I laid a fire in my home fireplace and went in search of a great cheese shop. Just a little over a half hour from Wimberley in New Braunfels, I found one by the name of Otto’s Cheese Shop. Owned by Rachel Piñeda and her husband Bob, it is located at 344 Landa Street, one of the main roads going through the city’s downtown area. Inside the handsome shop I found Rachel behind the counter serving up samples and answering questions from customers like me, eager to get their cheese experience underway.
Next to Rachel was Belle who works at the River Whey Creamery in Schertz as a cheesemaker and cheesemonger. A cheesemaker employs milk, salt, rennet and culture to create a cheese product, and a cheesemonger is a sommelier of the cheese world. Both women were extremely versed in flavors, techniques, origins, history and the places that produce different cheeses all over the world. They were refreshingly friendly, knowledgeable, inviting and low key. It was a wonderful environment in which to try something new.
A quick survey of the cheese counter revealed handmade cheeses from Shertz, New Braunfels, Bertram, Dublin, Texas, Manchaca, Dripping Springs, Blanco and Dallas sandwiched between cheeses from Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland and other wellknown cheese-making states in the U.S., like Wisconsin, New York and Vermont. I suppose gamblers might sweat a little when stakes climb or a hand looks promising and I was no different, as I anticipated the rows of inviting wheels and wedges inside the cheese case.
When asked what I’d like to sample, my mind suddenly went blank, much like trips to music stores back in the day when music came in physical packages and princess phones ruled. After a moment, I regained my wits to ask for a crystallized hard cheese. Aged nutty parmesans with tyrosine crystals could get me to cheese nirvana faster than anything I knew. Belle handed me a sample of an OG Kristal and I had to keep my eyes from rolling back in my head. It was delicious, with plenty of crunch from the crystals in every bite. The taste stayed on my tongue for a good three minutes as my tastebuds reared up and grabbed the sumptuous flavor.
With my main jones temporarily satisfied, I sampled a Dublin Karst, a Whey Blue, a Truffle Gouda, and two Camemberts that were so heavenly creamy that I wanted to roll in them, much like my dog Birdy, who is inclined to roll in anything that tastes good. The Truffle Gouda, I learned, was the shop’s best selling cheese in 2023. From there I sampled an orange- colored Mimolette, a Cacio Etrusco made from sheep’s milk, a goat milk Boucheron with a bloomy rind, and a French Ossau Iraty, made from a recipe 3,000 years old. Half of the slice of the Ossau Iraty was drizzled with a traditional sour cherry spread and half was naked. Both sides were equally delicious. I skipped the four-alarm Cheddar with flecks of ghost pepper and jalapeño, leaving that experience to the burly chap next in line.
Otto’s carries over 250 cheeses and meats on a rotating basis, as well as award-winning Texas wines, chocolates, honeys, jellies, and specialty baked items, crackers and chips. They also create cheese and charcuterie boards for parties.
In addition to owning a dynamic shop, Otto’s owners have embarked on a book and documentary project featuring Texas cheeses and their makers. The book, still in the works, is called The Texas Cheese Travel Book. The documentary, also still in the making, traces Bob and Rachel’s travels on the Texas Cheese Trail. Take note as this duo sets out to create a collaborative community of makers and enthusiasts in the process. For more information visit ottoscheeseshop. com.
Rave: “72 Hours” Mike Crusham, former 94.3 radio host, approached KWVH’s General Manager Tim Kiesling with the idea to air a program called “72 Hours.” The 30-minute show would run for 12 weeks from January through April 7 for the purpose of teaching listeners how to prepare for an emergency in our area. Each program would feature two or three Hays County first responders and the agency they represent. These experts would share their knowledge, experience and recommendations on how to help yourself and your neighbors should the need arise.
The inspiration for the program came from two events soon to impact Wimberley. The first is the upcoming Emergency Preparedness Fair and the second is the April 8 eclipse. While the eclipse is not an emergency in and of itself, it is expected that tens of thousands of visitors will descend upon Wimberley for the event, potentially tying up first responders who are responsible to attend to their issues as well as our own.
What does the name of the show, “72 Hours,” mean? Seventy-two hours is the amount of time that each household or individual should prepare to be self-sufficient, experts say, in case of a widespread emergency. Especially in an area like ours where the number of first responders is limited, having food, water and other necessities readily available could be the difference between a good outcome and a bad one.
