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Murray’s Cheese has been Manhattan's most famed, vast, and varied dairy purveyor since first opening its doors decades ago. At its charming Bleecker Street shop, bustling Grand Central outpost, or Long Island City locale, you can consult expert cheese mongers and try samples of proprietary cave-aged varieties prepared right here in town. (This is Antoni Porowski's favorite cheese shop for a reason, people!)
And as one of the best cheese shops in New York City, Murray's has unsurprisingly made monumental plans for National Cheese Day. On Wednesday June 4, Chef Clare Malfitano will build the biggest ball of mozzarella in Manhattan for onlookers to see and, more importantly, taste! Expect a truly one-of-a-kind performance from inside a giant translucent bowl as she stretches and forms a massive, 80-pound ball by hand.
Fromage festivities begin at 4pm, running until 7pm, or when the giant curd sculpture has been consumed. To prepare for this wild undertaking, Chef Malfitano trained with 25-pound balls of mozzarella and equipped new gadgetry for the epic task. She will hand cut 90 pounds of curd to later salt and bathe, then stretch using a giant paddle. With the help of additional cheese mongers, Malfitano will pull and shape the monstrous mozzarella into a luscious cloud of cheese. Once cooled in an ice bath, the enormous fresh cow's milk creation will be ready for slicing and snacking.
"This mozzarella is tried and true, a lightly salted favorite that people love in summertime on salads, pastas, and more," a Murray's representative told Time Out. "Since it's such a go-to summer cheese, we thought it was the perfect celebratory choice for National Cheese Day."
Attendees can take advantage of a 15-percent off sale — plus a free ball of mozzarella with a $25 purchase — at the Bleecker St and Grand Central shops on June 4. During the Greenwich Village event, local purveyors will also hand out samples, including Mike's Hot Honey, Finback Brewing, Talea Beer, and Schaller & Weber.