Formaggio Kitchen Cambridge: A Luxury European Grocery Experience

 

Amidst the plethora of conventional grocery stores that offer the same processed meat and dairy products, Formaggio Kitchen has dedicated itself to providing shoppers with quality. Backed by a love for European-style cheese and cured meats, this specialty grocery store evokes a feeling of being on the streets of France or Italy.

What started as a single shop in Cambridge, MA has now expanded to several locations spanning New York, Boston, and Kendall. With a commitment to premium products and artisanal brands, Formaggio Cambridge continues to provide its customers with everything they need to create that Instagram-worthy charcuterie board.

By carefully sourcing their products with a high-quality standard, they are able to provide Cambridge residents with a food experience worth coming back for (at least once a week!). 

To get a better look inside the wonder of Formaggio Cambridge, we spoke with Elizabeth Moroney.

 

What is the concept behind Formaggio? What makes it special? 

 

Well, it started with a vision of creating a unique European grocery experience here in Cambridge, MA. We wanted to provide locals with the specialty products and that European quality that was missing from the average grocery store aisle—a gourmand’s paradise doubling as a neighborhood grocer. To do this, we did a lot of traveling (and continue to) in order to find these high-quality products.  

We directly import specialty foods, often exclusively. Over the years, we have built our foundation on the food traditions of Europe and the US with a particular focus on artisanal cheese.

 

What are your signature products? What do local residents know Formaggio for? 

 

The most popular categories for us are cheese and the products prepared in our in-house kitchen. We serve rotating daily lunch and dinner, as well as a variety of fresh and frozen meals to go.

 

Why did you start selling rice from the rice factory?

 

Our head chef shops directly with the Rice Factory because of his passion for high-quality Japanese ingredients. When he told me “there’s nothing like it”, after trying the Rice Factory’s rice for the first time, that’s when I knew. I thought, “that’s exactly the quality that Formaggio Kitchen needs”.

  

How have your customers been responding to the rice from the Rice Factory? 

 

Customers love the sushi rice, as well as the convenience of the pre-cooked rice porridges and brown rice. We have been able to introduce products never before sold at our shops, such as cut mochi, mirin, and dashi. Our customers shop with us so they can discover foods they have never experienced before. And they trust us to offer them the best quality possible. For these reasons, I would say that the rice factory has been a great success for us so far.

 

Do you have any news to share about upcoming events at Formaggio Cambridge? 

 

For anyone interested in trying some high-quality artisanal cheese, we offer monthly cheese pop-ups at the local brewery, Lamplighter. We also have weekly in-store cheese and wine tastings on Thursdays from 4-6 pm. Our weekend BBQ, which runs from St. Patrick’s Day to Halloween, happens every Saturday and Sunday from 11am-2 pm. 

 

Is there a message that you would like to share with our readers? 

 

If you’re ever in the Cambridge or Boston area, we would love to share some of our favorite products with you—and that includes products that make for a beautiful Japanese meal with the Rice Factory’s sushi rice!