Nearly thirty years after he helped open the landmark Oakville Grocery in San Francisco, Clark Wolf brings us this guide to the ever-expanding roster of fine American cheeses. Well before the inception of the slow-food and sustainability movements in American cuisine, Wolf had begun searching for a stable of homegrown artisan cheeses. When he began, most decent cheeses were imported from Europe. American-made cheeses were paler, cruder incarnations of their sophisticated cousins. Wolf was part of a small but growing trend to help mature American cuisine, in part by bringing the art of good cheese to American pastures, kitchens, and palates. Today, owing much to those efforts, Wolf is able to provide this guide and recipe book for the ever-expanding repertoire of sophisticated and richly satisfying American gourmet cheeses.

Every American has a particular grilled cheese sandwich—it’s the sandwich of our childhood, family kitchens, and favorite memories. But these days who can admit aloud that all they want is a Kraft single on white bread? For those who crave their childhood favorites but don’t want to lose face, Laura Werlin has a solution, or 50. By Europe-izing the American staple with Mediterranean ingredients she cleverly cloaks our favorite comfort food in style. After all, what are burrata, prosciutto, and sautéed pepperoni if not a grown-up’s answer to a BLT?