Inside a bright blue Rice Village storefront, about 100 cheeses line the shelves: A cantaloupe-orange mimolette. An aged red Leicester that, when cut, looks like a slice of coppery agate. A wheel of tomme crusted in crushed flowers.
This is A Cheese Affair, a small shop at 5302 Morningside Drive that opened in mid-September. The store claims to be the first trans-Atlantic member of the Fédération des Fromagers de France, France’s professional organization of cheesemongers. It’s also a passion project for Randolph Daniels-Kolin, who came to cheese after a career involving pizzerias, car dealerships and franchise management.
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Born in London, he lived in France at several points throughout his life. He got used to stopping by cheese shops there, picking up a firm Beaufort one day, a creamy yellow Comte the next.
A Cheese Affair recently opened in Rice Village in Houston, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
But though he considers Houston very much a food city, and he’s lived here since 2009, Daniels-Kolin hadn’t been able to find a cheese shop akin to those in Paris or Nice.
“We certainly have very sophisticated eating habits,” he said of Houston. “So it was obvious to me that this was absolutely a need and something that people enjoy.”
To fill that need, Daniels-Kolin first went back to France. In the Paris metro area, he took eight hours of training a day at the French cheesemonger’s federation for a couple months last summer.
A cheese sampler is seen at A Cheese Affair in Rice Village in Houston, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
There, he learned how cheese is made, how techniques differ, why a summer cheese beats a winter one, the best ways to wrap pieces up for customers. Then he interned at a cheese shop by Lille, right next to the Belgian border, who was “excited to have an American who comes to train with him,” Daniels-Kolin said.
He brought his newfound expertise back to Houston, where he set up a shop in what he terms a modern French style. Instead of building a counter that separates himself from his customers, he’s set up the cheeses all around the sides of the shop. That way, he can companionably walk people through their options, offering little tidbits of information about each.
That cantaloupe-colored mimolette, he might explain, is orange because its makers originally wanted to compete with Dutch cheese of a similar hue. The fruity, hard L’Etivaz on the back shelf was crafted in a small Swiss village that rejected modern techniques in favor of the 19th-century cheesemaking process.
Owner Randolph Daniels-Kolin, left, helps Shelly Katz and her husband, Nat, learn and sample various cheeses at his new store A Cheese Affair in Rice Village in Houston, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
There’s plenty to choose from – he plans to eventually stock more than a ton of cheese – and he wants to be sure customers get to try plenty of samples, too.
“The only bad thing is having the same cheese every day,” Daniels-Kolin said.
A Cheese Affair also sells accompaniments. The wines are thus far mostly from France. Charcuterie comes from Utah; jams come from a brand called Ma-Mere’s Maison, which Daniels-Kolin discovered at a local farmers market.
Customers are helped at A Cheese Affair in Rice Village in Houston, Friday, Sept. 26, 2025. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle)
For dedicated fans, Daniels-Kolin is starting a group called the Cheese Lovers Society. Members can sign up for free, and each month, he’ll put together a specialized cheese basket and ask if they’d like to buy it. In the new year, he’s hoping to offer tastings too.
“This is a venture that is very pleasurable,” he said. “Because everybody comes and leaves with a big smile.”
Dining and Cooking