---
title: ‘Cheese’ the Day
date: 2023-09-19T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/cheese-the-day"
section: Articles
---
# ‘Cheese’ the Day

*September 19, 2023* — by [Karen Shih ’09](/author/karen-shih)


> Passion for Provolone, Parmesan Drives Alum to Pivot From Overseas Development to Opening Tasting Bar

*Cheese Hero 1920x1080 — From delicious cheese boards to elaborate wedding "cakes," Kara McGrath '13 creates all types of savory delights at Paste and Rind, the cheese and wine bar she and husband Aaron Fagan '13 opened earlier this year on Washington, D.C.'s H Street.*

As a kid, Kara McGrath ’13 had to have her “pocket cheese”—string cheese she shoved, at her mother’s dismay, into every jacket and pant so she could have it on the go. In college, she blew her budget on fancy fromage during grocery runs with roommates. And when she got married in 2018, she served her guests a flowery, four-tiered cake made not from red velvet or buttercream, but wheels of Manchego, blue cheese and Harbison.

So it was a surprise to exactly one person—herself—when she finally quit a stable job in international development four years ago to pursue a career as a cheesemonger (think merchant of mascarpone, not maker of mozzarella).

Today, she’s the owner of [Paste and Rind](https://www.pasteandrind.com/), a cheese and wine bar on H Street in Washington, D.C., which she runs with her husband, Aaron Fagan ’13. It opened in February after she emptied her 401K to fund the renovation of the space.


*four wines and cheeses lined up at bar*



**Sidebar note:**

**Get Gouda at Making Your Own Board:**

- **Variety is key—but to a point.** McGrath recommends using only three or four types of cheese, because otherwise “you can definitely overwhelm, and too many things will end up fighting each other.” Aim for different textures—soft, semi-firm and hard—and milk types—goat, cow and sheep—for the cheeses, as well as the accompaniments. Start with a jam or spread, she suggested, then add a crunchy element like honeycomb or pickles, and finish with some nuts.
- **Everything must be edible:** McGrath doesn’t believe in purely decorative garnishes, so every sprig of parsley or flower for pop of color should also be delicious.
- **Bite-size is best:** When cheese boards have big chunks of cheese, she said, “people hack it and pull it apart and it gets very messy.” She recommends pre-cutting everything, including fruit, into easy finger food. “Ease and access get underrated in our Instagram world.”
- **Make it beautiful.** At the same time, “we consume with our eyes as much as we do with our other senses,” McGrath said. She recommends filling the board from edge to edge, filling in all exposed areas, and using color blocking (and curves rather than straight lines) to create visual interest with charcuterie, fresh fruits and vegetables or crackers.
- **What grows together goes together.** That’s the rule of thumb she uses when pairing drinks. “If you’ve got a French-style goat cheese, a French white wine is a good option.”





**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Alumni](https://today.umd.edu/topic/alumni), [Food](https://today.umd.edu/topic/food)


**Units:** [College of Behavioral and Social Sciences](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-behavioral-and-social-sciences)