Queso Hombre – The Man With The Cheese

Brad Cheeseman is the Folkestone Harbour’s best case of nominative determinism.  Brad is Queso Hombre, the man with the cheese.  Influenced by Spain, and cheese, he’ll be offering cheese toasties, theatrical raclette – melted cheese dripped onto charcuterie and vegetarian options, and sparkling Sangria to wash it down.  Folkelife, taking its responsibilities very seriously, spoke to Brad about how Queso Hombre came about.

For the run up to Christmas, Queso Hombre can be found in The Goods Yard with pigs in blankets covered in raclette cheese and more.

“I could make jokes about how my family invented cheese, but I’m not sure people would believe me.  Also, it’s not true, but it would be awful if, with a name like mine, I didn’t like cheese!  Luckily, I’ll eat anything from a Dairy Lea triangle to the stinkiest blue you can find.   What I want to offer is a real melted cheese treat because there’s nothing like melted cheese.  I’ve created a secret blend of 3 cheese that have good flavour and melt well, and I’m going to be offering them with Spanish cured meats, different chutneys, pickles and a garlic aioli.  

“The real theatre to watch though will be the raclette.  This is a Swiss melted cheese extravaganza.  The smell is just amazing, and then as you lift up the pan and scrape the melted cheese onto chunks of toasted, fresh bread, with olives, and/or charcuterie… well, I can feel my mouth watering already.”

spanish influences

“My dad lives in Spain so I’ve been visiting him for 20 years or more.  I also worked in Madrid for 4 years which meant I got to see the whole country and discover really tasty regional food.  When I came back to the UK I wanted to see if I could bring some of that influence into my next line of work.  I’ve been in hospitality for all my working life, and am a frequent visitor to Folkestone Harbour.  I think there’s a place for people down here to see me grill my cheese and enjoy it. Look at that view, it’s the best view around, and to be able to enjoy delicious melted cheese and a perfectly-paired Spanish Rioja, in our Spanish Street-Food bar, it’s going to be spot on!”

sweet toasties

“I think it’s really important to cater for all the family so we’ve got some sweet toasties on offer too.  In the same way that cheese melts, if you put marshmallows under the grill you get the same stringy effect.  So in our dessert toasties you’ll find a mix of Nutella, marshmallows and fresh strawberries, grilled to perfection and sprinkled with icing sugar.  Or there’s the Banoffee Toasties which has a biscuit spread, bananas and marshmallows.  I just love how stringy they go when they’re hot!

“In our savoury menu there’ll be a selection of Spanish-influenced toasties with spicy Chorizo and chillis and so on, but also a crowd-pleaser which will suit most tastes.  You can also have it chopped in half and served with some really decent crisps for the kids.”

living a dream

“I’ve been thinking for a while now that I want to do something for myself.  I’ve been working in hospitality and tourism, and for other people all my life.  Now it’s time for me to create something.  Cheese and Spain seemed to be the perfect fit.  Those Mediterranean flavours and grilled cheese, what better combination?   Then I’ve always visited Folkestone Harbour; I grew up in Ashford so I’ve been coming down here all my life.  When I looked at this place and started to dream about having my own set up here it really was that, a dream.  But, I sent off a few emails, conversations started happening and now it’s becoming a reality.  I’m really excited and can’t wait to get the keys and get stuck in!”