These Are Stanley Tucci's Favorite Cheese Shops Around The World

Stanley Tucci is a formidable and easily recognizable actor who has starred in movies that are part of the fabric of pop culture like "The Devil Wears Prada." During the COVID-19 pandemic, his love for food and drink and his family's roots in Italy began trending after he filmed home videos of himself cooking and storytelling. His clear connection with and joy for Italian food culture ultimately paved the way for a CNN documentary "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy." 

AFAR magazine interviewed Tucci about the series and his memoir "What I Ate in One Year." In it, he waxes about his approach to food and filming the series, his favorite regions of Italy, and he lifts the curtain on some of his favorite eateries and four stand-out cheese shops (one of his favorite foods). Here's a glimpse into each spot across the globe in all of their buttery, funky, and earthy glory.

Anchored on Bleeker Street, Murray's Cheese has been synonymous with cheese expertise since it opened its doors in 1962. As soon as you walk in, you know you are in capable hands with the shop's expert cheesemongers at the ready to help you choose the perfect triple cream or curate a full cheese selection for your next gathering. It also has an extensive cheese education department and regularly holds both virtual and in-person classes on all things cheese. If you'd like to take it up a notch, you can join one of Murray's cheese clubs, which will see hand-picked selections shipped to your door each month. Even if you can't make it to its flagship (or the outpost in Grand Central), you are likely able to shop a subset of its offerings at your local grocery store, as Kroger officially bought Murray's in 2017 after a long-standing partnership.

Citarella has been the de facto New York City spot for the freshest seafood, artisanal delicacies, and, of course, cheese, since it was established in upper Manhattan way back in 1912. This OG specialty store has been the go-to spot for New Yorkers in the know for decades. In addition to its shop on the Upper West Side, it has locations on the Upper East Side, Greenwich Village, the Hamptons, and Greenwich, CT. Citarella is the ideal destination for sourcing interesting cheeses from around the world or grab-and-go options like curated mini cheese boards for a picnic at the park or larger boards for parties.

Tucked away on a side street in Marylebone, La Fromagerie offers more of the personal attention and care of a quaint English village shop than one smack in the middle of London. The Marylebone location features an ever-changing and finely chosen cheese shop offering, as well as a cafe with delicious and buzzy breakfast, brunch and lunch options, and it morphs into a wine bar with accompanied culinary delights later in the day. What's more, it often puts on specialty ticketed cheese events and even has a private event space. It also has locations in Bloomsbury and Highbury complete with cafes, making them a welcoming stop not only for interesting cheeses, but also for a casual meal of tarts, seasonal salads, soups, and other prepared foods. For the ultimate cheese-lover's gift, consider a La Fromagerie's bespoke cheese celebration cake as a party centerpiece.

Arguably one of the cornerstones of French shopping history, Le Bon Marché was the first Parisian department store, astoundingly open since 1852. Its speciality food and beverage offerings ultimately became La Grande Epicerie de Paris at Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, which has been installed on the Left Bank since 1988. The cheese offerings at this iconic and architecturally striking institution are second to none, and feature everything from the most traditional to the newest realms of French culinary (and in this case cheese) innovation. Since 2017, La Grande Epicerie de Paris has also had a second location in western Paris in the 16th arrondissement.