One Wicker, Countless Delights

Written By: Marlene Osteen | Issue: June 2024 | Photograph By: Susan Renfro

Sophie Delany would be the first to proclaim that there’s something irresistible about cheese. Where once the demands of waiters and chefs and serving restaurant guests commanded her attention, today it just might be a good cheddar that rules her day.

Which is to say that last year, Delany left a ten-year tenure working at Old Edwards – from Assistant Food & Beverage Director, to General Manager at Four65 Woodfire and Bistro and catering in the corporate sales office – for what is today the smelly, yet seductive world of cheese.

Now she spends her days selecting, cutting, and wrapping the 40 cheeses she offers at One Wicker Cheese, the store she opened in March, at the space formerly occupied by the Business Spot on Main Street.

Thus, should a sudden craving for a nice chunk of cheese together with a perfect hunk of meat and perhaps a glass of wine overcome you, I can’t think of a better destination where one might satisfy those hankerings.

Delany is savvy about her mission and steadfast in her determination to support the cheese makers and specialty meat producers that launched a renaissance in artisanal products in wake of the food-to-table movement.

Step inside and you’ll find cheese from Georgia’s Sweet Grass Dairy and cured meats from Atlanta’s Spotted Trotter alongside cheese curds from nearby Providence Farmstead in Otto, fresh produce, and eggs from her sister’s farm in Franklin (also called One Wicker), and charcuterie from Wisconsin’s Underground Meats.

No less compelling are the charcuterie boards and cheese platters which Delany happily tailors to the season or occasion. There’s an intelligent selection of wine, with a focus on women and minority producers, and the shelves are lined with all things cheese and food-related; books and greeting cards, crackers, and sweets, and hampers ready to be stuffed with goodies for gift giving.

One Wicker is as much a café as a market and the space is also given over to seating for about 20, with a focused eat-in menu and a daily changing menu of sandwiches featuring local produce and cheese combos.

A recent and superb special of Brie, radish, cucumber, and arugula was exactly what any weary, hungry shopper might want to eat, and there’s a tidy menu of wine by the glass or bottle, nonalcoholic seltzers, craft sodas and beer to add a welcome relief.

As of this writing, One Wicker is open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. with plans to expand hours during the summer season.

Visit onewickercheesecompany.com to learn more.