She’s got one cheese in her pocket: New shop to open on Atwood

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When Anna Calinawan worked as a cheese monger in Baltimore, she frequently had a random wedge of cheese in her pocket.

“My husband would empty my coat pockets at the end of the day and he’d say, ‘Gotta check for pocket cheese,’” she said.

This quirk inspired the name of her new business. Pocket Cheese will be a specialty cheese and snack goods store in a rented space at 2025 Atwood Ave, which formerly housed Madison Kung Fu. Before that, it was Insight Counseling & Wellness (now on Winnebago).

Calinawan’s family is originally from the Philippines, and she split her upbringing between there, New York City and New Jersey. She said her multinational personal history has informed her decision to open a cheese store with a diverse selection.

She hopes to sell all sorts of cheeses, with a focus on international classics. She will supply olive oil from a company in the West Bank with Madison connections called Canaan and hopes to expand her geographic range of product origins.

“I would love to bring stuff in from the Philippines,” she said. “That’s actually part of what inspired me. I saw on a Reddit thread someone asked, ‘Where can I find imported cheese in Madison?’ and it turns out there aren’t many options,” she said.

Calinawan currently works at the artisanal cheese store Fromagination on the Capitol Square. She hopes to open her store before the holiday season, but must wait on a building permit from the city, then make the necessary renovations and improvements. She may have to wait until spring.

Calinawan said Pocket Cheese’s tagline will be “For picnics and pantries.” She wants to offer jams, crackers and snacks. She plans to have a big chocolate selection and beverages.

“It’s almost like a high-end convenience store, because I love snacks,” she said.

Calinawan said she wants it to be like a “girl dinner store,” referencing a TikTok trend in which people show off snack-style “girl dinners” that require minimal cooking and prep. Fine pantry staples.

Despite not having much business experience, Calinawan said many of her personal habits will make running Pocket Cheese feel second nature.

“Every year on my birthday, I organize my pantry,” she said. “Now I can organize inventory.”

Calinawan majored in English at Columbia University in New York City, then went to medical school in the Philippines. She dropped out in her third year, did cancer research in Baltimore, then started to feel burnt out. When she took a job at a specialty store as a cheesemonger, she fell in love with the job.

“People love cheese. It brings them so much joy,” she said.

Calinawan and her husband, Elliott Grieco, began hunting for cities that were more bike friendly. “We’ve lived in a lot of places, and Madison is hands-down my favorite one,” she said.

Calinawan wants to cater to people of all income levels, although the current tariffs could make keeping prices low difficult.

“When my parents first moved to the U.S. and a long time after, I think if they walked into a fancy cheese store they probably would have felt alienated and shy,” she said.

“I don’t want to be one of those places, where you walk in and don’t know if you can afford anything. I want everyone to find something at a price point that they can afford.”…Read more by By Marion Elbow, Special to the Cap Times