Fiorella di Tomino — the Cheese That Blooms

Seven petals, one wheel. Fiorella di Tomino — fiorella is Italian for “little flower” — is Champignon’s showpiece soft cheese: a triple-cream wheel molded into a seven-petaled flower, ripened from the outside in so a creamy-fresh melt meets gentle creaminess in the same bite. Created in 2018, it reached America in spring 2023, and nothing else in the US soft-ripened case looks like it.

The story

The idea came from Piedmont, Italy — the tomino tradition of small soft cheeses — reimagined by a cheesemaker in Lauben as a Bavarian triple-cream. The Academy of Cheese records its creation in 2018 by Käserei Champignon Hofmeister: a mild soft-cheese specialty defined by its flower shape, seven segments like petals, ripening from the outside in so two textures “blend harmoniously.”

Champignon North America unveiled it to the US trade at the 2023 Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas and rolled it out that May. CEO Flynne Wiley’s pitch: it’s “like no other soft-ripened cheese in the U.S. market” — a 2.4-pound wheel that divides neatly into seven wedges of about 5.5 ounces each, built for the cheese case as an eye-catcher and for foodservice as a portionable luxury. GFI Foods, which distributes it wholesale (item #198832), markets it for “key retailer holidays: Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day” — this is a celebration cheese, and it knows it.

What it tastes like

Refined and silky rather than loud. The headline flavor is crème fraîche — cultured, gently tangy cream — over a mild bloomy rind, with a 68%-fat-in-dry-matter richness that stays elegant instead of heavy. Because it ripens from the outside in, the wheel holds its shape when cut yet yields a melting creaminess in the mouth: firm enough to portion, soft enough to swoon over. Naturally lactose-free, vegetarian (microbial rennet).

Flavor profile: intensity low-medium · creaminess very high · tang gentle, crème-fraîche-like · rind mild
Aging: ripened outside-in; firm but soft · Texture: triple-cream, silky, holds its shape when cut

How to serve it

As the centerpiece, whole — the flower shape is the point, so don’t portion it before guests see it. Cut petal by petal at the table at room temperature. Keep accompaniments quiet: plain crackers, mild bread, maybe honey. Anything aggressive would trample the delicacy.

Drink with it: Champagne or a good sparkling wine — the classic creamy-cheese pairing, bubbles against richness. A white Burgundy or an unoaked Chardonnay works for still-wine drinkers.

Finding it in America

A specialty-case hunt, but a feasible one. Champignon North America imports it; GFI Foods (item #198832, 2/2.65 lb cases) and Euro USA (item 013001) distribute it wholesale, and Zuercher & Co. lists it for US retailers. Ask at serious cheese counters — especially around Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Mother’s Day, when distributors push it — or check German-importer webshops. If your cheesemonger hasn’t heard of it yet, the seven-petaled wheel is easy to describe.