Asking Tim Gaddis to name his favorite cheese is like asking the little old lady who lived in the shoe to pick a favorite child.

“I have so many,” says the cheese monger for Star Provisions and former Ellijay policeman. He finally admits that he has a penchant for classic, cloth-bound cheddars.

Enlarge this image

Reynolds Group

Tim Gaddis of Star Provisions admits that cloth-bound cheddar is his favorite cheese.

Meridith Ford Goldman Biography Table Talk blog Restaurant reviews AJC Top 50 Restaurants Recipes by Meridith Ford Goldman Related links: AJC Food & Drink Evening Edge Recipes from Atlanta restaurants Favorite Atlanta recipes

“There’s a history behind every cheese, and that’s part of the allure for me,” Gaddis says. “I look at a cheddar, taste it and realize that a farmer’s life choice is in that wheel. Think of it: All cheese is a mixture of milk, salt and rennet. Everything else is up to the cheesemaker.”

After 10 years on the police force, Gaddis worked as a cheese monger for famed Murray’s to get through the French Culinary Institute in New York.

At Star Provisions, he works directly with chef-owner Anne Quatrano and chef de cuisine Joshua Hopkins to create cheese plates for Bacchanalia and Quinones at Bacchanalia, as well as buying the cheeses for the upscale provender’s cheese shop, arguably the best in the South. It offers selections — such as the little bell-shaped clochette from France made popular in the film “Ratatouille” — that just can’t be found elsewhere.

And though he enjoys pairing cheeses with the seasonal offerings the chefs produce, Gaddis’ gift is in knowing his customers.

“We get a lot of business on Saturday mornings, and most of our customers are regulars. I love helping them pick out a new cheese or helping them pair a favorite with something they might not have thought about before. It’s sort of like trying on shoes — you have to really know what that person likes. It’s actually a very intimate experience,” he says.

Gaddis is quick to offer local cheeses such as the feta from Flat Creek Lodge Dairy in Swainsboro, and selections from Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville.

But he emphasizes how difficult the cheesemaking business is for small local dairies. Strict state regulations and our harsh summer weather are culprits, he says, as well as the simple lack of cheesemaking tradition here.

“I have hope for the industry in Georgia, though,” Gaddis says. “We have the right mix for soft, basic farmhouse cheeses and young cheddars. And people like to know how things have been handled, from the farm to the cow or goat.”

Star Provisions, 1198 Howell Mill Road, Atlanta. 404-365-0410, www.starprovisions.com