Meet Self-Proclaimed Cheese Princess and PC Student

For many, quarantine was a time to pick up new hobbies like bread-baking and home workouts. For Haley Georgen, it was a time to perfect a very particular skill: curating cheese boards.

“I made them almost every day for my family and even just myself,” says Georgen, a New Jersey native and junior marketing major at Providence College. While vacationing in Nantucket, she had several admirers inquire about the boards she brought to snack on at the beach, which she assembled bigger and bigger to share with friends and family. It wasn’t until her summer marketing internship when she realized she could take her hobby and turn it into something more. Thus, she became That Cheese Princess.

“The ultimate purpose of this account is to connect with people who share the same passion for cheese or even those who just want to learn more about cheese!” says Georgen of the Instagram account she created in July, which already has nearly 1.5k followers. Scrolling through the @thatcheeseprincess feed, you’ll find colorful aerial shots of boards laden with cubed cheese, sliced meats, fruits, crackers, and nuts. “I take my time picking out a number of different cheeses that I believe will pair well together, but are also different from one another,” begins Georgen of her process. “The meats are dependent on the cheeses, but I love including prosciutto as well as an Italian dried salami. In terms of the ‘crunch’, my all-time favorite cracker is a simple Triscuit, as well as a fancier water cracker or rosemary cracker.” However, Georgen’s favorite part is the final flourish, which for the holiday season includes pops of green and red with pomegranate, thyme, cherries, and holly.

While That Cheese Princess is all about deliciousness, it’s also about bringing people together. Georgen finds herself engaging in conversations with those who indulge in her cheese boards, bonding over that first bite and audible “mmmm!” Most recently, she’s started selling and delivering customizable cheese boards around Providence, which she says is a great way to decompress after classes and meet fellow cheese lovers. “Most of my deliveries are to Providence College students, so it’s allowed me to meet fellow Friars that I might have never met before.”

All of Georgen’s boards are made to order and can be altered based on allergies or preferences – she’s even had a request for a board containing no cheese at all. “I am grateful to have the opportunity to share my passion for cheese with others,” says Georgen, “and am excited to see where this delicious adventure goes!”@thatcheeseprincess