Norman’s Big Cheese
A Conversation with Suzy Thompson of Forward Foods
Words by Marisa Mohi / Photos by Tori Beechum
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Norman is no stranger to institutions. The University of Oklahoma’s campus looms large in the center of the city, casting a shadow of tradition. But just north of campus is Forward Foods, a nearly two-decade-old culinary cornerstone and bastion of handmade cheeses and other fine foods.
Suzy Thompson—along with her husband, Steve “Wampus” Reynolds—opened Forward Foods in 2006, but the shop wasn’t always a brick-and-mortar operation. Thompson first learned how to source good cheese while running the Opolis, which was a vegetarian cafe at the time. She started slinging cheese at the encouragement of a group of OU professors, who, after getting to know her at the Opolis, asked if she would consider selling cheese if they could promise that she would sell everything she brought in. In the beginning, Thompson sold cheese by collecting email addresses and hosting pop-up-style sales. “I have those people to thank for pushing me along,” she says.
By the third pop-up sale, Thompson had customers lining up in February sleet for an hour before the doors opened. Without a permanent storefront, there was an elusiveness to the business, and only those in the know had access to her cheese sales. The business grew by word of mouth and email forwards. “People would joke that OU’s email servers would go down whenever we sent out our notices about the pop-ups because everyone kept forwarding them,” Thompson says. “And then people thought we named our store after forwarded emails.”
In truth, the name came from the Wisconsin state quarter. The design shows an ear of corn, a cow, a wheel of cheese, and the state motto, “forward,” on a banner.
When asked how she became interested in cheese, Thompson laughs. “Cheese is kind of a funny thing. It can be like a bug. People who get into it go all in and really, really get into it. And so I guess I was in that category of human.” Though it’s clear that Thompson isn’t simply “into cheese,” she loves the care and attention required in the making of handmade cheeses. Carefully crafted foods, whether made at home in someone’s kitchen or on a dairy farm, are her love language.
Hailing from Enid, Thompson spent time on both coasts before settling in Norman, and her experience living in larger cities has shaped how she approaches selling cheese now. “I had that intimidation factor the first time I went to a cheese shop in New York. I was just like, ‘Oh my God, I don't even know how to talk to them. What do I say I need?” Because she knows what it’s like to be on the confused end of a cheese purchase, Thompson has worked to make Forward Foods a cordial, inviting place where customers can ask questions.
Norman’s culinary landscape often caters to college students or hungry football fans. Party staples like pizza and loaded potato skins are easy to find throughout the city. But it’s the care and quality Forward Foods offers that keep customers coming back to try something new.
Thompson joked that she and Reynolds still run the business because they don’t understand technology and couldn’t do anything else (a modest jest considering the couple’s many talents—in fact, Reynolds is also a comedian and a former “Jeopardy!” champ). But it’s clear that a love of good food and sharing that love with others is why the shop has been such a staple in Norman and the reason Thompson goes to work every day. “I just never have ever gotten tired of it. I've never dreaded going to work since we opened the store.”
An advocate for everything in the shop, Thompson can wax poetic on the versatility of an aged vinegar, the value of an heirloom bean, or the experience of eating some Alaskan spruce tip jelly—according to her, “It tastes like you're in a pine forest, and with a smoked cheese, it's like you're like eating the most delicious campfire in the woods. It's so, so good.”
Even though Norman’s diverse population and OU’s community offered a worldly and cheese-wise market for the business from the start, the average customer knows more about cheese now than ever. Oklahoma’s restaurant scene has evolved far beyond what it was 20 years ago. Plus, fine dining and food culture is regular fodder for social media, TV shows, and movies. But Forward Foods also welcomes those who aren’t sure where to start on their fine food journey.
“We do try to customize everything according to the conversation we’re having with people in the shop,” Thompson says.
That spirit has endured, even as the business has evolved. Thompson’s love of sharing cheeses is the driving force behind the success and staying power of Forward Foods.
Forward Foods, 215 W. Main St., Norman, (405) 321-1007, forwardfoods.com, @forwardfoods
