'The unexpected way cheese changed my life'

OK I know what you're thinking, how could cheese possibly change someone's life? Well, I can assure you, I'm not being dramatic.

I love cheese. Always have, always will. Cheddar, mozzarella, brie, camembert – you name it. But it never played too integral a role in my life until three years ago.

I was doing a portrait painting workshop with my sister at an art gallery in Sydney run by a fabulous artist from Western Sydney – let's call her Nora*. After the workshop, we got to speaking and ended up in a conversation about trauma, healing and the power of art.

READ MORE: TikTok chef shares viral potato-peeling hack to save time this Christmas

As the conversation was coming to an end, she mentioned a catch-up that she was having that weekend with a few women and invited me to join.

Nora told me that the group were lovely and that they had fostered a safe space for insightful or vulnerable conversations.

At the time, I was going through a rough patch. It was my second year of university, I had recently lost my grandmother and was lacking a place to have some in depth conversations about my identity.

Being a Lebanese girl that attended a predominantly white public high school and university was no easy task. I had many friends but it was rare I'd open up topics of family or racism. They were hard conversations to have, and I wasn't in a place where it would be easy for me to explain the things happening in my life.

That Sunday, I attended the cheese group meet-up, or 'the cheese' as they like to call it.

It's safe to say I got so much more than I bargained for. Camembert with a side of life-long friendship and mentoring.

The women were quick to make me feel comfortable and safe, and before I knew it I was opening up about things I hadn't told anyone.

READ MORE: Foodie shares airfrying hack that makes 'fakeaway' McChicken burger

It was the weirdest experience ever because of the dynamic of the friendship and the nature of the group.

In terms of the nature of the group, it had around 10 women when I joined, and counting. Nora founded the group and it grows every year. The women are all ages, have varying ethnic backgrounds and work in varying fields, which makes for some very interesting conversation. Some have kids, some don't, some are married, some are single.

The uniting factor? We all love cheese, and each other. Cheesy, I know (no pun intended).

READ MORE: Australian chef Larissa Dominello shares a fun twist on the classic carbonara recipe

As for the dynamic, a 'cheese' would happen once a month, sometimes one every three months during our busy periods, but we weren't 'talk everyday' friends. A different member would host the 'cheese' each time.

We had a group chat, but it was mostly about random things we found interesting or if we needed an opinion on something. The conversation would go from opinions on menstrual leave and lack of diversity in newsrooms, to air frying hacks and gift ideas.

The group was like a pot of gold; a gift that kept giving.

I'm so glad I joined a group of women for cheese on that one Sunday, it has made me eternally grateful, as you can tell by this article: my love letter to cheese and friendship.

So tell me, who's your cheese group?

*Name has been changed.