Happy 60th Anniversary to Bowers Fancy Dairy Products | HillRag

Mike Bowers, proprietor of Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, says there wasn’t always a cheese monger at Eastern Market’s 150-plus years in operation, but the Bowers family has owned and operated Bowers Fancy Dairy Products for 60 years, after his grandfather, Harris Rockford Bowers purchased the business from Wm. S. Sweeney in 1964.

Harris Bowers had been in the food world prior to this acquisition, owning small grocery stores in Virginia and supplying margarine to the DC region. He was well-versed in the food industry and was known for his iconic “Boater” hat and stylized vaudevillian signage, still seen at the shop today. After his grandfather passed in 1976, Mike Bowers’ father, Joseph Raymond (Ray) took over the management of the business while maintaining his career as a training officer for the US Secret Service.

Ray shepherded his son Mike along in 1969, giving him an apron and the fun task of handing out cheese samples, developing a love for the community found there. When Ray passed in 2012, Mike assumed full-time management of the business soon after. Over the years, Mike’s son Ryan has also worked at the shop during high school and college, carrying on the family tradition and learning the trade.

Changes over the Years

Talking about the differences in the way the shop was run in the early years, Mike notes there wasn’t always walk-in refrigeration at the market. So when they purchased New York cheddar cheese in two-ton quantities they would be stored and aged in cellars offsite, brought into the store in smaller quantities as inventory was needed.

There wasn’t a search engine to figure out what cheese to buy, either.

“The marketing of cheese was really done by the labeling the producers included – talking about what kind of milk was used, the aging process and nuances around the cheese.,” said Mike. “We were able to bring in a substantial selection of international cheeses, too, addressing not only our Capitol Hill neighbors, but the clientele in Washington representing the embassies to the US State Department and a large contingent of food aficionados.” Today, the shop carries a vast array of cheeses representing nearly 20 countries, and Mike says his customers continue to study the labels of the cheeses displayed in the glass case, with an opportunity to learn more about where their cheeses come from.

At Bowers, it’s much more than picking up a packaged cheese from a refrigerated case or making your selection from an online algorithm. There isn’t a set template of what a typical cheese or charcuterie board looks like. You make a connection when you shop at Bowers. Mike and his knowledgeable team will ask what you like to eat, what else you might be serving with the cheese and you can let them know your price range. And the best part about making your decision is getting a sample to taste.

Mike emphasizes the fact they stay true to the original design of the store offerings – from butter, cream and other dairy products (don’t miss the eggnog you’ll find there through the holidays) – with a breadth of cheese offerings with varying price points.

Making Connections

Mike says, “Shopping at Eastern Market is an authentic option to the dot com, delivery-obsessed and highly marketed era—it’s a way to have more of an experience, discovering your food preferences and choices.”

He really likes the mix of people that come to shop there, “People from all walks of life rub shoulders, looking for the best products and they can find everything here at the market.” (Hill residents know that VP Kamala Harris has been an Eastern Market customer since her time serving as a US Senator.) “And because we have these conversations with customers, get to know their names, they become extended family.”

One might be afraid to ask Mike if he has a favorite cheesemaker, as it’s almost like asking a parent if they have a favorite child. Mike states he does have a preference for Meadow Creek Dairy, a producer in the Virginia highlands and their buttery Galax cheese made from cows’ milk, which he discovered after reading about them in a Wall Street Journal article. He also notes one of their best-selling cheeses at the shop is the versatile Valbreso Feta, a French, sheep milk cheese, great as part of a number of appetizers or as an accent crumbled on salads, baked into meatballs or served with salmon or shrimp.

Awards, Community Service and Outreach

This year the Council of the District of Columbia honored Bowers Fancy Dairy Products, “…on the occasion of its 60th anniversary, for its continued presence as a beloved vendor within the historic Eastern Market and its dedication to and involvement in the community,” an acknowledgment of the work Mike does to support the community. Bowers Fancy Dairy Products has also received a Director’s Award-Food Safety Merit Award of Excellence, from the DC Department of Health, a recognition of outstanding achievement in food safety.

As a way to inform and educate, Mike connected earlier this year with the Culinary Diplomacy Project, a nonprofit established to educate people about different cultures through culinary exchange. Mike provided a cheese lesson for young chefs in the program and they learned about differences in cheese types from sheep, goat, cow to buffalo and soft to hard cheese, with a taste test (of course). Part of his lesson included the comparison of two gruyeres, one of which received first place in the World Cheese Competition.

To give back to the community, particularly the one in which he works, Mike serves on the Eastern Market Community Advisory Committee, an important advisory role representing the interests of South Hall merchants. And, in this season of giving thanks, it’s good to recognize generosity. Bowers has also provided dairy products for places like Miriam’s Kitchen, sharing with those who are going without.

Bower’s Fancy Diary Products, 202.544.7877 is located at Eastern Market, 225 7 St. SE. For hours of market operation visit easternmarket-dc.org.

Annette Nielsen, a writer and food systems advisor, returned to Capitol Hill from New York where she served as the executive director of the Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center.