After a tasting at Xhibition Kitchen, an on-campus kitchen venue, during their freshman year, Cheese Club co-founders and co-presidents Allie Kuo and Sean Flannery found themselves constantly talking about their love for cheese.

A friend of Flannery’s sister was president of a cheese club at another university, and the pair wondered what it would be like if Northeastern had its own.

“I had the idea in my head and then I joked around with Allie about it, but then we actually wanted to make it happen,” said Flannery, a third-year chemical engineering and biochemistry major.

After several friends encouraged them and said they would be interested in joining, Kuo and Flannery submitted a new student organization proposal form in January to the Center for Student Involvement, which approved Cheese Club in June.

Gabby Compagni, a third-year philosophy and data science double major, signed on as secretary prior to the club’s approval.

“As soon as we had our first little meeting and talked about the goals and the vision for this education and appreciation and cheese community, I was fully on-board,” Compagni said.

At the first meeting, prospective members tasted well-known cheeses before moving on to more nuanced cheeses with similar flavor profiles. In the future, the club hopes to bring in speakers from the cheesemaking industry and introduce several workshops.

“Our goal is to bring together the cheese-loving community of Northeastern and beyond,” said Kuo, a third-year communications and food systems double major, who mentioned the club’s interest in bringing speakers from local businesses and farms. “We’re kind of connecting this whole network of dairy and cheese people in Boston.”

Flannery wants to expand the club beyond the e-board’s group of friends, who were the club’s initial members, to include members of all years. The club welcomes dairy-free cheese lovers as well. 

“We want to make sure people with any sort of dietary restrictions can still enjoy it because there’s options available for that,” Kuo said.

The e-board wants people to know Cheese Club isn’t just about eating cheese.

“It’s about cheese, obviously, but it’s more like what you can do with a simple concept and turn it into a whole educational experience and community experience as well,” Compagni said.

Cheese Club meets Thursdays at 8 p.m. in 410 Ell Hall.