Dick On Food: Village Cheesemonger
By Eddie Dick
Staff Writer

Nestled in the Claremont Village, Full of Life is a baking establishment that preaches the basics when it comes to food. And when I say preach, I mean it in the Bible-thumping, evangelical kind of way. Everything at Full of Life is touted as organic this or healthy that. This type of pandering to the health-conscious crowd usually turns off a dude like me, but in Full of Life’s case I am willing to make an exception, because the food is seriously tasty.

I am not going to pretend that a vast majority of The Student Life’s readership has not visited this trendy little bakery. It is impossible to walk in the door without running into a fellow student or a professor. Some might consider this a good thing, but when you skip a morning class and wind up running into the professor later in the day at Full of Life, it can be a problem.

My primary purpose for reviewing Full of Life is to clue the readers into one of life’s greatest pleasures, which no doubt some of you have missed. In addition to the items on the menu, there is a case full of various cheeses on the right-hand side of the counter.Skip the brie, and head straight for the Roquefort, in particular the Papillion Black Label Roquefort. This is one spectacular cheese that deserves your attention. It is soft and crumbly, with thick blue veins, and we haven’t even gotten to the flavor. The experience is something akin to a festival in your mouth. It is slightly sweet but offers oodles of intense Roquefort flavor.

When it comes to eating this gastronomic marvel, you have two choices. The first is to take it to go and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. The less adventurous folks out there will no doubt prefer to consume their Roquefort with tried-and-true accompaniments like bread, fruit, and wine. But for the more adventurous eater out there, I suggest grilling a hamburger on the barbeque and then topping it off with lettuce, tomato and a thick slab of Papillion Black Label; this combination just might be the perfect food. If you do not feel like walking home before enjoying this cheese, the good folks at Full of Life will, if you ask nicely, serve it on a plate with fresh fruit and a deliciously crusty roll.

Of course Full of Life does serve other things. For breakfast I prefer the poached eggs, which are usually excellent. I have tried the tofu scramble and, not only did I survive, but I kind of liked it. For lunch I usually skip the salads and head straight for sandwiches containing ham or prosciutto, although I do have friends that swear by the Claremont Club sandwich. For those of you with a passion for chocolate, Full of Life even offers a grilled chocolate panini. A chocolate sandwich might sound a little strange, but the word on the street is that it is fantastic.

They also serve a multitude of freshly baked breads, which are excellent and most of which can be found in the dining halls on campus. Full of Life also deals in wine. The selection is limited, but most of what they have is usually pretty good. The atmosphere is pleasant, if slightly pretentious, so if you are looking for a spot to waste an hour or so, reading or conversing, Full of Life is not a bad place to waste it.

The Verdict: The place to go in Claremont for top notch cheese.

Cost: Under $10.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 7:00 am until 5:00 pm and Sunday from 7:30 am until 3:00 pm.

Directions: Head west on Bonita Ave. from campus. Full of Life is on the right hand side of the street in the Claremont Village.

Full of Life

333 W. Bonita Ave.

Claremont, CA 91711

(909) 624-3420