About Us

The Staehnke family opened Village Cheese House in 1959 and quickly became the premier seller of gourmet cheese and European food items on the peninsula. Early on in the store's history, the Old Fashioned sandwich became popular with the Stanford and Palo Alto communities. Eventually Richard and Claudine took over operations of VCH (from Richard's parents), and focused their efforts on the growing sandwich business. After dedicating their entire careers to the Cheese House, they were ready to enjoy their retirement and pass the torch to the Hikens.

Since late 2007, Village Cheese House has been owned by Noah and Lindsay Hiken. Noah grew-up in Palo Alto and often ate Cheese House sandwiches while attending Paly. He played football with Jeff Staehnke and worked in the deli at John's Market (in Town & Country Village) during high school. Later, Noah went to work selling cheese for Whole Foods Market in downtown Palo Alto. By 2007, Noah had left the retail food industry and was working as an elementary school teacher in Mountain View. Running VCH has revived Noah's dream of owning and operating his own delicatessen.

Lindsay became a Cheese House fan when she moved to the peninsula and her father introduced her to the "Old Fashioned." Lindsay’s father, Jack, attended Stanford in the 60’s (class of 1968) and says VCH sandwiches were a staple of his diet while in school. Whenever he's in the area he makes sure to stop by for lunch, and he couldn't be happier that his daughter is going to carry-on the tradition.

The Cheese House is not just a deli and sandwich shop, it's an integral part of the community. VCH catering services have been requested for many important family events such as graduations, birthdays, weddings, and yes, even funerals. The Cheese House has also been a fixture at many fun activities such as sporting events, and has always enjoyed serving the community.