National Cheese Lovers Day will be celebrated by cheese loving human beings everywhere on Sunday, Jan. 20.

But you can easily extend your celebration (and you should) to include lunch at Larry’s Market, 8737 N. Deerwood Dr. in Brown Deer during their upcoming Raclette Days. After all, this is Wisconsin and every day is cheese lovers day.

Raclette Days will take place on both Thursday, Jan. 24 and Thursday, Feb. 7, from 11 am. to 2 p.m. During the celebration, you’ll be able to indulge in beautiful plates of warm Swiss raclette served on your choice of a crusty baguette or warm Yukon gold potato and topped with your choice of prosciutto, pork sausage, braised chicken, gherkins, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, arugula, bacon.

Yeah. It’s the perfect winter lunch.

What’s raclette?

We are so glad you asked.

First, it’s a Swiss cheese. But it’s not just any Swiss cheese. It’s a rich, semi-hard cow’s milk cheese that melts beautifully and offers flavors that vary from sweet and nutty to milky or piquant. It’s also the name of a dish using the aforementioned cheese.

Raclette is traditionally served by warming a large wedge of the wheel under a special raclette broiler or on a raclette grill until it gets soft enough that it can be easily scraped onto bread, potatoes (or just about anything, really).

In fact, according to cheese legend, the dish originated hundreds of years ago when farmers would heat up a piece of cheese over the open fire for a hearty and filling meal.