More Smelly Cheese News From Chester County

Main Line Today's quirky
image of Hayne from April 2011

And here I thought my comment of all smelly cheese would be limited to eminent domain loving Birchrun Hills Farm/West Vincent Supervisor Ken Miller


Au contraire mes amis!!!   A follow-up on the tale of the neurotic and super rich in Chester County!

Yes, yes, yes, I do love Urban Outfitters, but I think owner Richard Hayne is bordering on kookiness and hope he doesn't get as bad as M. Night Shyamalan  and his deer-privacy fence  (I mean seriously, you move out to the country because it already is private.)

So my fellow blogger Tilda Tally-Ho was kind enough to dash off a brief note in a comment and directed me to her update on Richard Hayne - her post is titled : A certain lack of Ziel   Wednesday, December 14, 2011 .  In it she says (and I quote liberally because this is delicious):

There was a sense of unreality and frustration in the West Marlborough Township hall the evening of Dec. 13.


Richard Hayne, billionaire founder of Urban Outfitters, has applied for permission from the township for two activities at his sprawling Doe Run Farm in Springdell: (1) processing and wholesaling cheese and yogurt at his creamery and (2) processing and wholesaling vegetables at his greenhouse complex.

The hearings were held back to back and, to dot the legal i's and cross the legal t's, Mr. Hayne's representatives covered a great deal of the same ground, producing deja vu in the audience.

Unfortunately, there was also a strong sense of mistrust. Mr. Hayne has already been making cheese for many months now without permission from the township, selling it at his Terrain stores and local farmers' markets. Also, Mr. Hayne has never appeared at any township hearing, leaving his representatives to -- presumably -- speak for him. But they are also the ones who famously once said that Mr. Hayne intended to make cheese for his own personal use only.

Also, David Ziel, the rep who was supposed to address most of the issues of interest to the township -- like truck traffic, wastewater management and such -- wasn't even at the hearing. Supervisors and audience members again and again asked exactly what would be going on in the creamery and the "processing shed," only to be told by Mr. Hayne's attorney that Mr. Ziel was the person who could address that. (He is supposed to appear at the continuation of the hearing on Jan. 5.)

Springdell resident Joseph Huston told me after the meeting that he was reminded of the old Cheech and Chong comedy routine "Dave's not here!" It was the best line of the night.

ROFLMAO...The super rich are super different, oui?  Now Dickie boy had been featured in an April 2011 article in Main Line Today Magazine  .  The magazine says in the article:

Much of 2010’s eatable bounty turned up in a greenhouse setting at Styer’s Garden Café at Terrain in Glen Mills. Customers also delighted in Doe Run’s artisanal cheeses, and the farm’s vegetables and fruits are also crafted into menu selections.

Ahhh I see.  Well shall we remind all of the good people of this Chester County municipality about what can happen when you let the super rich live above normal societal rules?

Ya know....think John Dupont?  Remember the New York Times article from 1996?  The article said in part:

Over the years, the chemical heir used his fortune in other ways that insured that he was the center of attention. He provided local law enforcement agencies with equipment like bulletproof vests, and trained officers at his private shooting range.


In return, he was allowed to play the part of a police officer, driving around with a badge, gun and siren.

And not to mix it all up too much into one crazy cocktail, but have you driven past DuPont's old Foxcatcher estate lately?  I can't believe how derelict it looks now that the leaves are down - the houses on the estate visible from the roads look like they are falling apart. 

Anyway, Chester County has got some cheese issues. Ya know Rich Cheese, Poor Cheese.  But this Hayne cat needs to play by the rules, except I am learning in Chester County rules seem open to interpretation?  And this guy exhibits an arrogance by not ever going to a meeting where his issues are discussed.

Yep, the super rich are super different.

Viva la fromage!

Tilda Tally Ho, a hat tip to you for giving me something fun! I will never look at cheese the same way again....I like to support local farmers, but apparently we need a guide as to who we should be buying from?  I won't be buying any Fromage de Hayne until he straightens out his issues either.