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Politician’s family cheese is marketed for charity

    ROTTERDAM — Angelo Santabarbara’s family cheese recipe has drawn enough interest, he’s decided to use it to raise money for charity.
    In the days since the county legislator was featured on Schenectady’s public access TV station, he’s received numerous requests for both the recipe and the fresh-made cheese itself. In response, Santabarbara asked Gerard Parisi, one of the owners of 4 Corners Pizza & Italian Eatery off Guilderland Road, if he’d be interested in featuring samples of the cheese.
    “People were really interested in this cheese,” he said. “You really can’t buy it anywhere.”
    That was until this week, when Santabarbara supplied 4 Corners with about two dozen baskets of the cheese. He said the shop is now keeping both the soft cheese and the hard cheese he displayed on “Let’s Cook,” a popular homecooking program hosted by Delores Scalise. He calls it basket cheese.
    Santabarbara said anyone asking for a sample will be asked to make a contribution to charity. Though he and Parisi haven’t selected a specific one yet, they’re edging toward giving to children’s charity.
    “I figured if people are interested in it, we might as well do it for a good cause,” he said.
    Parisi, who is also Rotterdam’s town attorney, checked with the county health officials and was assured providing the cheese at the store wouldn’t pose an issue. He was unsure how long the cheese will be featured there, but said it will be mainstay as long as it keeps raising money for a good cause.
    “It’s kind of a good match,” he said. “Whatever we sell is a plus for charity.”