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There are cheese boards, and then there are Cheesemonster boards.

Alice Bergen Phillips, the Alexandria-based cheese artist behind the one-woman company, creates edible works of art, like a Starry Nights of cheese, sliced vegetables, crackers, nuts, and piles of fruit. For the past year and a half, her boards have only been available at the private events she caters. Now, with the opening of her Cheesemonster Studio in Brightwood (713 Kennedy St. NW) this fall or winter, she’ll be able to spread her cheesy masterpieces all over D.C.

Just don’t call it a cheese shop. Phillips tells DCist: “It’s going to be a bunch of things.”

Phillips plans for Cheesemonster Studio to be the place where she creates her intricate, swirling cheese boards, either for her to cater an event or for pick up. Standard cheese plates start at $15 per person with a 10-person minimum, along with additional costs for charcuterie and bread.

She’ll also be able to bring the cheese classes she’s taught around town in-house, hosting sessions on cheese pairing and history. Phillips is applying for a liquor license so that classes at Cheesemonster Studio can come with wine or beer. Hilarey and Brian Leonard, who also own Lost & Found in Shaw and Free State in Chinatown, are on board as co-owners; Hilarey will run the studio’s alcohol program. With a capacity of about 20-25, the space will also be available to use for private cheese-and-wine parties, run by Phillips.

Phillips wants patrons to think of her shop as a space for a special, personal cheese experience. “It’s not a retail shop, so we won’t have everything you need under the sun,” she says. “It’s geared toward a more curated experience. Depending on the season and the event, we can help people figure out what makes sense and what tastes the best.”

She’ll also be expanding into cheese packages, a system inspired by speciality food shops like Zingerman’s in Michigan or Murray’s in New York. Phillips will put together cheeses and accompaniments like jam, nuts, and crackers based on a theme or season.

“I want to be curating people’s cheese experiences, helping people be thoughtful about what they’re buying and putting together,” Phillips says.

Phillips’ dream is for Cheesemonster Studio to be the start of a newly-burgeoning cheese scene in D.C. “I’d really like this business to attract more talented cheese professionals to D.C.,” Phillips says, noting the closure of a handful of cheese shops over the past several years, including Righteous Cheese in Union Market, Sona Creamery in Eastern Market, and Cowgirl Creamery in Penn Quarter.

“I would like D.C. to be a destination for people who love cheese and want to explore things they’re passionate about to be able to come in and work in a weird design-y part of the field,” Phillips says. She thinks an “intellectually curious” city like D.C. is a prime market for cheese companies to set up shop: “D.C. is a city that’s full of people who have traveled a lot and who know good food and cheese when they taste it and are willing to spend money on it.”

She hopes Cheesemonster can kick off that movement. I would love for Cheesemonster to become the go-to spot when it comes to cheese in D.C., … be that a class or a big crazy cheese display, that they automatically think of us. I would love to become that kind of staple in the city.”