At Capella Cheese shop in Atlanta, mozzarella is made fresh daily. Brittany Billups places curds in a bucket before dousing them in 190-degree Fahrenheit water. She swishes the curds around with salt and adds more water until the curds melt and the mixture takes on a dough-like consistency.

“It’s handmade, small batch,” said Raymond Hook, a cheesemonger and the shop’s owner. “The most important thing is that the mozzarella maker can feel the texture, and when they’re pulling the curds they can see that they’re melting.”