The American poet Frank O'Hara, a leading figure of the New York School, included cheese in several of his poems, treating it with his characteristic wit and urban sensibility. For O'Hara, cheese was a part of the fabric of city life, appearing alongside coffee, sandwiches, and other everyday items in his poems about love, friendship, and art.

O'Hara's casual, conversational style and his inclusion of cheese in his poetry helped democratize the subject, showing that even the humblest of foods could be worthy of poetic attention. His work influenced later generations of American poets who embraced everyday language and subjects, including food. O'Hara's cheese references remain a testament to his ability to find poetry in the ordinary.