I can’t explain why May, and not some other month, is American Cheese Month but I’m going with it. There’s never a bad time for cheese, but there can certainly be bad times for the cheese business. Covid was brutal, and we may be entering another challenging stretch. The American Cheese Society (proclaimers of American Cheese Month) just sent a survey to members, asking them how tariffs might affect their business. Although you might think they would be rejoicing in anticipation of a competitive advantage, that’s not what I’m hearing. Our cheesemakers get equipment and packaging from Europe. They worry about their distributors and retail partners, who sell imported cheeses and will take a hit. It’s an unsettling moment.
That said, American Cheese Month is a time for celebration and optimism. So here’s my toast to several new (or newish) domestic cheeses that make me especially proud of our artisan producers and hopeful for their future. In alpha order:
photo: Mt. Eitan Cheese
Ady/Mt. Eitan Cheese (CA)—This superb goat feta is produced by Omer Seltzer, who grew up on a goat farm in Israel. Seltzer had his own journey to cheesemaking, eventually settling in Sonoma County and launching Mt. Eitan in 2023. Ady rivals Hidden Springs sheep feta as the best domestic feta I’ve had. For goat’s milk feta, which tends to be dry, it is remarkably creamy and mellow. Small production, alas.
Bamboozle/Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy (PA)—A mixed-milk cheese (75 percent cow, 25 percent goat) with a beer-washed rind, Bamboozle is delightfully smelly. I kept a vacuum-sealed piece in my fridge for two weeks, and my husband knew when I opened the door. Bamboozle has that ripe-laundry and roasted-peanut scent that stinky-cheese fans crave, plus a faint caramel sweetness and creamy texture. Hard not to fall in love with this one.
Capricorn/Shooting Star Creamery (CA): Blue cheeses from goat’s milk are rare, for some reason, so this beauty seems like a gift to humanity. A rindless five-pound wheel matured for about three months, it smells tangy, lactic and briny, a bit like goat feta. Capricorn doesn’t have a lot of veining, but enough for blue enthusiasts. It could be creamier, in my view, but the flavor is fabulous and it turns a simple green salad into a masterpiece.
Carpenter’s Wheel/Firefly Farms (MD): A collaboration between Firefly Farms and the affinage wizards at Murray’s, Carpenter’s Wheel begins life at the Maryland creamery then moves to Murray’s New York caves for six months of pampering. The 16-pound goat’s milk tomme emerges with a handsome natural rind and a firm interior that smells like cheesecake. Expect a hint of caramel and a pleasantly tart finish. Available online from Murray’s.
The Gray/Mystic Cheese (CT): Cheesemaker Brian Civitello’s attempt to resurrect American Cheshire, The Gray resembles nothing else made in the U.S. At three to four months, this cow’s milk wheel is firm yet crumbly, with scents of buttermilk, warm butter and cave. Like the British Cheshire that inspires it, The Gray has mouthwatering acidity and buttery flavor. A unique and captivating creation.
Jake’s Gouda/Jake’s Gouda Cheese (NY): A farmstead raw-milk cheese produced by an Amish couple in Oneida County, this aged Gouda has it all: a seductive toffee and pineapple aroma, a creamy interior dotted with crunchy bits and a deep, salted-caramel flavor. Those are my impressions of an 18-month wheel. At a year old, it’s more buttery, with less caramel and crunch, but still a fully satisfying Dutch-style cheese.
Shabby Shoe/Blakesville Creamery (WI): I served this farmstead goat cheese in a tasting recently alongside Chabichou, its French counterpart, and my guests resoundingly preferred the Blakesville. On, Wisconsin! At two pounds, it’s bigger than the French cheese, with a tender, wrinkled rind and a light, creamy texture. The flavor is clean, mild and mellow, with a hint of lemon.
Photo: Jasper Hill Farm
Whitney/Jasper Hill Farm (VT): Deemed Best of Show in the 2022 American Cheese Society judging, Whitney is this acclaimed creamery’s take on raclette. Everything about the recipe is ultra-traditional: raw cow’s milk, copper vat, animal rennet (made in house, no less), the frequent rind washing with morge, a sort of slurry made with old cheese rinds. And what a payoff. Whitney is smooth and admirably meltable, with come-hither aromas of peanut butter, roasted onion and mustard.
Withersbrook Blue/Jasper Hill Farm (VT): No surprise that Jasper Hill claims two spots on this list. The R&D team here doesn’t get much rest. Riffing on their popular Bayley Hazen Blue, the cheesemakers recast it as a four-pound cube, then sealed it in a pouch with Vermont ice cider for four months. Withersbrook is the outcome, a creamier, spicier and decidedly fruitier blue than the toasty, nutty Bayley Hazen.