American Cheese Month—that would be May—is your chance to show our nation’s cheesemakers how much you value what they do. Of course, our creameries need your business year-round but showcasing them this month reminds us how far we’ve come. Remember when American cheese was a laugh line? We now produce cheeses that compete (and win) on the world stage, and we can boast cheesemongers as knowledgeable and passionate as any in Europe. I reached out to four of those world-class American mongers and asked each of them to design a fantasy All-American Cheese Plate that you might be inspired to recreate at home. This week’s post features the selections of two East Coast mongers. Incredibly, out of all the potential choices, they had a cheese in common (pictured above). Next week, we’ll hear from the Left Coast.

Cheesemonger: Kate Arding

Talbott & Arding
Hudson, NY
Asked for a three-cheese plate, Arding chose five. I get that. Her selections and tasting notes:

Oma/Von Trapp Farmstead (VT)
Pasteurized cow’s milk

Washed-rind cheeses are one of my favorite categories and, with Oma, the skilled team at Von Trapp consistently delivers. Aromas of cultured butter draw you in, followed by decadent flavors of bacon, cream and grass enveloped in a rich, yielding texture.

Pleasant Ridge Reserve/ Uplands Cheese (WI)
Raw cow’s milk

Two young families bought this business from the founders in 2014 and have maintained the tradition of excellence in farming, animal husbandry and cheesemaking. The process for Pleasant Ridge is closely modeled after Beaufort. The cheese is made only in summer and only when conditions are optimal for cheese production. Like the best Alpine cheeses, flavors are deeply savory, rich and complex with a lingering finish.

Lake Breeze/ Blakesville Creamery (WI)
Pasteurized goat’s milk

This soft-ripened cheese is reminiscent of some of the best Loire Valley goat cheeses. Flavors are bright and citrusy up front, with a hint of minerality, cream and barnyard on the finish that leaves me reaching for more.

Sogn/Shepherd’s Way Farm (MN)
Pasteurized sheep’s milk

This semi-soft tomme-style cheese (upper image) is made by Jodi Ohlsen Read with milk from her own flock. Wheels are made by hand and showcase her rich sheep's milk. A rustic rind encases an interior paste that is cakey and buttery. Flavors are fresh, lactic and complex, balanced by a distinct earthiness from the rind.

Bayley Hazen Blue /Jasper Hill Farm (VT)
Raw cow’s milk

Bayley Hazen’s flavor reminds me of the best Colston Bassett Stilton. The texture is dense and slightly chocolatey with a creamy mouthfeel. Flavors are biscuity, saline and rich, with a long buttery finish, a hint of sweet apple, and a touch of minerality. It’s heaven with our Fruit & Nut Loaf or Seeded Honey.

Cheesemonger: Raymond Hook

Counter pro: Raymond Hook at Capella Cheese

Capella Cheese
Atlanta, GA
Hook’s picks and tasting notes:

Intergalatic/Perrystead Dairy (PA)
Pasteurized cow’s milk

They use thistle as their rennet for this soft-ripened cheese, like the Portuguese do. It becomes rich and soft, with bolder notes as it ages. It is a lovely cheese with a Geotrichum rind.

Bamboozle/Goat Rodeo Dairy (PA)
Pasteurized cow’s and goat’s milk

A beer-washed cheese from a creamery near Pittsburgh. The cheese is always in impeccable condition with a perfect red smear rind, soft and spongy. It has a complex palate with sweetness from the cow's milk, minerality from the goat's milk and slight funkiness from the washed rind.

Sogn/Shepherd’s Way Farms (MN)
Pasteurized sheep’s milk

A rustic aged tomme with a natural rind, a golden-white interior, slightly crumbly and a bit dry. This elegant cheese pairs well with white wine.