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Janet Fletcher

180 Stonecrest Dr
Napa, CA, 94558
(707) 265-0404
{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }

{ Janet Fletcher / Food Writer }

Janet Fletcher

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    • About Janet
    • Media
    • Client List
    • Contact
  • Planet Cheese
    • Planet Cheese Blog
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    • Cheese Library
  • Store
    • All Items
    • World Cheese Tour
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    • World Cheese Tour Classes
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Two Salads for Cheese-Loving Moms

May 7, 2024 janet@janetfletcher.com

Doug and I celebrated a recent wedding anniversary with a brief getaway to California’s Anderson Valley and the delightful Boonville Hotel. The hotel’s chef, Perry Hoffman, is the grandson of Sally Schmitt, the founding chef of The French Laundry. Hoffman grew up in that legendary Napa Valley kitchen, but he now has his own place and his own style and it’s right up my alley. I savored every bite of our height-of-spring dinner, but of course the two cheesiest dishes made the biggest impression. If you’re the chef on Mother’s Day, consider adding one or both to the menu.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Cow, Milk: Goat, Milk: Sheep Tags Boonville Hotel, Perry Hoffman, Anderson Valley, Mother’s Day recipes, labneh
4 Comments

Big Win for a Glorious Goat Cheese

October 4, 2022 janet@janetfletcher.com
Pennyroyal Farm's Boont Corners

I am overjoyed to see aged goat cheese getting more attention from America’s cheesemakers. Personally, I can’t work up much enthusiasm for another fresh, rindless chèvre—we have plenty of those—but a new firm, nutty goat cheese with a natural rind, made in the U.S.A., gives us more choice in a slender category. The blue ribbon-winning beauty pictured above isn’t new—it debuted maybe 10 years ago—but it’s tasting better than ever. And I am noticing a few more entries in this slim niche. Many people tell me they don’t like goat cheese, but in my experience, everybody likes this type.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Goat, Milk: Mixed, Milk: Sheep Tags goat cheese, chèvre, aged goat cheese, chevre, Pennyroyal Farm, Anderson Valley, Navarro Vineyards, Firefly Farms, Andante Dairy, Goat Lady Dairy
8 Comments

Six to Try Now

April 6, 2020 janet@janetfletcher.com
PC Top-Dual.jpg

Cheesemakers across the nation want to get their cheeses to you. Many are making it easier with discounts and deals—even waiving shipping fees in some cases. I’ve heard from some readers who saw my list [link here] and were moved to order, and I’ve heard from others who saw the list and couldn’t decide what to order. The cheeses most in need of a home are the fresh and lightly aged ones (think Camembert) that aren’t built to last. While you’re housebound, why not make your happy hours extra joyous with these six lovelies?

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In From: U.S. Tags quarantini hour, virtual happy hour, Alemar Cheese, Nicasio Valley Cheese, Jasper Hill Farm, Pennyroyal Farm, Anderson Valley, California cheese, Jacobs & Brichford, FireFly Farms, Beehive Cheese
7 Comments

Trouble in Paradise

March 31, 2020 janet@janetfletcher.com
Sarah Marcus photo (right): Christine Hyatt

Sarah Marcus photo (right): Christine Hyatt

How quickly cheesemakers’ livelihoods can crater, especially when they make mostly perishable cheeses or care for animals that have to be milked twice a day. What are you supposed to do with that milk when nobody’s buying your cheese? I checked in with two West Coast cheesemakers I greatly admire to see how they’re faring in this crisis and how they plan to climb out of the pit. Because they will.

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In From: U.S. Tags Oregon cheese, California cheese, goat cheese, coronavirus and cheese, farmstead cheese, Pennyroyal Farm, Briar Rose Creamery, Anderson Valley
14 Comments

Wine Family's Awesome Cheeses

July 12, 2016 janet@janetfletcher.com
Mostly goat: Velvet Sister

Mostly goat: Velvet Sister

Nothing makes cheese taste better than seeing the place where it’s made. Alas, most American creameries don’t welcome visitors. Sanitation is the main issue, and few small producers have the staff for tours. But in California’s scenic Anderson Valley, Pennyroyal Farmstead Cheese is charting a different course. In March, the three-year-old Boonville creamery opened a tasting room and began offering tours. From anywhere, it’s worth the journey.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Goat, Milk: Sheep Tags Anderson Valley, Pennyroyal Farm, Boonville, Navarro Vineyards, farmstead cheese, raw-milk goat cheese
9 Comments
 

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Welcome to my world: a fragrant, fascinating universe devoted to great cheese. In this and future Planet Cheese posts, you’ll find profiles of the world’s best cheeses plus insights into everything cheese: shops, recipes, interviews, pairing discoveries, classes, videos, travel. If you haven’t already done so, sign up here - it’s complimentary - and join me in learning something new about cheese every week.


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     Photographs: Douglas Fletcher, Ed Anderson, Megan Clouse, Faith Echtermeyer, Eva Kolenko,
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