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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

  • Home
  • About
    • About Janet
    • Media
    • Client List
    • Contact
  • Planet Cheese
    • Planet Cheese Blog
    • Planet Cheese Signup
    • Cheese Library
  • Store
    • All Items
    • World Cheese Tour
    • Books
  • Classes
    • World Cheese Tour Classes
    • Other Classes & Events
    • Custom Class/Event Request
    • Cheese O'Clock Video Archive
  • Recipes
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
    • Comfort

Cheese Without Borders

March 30, 2021 janet@janetfletcher.com
Immigrant roots: San Joaquin Gold (left) and the Giacomini family’s Point Reyes Original Blue

Immigrant roots: San Joaquin Gold (left) and the Giacomini family’s Point Reyes Original Blue

American cheese without immigrants would be…well, it wouldn’t be. The richness and diversity of our current cheese scene owes everything to Italian, Swiss, Dutch, Portuguese and German immigrants who brought their cheese recipes and traditions to a country that didn’t have any. In Northern California, where I live, the list of Italian and Italian-Swiss names behind our greatest cheeses is lunghissima: Bianchi, DeBernardi, Fiscalini, Giacomini, Lafranchi, Rumiano, Vella, Viviani. The immigration debate rages in this country, but the contribution of immigrants to our cheese boards is indisputable.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Cow Tags immigration, San Joaquin Gold, Fiscalini cheese, Italian immigrants, immigration and cheese
22 Comments

Happy Birthday, America!

July 1, 2019 janet@janetfletcher.com
Planet Cheese 218 _DSC8934.jpg

Raspberries, blueberries, ricotta…what could be more American? Italian immigrants are a huge part of America’s cheesemaking story, past and present. They brought their know-how and taste memories with them and created their own made-in-America interpretations of mozzarella, burrata, Fontina, Gorgonzola and Parmigiano-Reggiano. What would American cheese counters be today without the Swiss, German, Dutch, Portuguese and Mexican immigrants who arrived with little besides their work ethic and built our cheese factories and dairy farms? Let’s toast all these hyphenated Americans on the Fourth of July.

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In From: U.S., Milk: Cow Tags ricotta, Fourth of July recipes, ricotta ice cream, fruit crisp, crisp recipes, fruit desserts, Italian immigrants
6 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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