By a wide margin, guests in a recent class of mine voted the cheese pictured above as their favorite. It bested a luscious goat cheese from one of Italy’s acclaimed affineurs, a tasty farmhouse Cheddar from the UK, the pimiento-dusted Alisios from Spain and several others. Wow—such an impressive showing for a largely self-taught cheesemaker from rural Iowa.
Read moreFarewell to Two Favorites
Indiana cheesemaker Matthew Brichford; UK’s Berkswell sheep cheese
It’s such a bummer when a great creamery shuts its doors, and this fall brought a double whammy. First, we lost a fine American cheesemaker to vascular disease in mid-September, and his family has decided not to soldier on. Now we learn that one of the most admired British cheesemakers—producer of a superb award-winning sheep cheese—is tossing in the towel. What makes this news even more troubling is that both cheesemakers were farmstead producers working with raw milk from grass-fed herds—a small niche that seems to grow smaller every year.
Read moreA Star is Born
If you are looking for an exceptional American cheese for your Thanksgiving festivities, or for a host gift, you won’t be disappointed by this beauty. It’s a recent release with a long origin story and absolutely worth the wait. A collaboration between the Maryland creamery that produced it and the New York affinage team that nurtured it from infancy to its prime, this aromatic goat cheese seduced me at the first sniff. I’m hoping that affinage—expert cheese aging—will become more of a thing in this country, as it is in Europe, and that success stories like this one will pave the way.
Read moreLose One, Gain One
Losing a great American cheese is a bummer—especially a cheese that so many loved—but a new arrival can soften the blow. So while I’m still in mourning for Ewereka, a blue-ribbon sheep Cheddar that Central Coast Creamery has discontinued, I’m enthused about its just-released replacement. Unforeseen hurdles compelled the Paso Robles, California, creamery to ditch Ewereka, but just wait until you taste the newcomer (above). Cheesemaker Reggie Jones has the American palate and purse dialed in, and I’d bet a bundle that this value-priced newbie will fly out of cheese shops.
Read moreWelcome Back, Teleme!
Chill the Champagne. We have something to celebrate. Franklin Peluso has resumed making his incomparable Franklin’s Teleme after a five-year pause. Peluso lost his production space in late 2018 (landlord troubles), and for a long while I feared we would never see this California classic again. This third-generation cheesemaker is 78, after all, and entitled to throw in the towel given how many location leads failed to pan out. When he called me recently to tell me Teleme’s rebirth was imminent, I felt like kissing the phone. Even better, he told me that his son, Adam, was working alongside him, assuring a future for this one-of-a-kind cheese.
Read moreCan Cheese Be Sustainable?
Cheese and other dairy products are getting the evil eye these days from many corners. Some voices argue that we need to be eating a more plant-based diet, both for the sake of the planet and for our own sake. I don’t disagree. But I do believe that cheese—a nutritious food that has sustained pastoral cultures around the world for millennia—is compatible with a healthy and low-impact lifestyle. The dairy farmers I know prioritize their animals’ welfare (why wouldn’t they?) and they aren’t ducking environmental concerns. They are seeking solutions.
Read moreHot Takes from Cheese Camp
Every year, I return from the American Cheese Society (ACS) conference with my brain spinning from all the conversations and ideas. I’m still trying to process everything I heard, observed and tasted at this packed three-day meeting, which a lot of attendees liken to summer camp. It’s certainly as fun as summer camp (if you’re a cheese nerd) but with less fresh air, more alcohol and way more food for thought. While I mentally unpack from the recent meeting in Des Moines, I wanted to share a few hot takes from the gathering, including a surprising statistic I heard about goat cheese.
Read moreMeet America’s Top Cheeses
As usual, the winners’ circle at the recent American Cheese Society awards included several repeat victors who almost always land ribbons. They’re just that good. A few new creameries won blue ribbons, but the top honors—the Best of Show and four runners-up—went to long-established producers. These five winners, from five states, had at least one common feature. “What struck me, standing on stage, was that it was all independent cheesemakers,” said Andy Hatch of Wisconsin’s Uplands Cheese. In an industry that constantly grapples with the meaning of “artisan cheese,” it is indeed worth noting that the five winning wheels are all made by hand.
Read moreU.S. Cheesemongers Vie for World Champion
Photo: Janee' Muha
Will an American be the next World Champion Cheesemonger? It could happen, although it never has. But this year is different. This year, a small army is working mightily to clinch the title for Team U.S.A. The U.S. has two entrants—Courtney Johnson from the Seattle area and Sam Rollins from Portland, Oregon—who will be competing against each other and against 14 mongers from other nations at the biannual contest in France in September.
Read moreBetter Than Ever
I recently led a small cheese and wine tasting for the winners of a charity auction lot. The cheeses were donated by the makers and maybe not what I would have chosen—they weren’t fancy-schmancy—but free is a nice price. So I wasn’t expecting any “wow” moments from this cheese plate but…wow.
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