AFFINÉ!

Notwithstanding wine, chocolate, potato chips or (insert your personal obsession here_______), cheese stands alone in its power to tempt. The reason? Well . . .  beyond the obvious pleasures of protein, fat, and salt, it’s an awesome and delicious food, and certainly there is some magic to the craft.

For a look behind the artisan cheese curtain, I called on a group of cheese pros involved in this year’s California Artisan Cheese Festival (March 22–24, 2024) to hear what they find most enticing among cheeses now being made in California and to learn how our region came to be known for its world-class artisan cheesemaking.

 

Cheese Is Old—Aged and Ageless . . .

Eric Patterson, creamery manager at Marin French Cheese Co., might laugh at the thought of himself as a cheese magician given how he refers to cheesemaking as a “very conservative craft.” “It’s about making small tweaks in the recipe . . . and then hitting that perfect batch," he says. His journey started with farming vegetables and progressed to raising dairy goats. “A fridge full of goat milk is great inspiration for learning to make cheese."

As the longest continuously operating cheese company in the U.S., Patterson’s Marin French Cheese Co. has certainly honed in on its tradition, but Patterson also appreciates working within a community rich in creativity. He notes our “abundant agricultural landscape combined with a population that appreciates the diversity and quality of food produced here” as having driven the proliferation of expert cheesemaking in the state.

Cookbook writer and cheese educator Laura Werlin, who has spent years bringing consumers into a deeper appreciation of California cheese, says, “One of the things that distinguishes [our] cheesemaking from that of other states is California’s immigrant history. Immigrants brought with them their cheesemaking traditions, and in one case, Monterey Jack was the result. Although first believed to have been created by Franciscan monks, Monterey Jack was created by Mexican workers employed by land baron David Jack, who figured out that there was a market for the cheese his workers were making for themselves.”

Among the many California originals created by immigrants, Werlin holds up Teleme as a fascinating example: “[It’s] believed to have been informed by the Greek community in Pleasanton but [was] popularized by the Italian community because it resembled their beloved stracchino.”

Matos St. George, created by Portuguese immigrants from the Azorean Island of Sao Jorge, is another that Werlin admires. “After the husband-wife originators of this cheese in California passed, their daughters took over and continue to make this very special cheese just outside of Santa Rosa,” she says.

 

Cheese Is Also New and Making News!

Innovation is a big part of the California persona, and it also sets California cheesemaking apart. As Werlin explains, “The iconic Humboldt Fog was created here. Before this cheese, there really was no ‘national’ goat cheese, but Humboldt Fog changed that. Its distinctive ash line down the center made it instantly recognizable, and its flavor kept cheese lovers coming back.”

In their first reply to my question of what’s new and exciting on the California cheese scene, Werlin and the whole group of cheese pros stood up at once and shouted “Franklin’s Teleme!”

Brandon Wood, the punk rocker turned knowledgeably enthusiastic cheese monger who Edible East Bay profiled in 2022 right after he opened The Cheese Parlor in Livermore, calls Franklin’s Teleme “super exciting and an amazing cheese that was almost gone from the history books.”

Alyssa Gilbert, owner of Graze + Gather artisan cheese shop in Downtown Oakland concurs: “I would argue [Franklin’s Teleme is] one of the most unique cheeses being made not only in California, but in the United States.”

Longtime food journalist Janet Fletcher, who broke the story on the return of Franklin’s Teleme in her Planet Cheese blog last August, explains that veteran cheesemaker Franklin Peluso was forced to cease production several years back due to a landlord problem. “But the cheese is back and as wonderful as ever,” she says. “Melt a thick slice on hot polenta and you’ll see why this cheese has a cult following.”

Werlin describes the Teleme’s allure: “Its pudgy, fudgy, creamy texture is positively sublime; its fruity notes contrast the rich milky flavors; and its thin rice flour coating and slightly toothsome, mild rind creates a textural contrast that begs for bite after bite. There is simply no other cheese like it, and Franklin Peluso and now his son, Adam, have nailed it, hopefully for a long time to come!”

 

A Taste of History and Youth, All in One Bite

A year ago, while on a cheese tour with the California Artisan Cheese Festival, I had my head turned by an unassuming young cheese named Petite Breakfast made by Marin French Cheese Co. Vivien Straus, founder of the California Cheese Trail, says that Petite Breakfast “lets you taste what a young cheese tastes like,” and adds that this cheese is historic, having been made for hungry miners during the California Gold Rush. Fletcher pinpoints its development to 1865. “So many failed miners had moved to the growing city to find work that there was an egg shortage,” she says. “Petite Breakfast was shipped to the city and served in the bars. It’s a delicious piece of California tradition.”

 

More Cheeses of Note

Vivien Straus mentions other standouts like Taleeka and Liwa from Tomales Farmstead Cheese, Quinta from Point Reyes Farmstead, and two cheeses from Mt. Eitan Cheese: Raya, a semi-firm goat cheese, and Ady, a Bulgarian feta-style cheese. A newcomer to California, Mt. Eitan cheesemaker Omer Seltzer was born into a renowned goat farming and cheese making family farm in Israel. (Tip: Bookmark Alix Wall’s excellent article on Mt. Eitan for further reading.)

Alyssa Gilbert of Graze + Gather says, “I can’t get enough of Valley Ford Creamery’s Grazin’ Girl blue cheese drizzled with some goat milk caramel. It’s better than cake. The fudgy, salty bite of the cheese mixed with the smooth and sweet caramel creates the ultimate indulgent taste experience.”

Valerie Miller, executive director of the California Artisan Cheese Guild, says she’s currently hooked on Central Coast Creamery’s Seascape. “It’s a cheddar-like cow and goat milk blend with a bit of tyrosine crystals, which give it an umami crunch. I love it grated on popcorn with lots of butter.”

Miller also calls out the Spenker Family Farm for their handcrafted goat cheeses. Their farm in Lodi is home to Spenker Winery, which is open to visitors. “They make wine and cheese right on their farm as well as raise their own dairy goats,” Miller says.

Janet Fletcher says she’s really loving the cheeses from Pennyroyal Farm in Anderson Valley. “These are farmstead cheeses made with the milk of their own goats and sheep. My favorite is Boont Corners, a nutty aged wheel made from raw goat and sheep milk; I like it best when it’s three to four months old.”

Fletcher also praises Bellwether Farms’s basket ricotta; Stepladder Creamery’s Paso Vino, an aged red wine–soaked cow’s milk wheel; and Nicasio Valley Cheese Co.’s lovely semisoft Tomino.

That lovely Tomino is made by brothers Rick and Scott Lafranchi, who, like quite a few other ranchers, found opportunity beyond running dairy cattle on their family ranch. It was their father, Will Lafranchi, who first had the idea of making cheese, imagining what his Swiss immigrant father, Fredolino Lafranchi, might recognize. "Wouldn't it be great to make the cheeses of the Valle Maggia on our family ranch in Nicasio, California,” Rick recalls his father saying 50 years ago. It took a while to realize the dream, but now, with the help of a cheesemaker they recruited from Valle Maggia, they make a wide variety of cheeses on their organic dairy farm. Rick likes to spread their fromage blanc–style Foggy Morning on a baguette. He sprinkles it with olive oil and cracked pepper and washes it down with some sauvignon blanc.

The Giocomini family is another that saw new opportunity in their long-running dairy operation, which was first established near Point Reyes Station in 1959. In the early 2000s, when I visited the Giacomini Ranch, the family was just instituting a large set of sustainability measures to reduce their harm to the environment, and they had started into cheesemaking to create better jobs on the farm and get better value out of the milk. On a return visit last spring, I was captivated by their Toma with Attitude line, three cheeses that bring the flavors of herbs de provence, truffle, and spicy shichimi togarashi (a Japanese spice blend) into their rich, buttery Toma. Tip: A summer cheese-tasting visit to the Giacomini’s Point Reyes Farmstead Creamery is an opportunity not to be missed.

 

Pressures and Bright Spots

In this era of change, one must wonder about the challenges that small-scale artisan cheesemakers face. Patterson at Marin French points to “'increased competition for shelf space and a decrease of cheese mongers and small cheese shops” as growing concerns. “The market for cheese has been shifting rapidly. Many fewer dedicated cheese counters and cheese shops mean that artisan cheeses need to fit onto grocery store shelves along with mass-produced products and have to sell themselves. Add to this all the environmental pressures that raise the cost of milk and ingredients to the daily challenges we face.”

Cheese monger Brandon Wood, who is just a few years into fearlessly minting new cheese aficionados at his lively Livermore shop, sees California cheesemaking in an interesting spot as small, influential creameries are being acquired by large players who put more attention on scale and less on the craft. But he also sees bright spots: “There have been some newer creameries forming or reforming and starting the groundwork for a resurgence like happened in the late 90s early 2000s.”

These are sweet words to the ears of cheese lovers who have long appreciated the innovating groundwork laid down by Laura Chenel in the 1980s as her company became “The nation’s original California goat cheese producer,” according to Laura Werlin. And who doesn’t revere Cowgirl Creamery’s Sue Conley and Peggy Smith (now retired). “They set the standard for collaboration and collective support among cheesemakers, and that continues today,” says Vivien Straus.

 

Note: The cheese pros interviewed for this story will all be participants at the 2024 California Artisan Cheese Festival on March 22–24, 2024 in and around the Sonoma County Fairgrounds and Event Center in Santa Rosa, either at the marketplace, leading tasting seminars or tours, or at the Cheese Crawl, a savory journey through The Barlow in Sebastopol for an evening of cheese tasting and discovery.

The Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace brings together more than 100 artisan cheese and food producers, winemakers, brewers, distillers, cider makers, and chefs who will offer their hand-crafted cheeses, delectable products that complement cheese, boutique wines, artisan-brewed beers, and handcrafted ciders. Discover the next wave of interesting cheese products, books, and recipes. Taste, sip, and explore! Bring your wallet as there will be an opportunity to purchase your favorite cheeses and artisan products. Every guest brings home a coveted Artisan Cheese Festival insulated cheese tote bag as well as a festive wine glass. Live entertainment included. (Note: Strollers are not permitted in the Marketplace.)

 

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