American Cheese Month Discussion (Content for blog post)

3:02PM Apr 22, 2024

Speakers:

Keywords:

cheese

wisconsin

varieties

michelle

terroir

american

chatter

pairings

blue

fantastic

farmers

deer creek

find

making

year

people

raleigh

master

information

immigrated

I'm very friendly, extremely outgoing and doesn't posture or pretend to be something he's not he is a joy and a pleasure to watch while you're downing wine and cheese because he knows all this historical data and is a terrific, vibrant storyteller. And so I've learned a lot from him and I just really value him. He really does embody that to Bruno, I'd say brand DNA in terms of letting our customers and our cheesemongers know the story within the story of how cheese is produced, made and beloved internationally. So that being said, he is pretty stoked to leave this session on May 10. And what I had asked him was, you know, American cheese, Ma, you know, and so I told my mom which, you know, she's like, a litmus test for everything I do. He's like, 80, I'm like, yeah, it's American cheese mom. In May. She's like, Oh, I love American cheese. Yeah, so you know, that led me to think that there needs to be clarity here with when we're doing an event in terms of American cheese, the phrase American cheese. And so because cheese can be plural as a word, it can't it could get confusing to, you know, people if we don't really talk about what this is. And so that's really the impetus for the blog because I want to tell a longer story. And I can't do that on social without connecting to 1000 word piece that I would like to get started on. And so I want to know, you know, my blog is called American cheese month. Celebrate American cheese month, why you should care. And so that's really kind of where I want to take this. So I talked to Tommy I flew it up the flagpole with him. And he said that really, you know, the brain peg that a lot of people have is a bias against, not against American fears, but they tend to think that important cheese is a little more shishi a little more authentic, if it's coming from Italy and so the idea in his mind is to celebrate these makers and producers right here in the US as being bonafide amazing cheese, farmers, producers, and maybe debunking the myth, right. So I think that that to me, that sounds like a good place to start. And so it would be nice to fold in. Wisconsin dairy farmers into that since I do believe we're going to be using your assorted cheeses during this 90 minute lecture. We have pairings that are planned and we're we're also using wines from Vermont and other areas in the US so that just makes sense holistically and I for one I'm just really stoked and excited. So this, the information that you give me this morning will make its way onto the blog but may also fuel his own PowerPoint presentation when he discusses the history of the cheese as well. So there are I want to start if it's okay with you to jump right in. And in your own words. Maybe both of you can answer Michelle maybe you first like Why Why should people care about American cheese month? Why? Why is it special? And you know, does does it celebrate? Certain cheeses are all American cheeses and you know, what's the story behind it in terms of you know, what you think and feel? I don't think there's any wrong answers here necessarily.

I would say so American, the American Cheese Society actually designated me as American cheese month as a way to celebrate all of the makers in America that are making phenomenal artists and cheeses. So I think this that's really the distinction and why we go hard and may because it really is a celebration. of the American Cheese Society. So we we honor our relationship with ACS and then we also because we make over 50% of the of whisk are the United States specialty cheese we go hard and heavy in May because you know, we can own this month because because of that stat. We have 600 varieties of of cheese made here. We've been making cheese since 1847. Set right April.

So it's like 180 years 180 We're, we weren't even a state.

So so the great thing about Wisconsin is that we have so many immigrants from you know Germany, Italy, the Netherlands. You know everybody came here because the terroir is very similar to what they had over in Europe. So they came was very similar. The terroir, T E R R O IR, it's the it's the land it's the water it's the lush greenery in the summer. It's the seasons. Yes. So I would say because the terroir is so similar. They had a very easy time making the cheese that they did before they emigrated. The great thing about it now is that not only are they doing the cheeses that they knew and immigrated with, and the knowledge that they immigrated with their their their varieties are amazing. So I think that's another kind of interesting thing about American cheeses is like we can make Parmesan but we can make Parmesan that's a bit sweeter. We can make Parmesan that's a little more bitter, a little less aged, a little more aged. We can make a fantastic chatter and add a flavor to it. We can age it to 20 years we can, you know do so many things with cheeses because we're super innovative here in the state. And that's

interesting. Would you say that there's more rigidity and regulation European cities and if so, did you take advantage of that?

I wouldn't. I don't know if it's not rigidity, but there's heritage right. So Italians make Parmigiano Reggiano and they make it fantastically well.

Right and they have a lot of, you know, laws in place to maintain that sort of traditional make, and that's special in its own right. But, you know, we also have, like Michelle was pointing out, you know, we have that more than 180 years of cheesemaking here. And so we've sort of been able to play with what that looks like when we mix these cultures together in whisking cultures. Pun intended, because I'll mix cheese cultures and that story

title to me when I appreciate that, that sauce,

I'm always here for a pun. But it's true. We are mixing cheese cultures and we're also mixing heritage cultures in all the types of cheeses that are made here in Wisconsin, which is why we're so excited to celebrate big, right it's core to who we are in the state. We're obsessed with making you know innovative cheese cheese that honors Old World traditions, but also making the world's best cheese. And so American cheese month means a whole lot to us, as Michelle was saying so sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off there, Michelle, but

no thanks for the ad. Yeah. Can you tell we're super enthusiastic about it? Yeah.

So I think people get excited when they when they learn pro tips or little known factoids. And so, you know, tell me a little bit about like, like, Would it be easy for someone to do? A cheese plate celebrating American cheese? Month and how would they go about doing that?

We have fantastic assets that we could share with you. If that would be helpful. We've got video, we've got tips and tricks, blog posts about cutting and serving and things like that if if that's helpful for you, Jamie. But I would say, you know, we the varieties that we provide can make a pretty fantastic cheese board because of the variety that we have the cheeses that we have,

and we're always down to educate because again, we are the state of cheese and we know that you don't have to live in Wisconsin to be just as obsessed with cheese as we are here in this state. So I know Michelle is probably already shared our welcome to Wisconsin campaign that is launching your retail for the entire month and so that's just really to help people find their favorite pairing, find the best cheeses to go on their cheese board because we do offer such a great like Michelle was saying 600 type styles and varieties of cheese are made here by 1200 cheese makers that are all licensed because Wisconsin is the only state that requires a license to make cheese. And so basically, we have all sorts of educational resources, all sorts of types of cheese. We really go big. We go hard when it comes to cheese here in the state.

I love that. And so, as a follow up, I Brielle Could you send me some links that I could include in this blog and then Tommy can also include in his PPT on the day off that will be really helpful. You got it.

Do you know Jamie what Jesus He's going to focus on?

Yeah, I knew he would ask me that. He sent me something this morning wasn't really hang on bear with me. It was a little confusing for me to read. Hang on.

Females tend to be that way I

am I am not a what I would call a true efficient Oh no, I fake it. Sometimes. So

hang on, bear with me

Yeah, it's still in the oven. To be honest. I don't think there's anything that I want to share right now because it's not final. In fact, I would flip it and say you know what, she's a shocking highlight to you. Because I know that there's a little bit of a stipend that Wisconsin. Cheese farmers is sending us and I do want to reflect well on is a brand. It is a brand so I want to I want to say make sure you include this cheese and this cheese and this cheese. Could you give me your opinion on what mix of cheeses that you think would make for a wonderful rounded sampling event?

So well I'm I'm on to Bruno right now and they have a probably Wisconsin cheese flight gift collection. Is that still current? Yeah. Is that what's going

to be happening for me? Yeah, I mean, if it's up there it's current, and we offer it.

Okay. So I would say you know, take a look at the the cheese like gift selections. So we've got okay, there's phenomenal. Truffle Gouda. There's a really good age. Chatter. I would say someone that Bruno loves and we love as well is I don't I only see one upland ah

that's interesting. Here we go. There's a there's a landing page to barnard.com/wisconsin-cheese and it's for the love of Wisconsin cheese. So there is a list of all of the cheeses through de Bruno that are on here. So this is a perfect a perfect link to put in your blog. I'm gonna put it in the chat. Okay. And there are you'll see some private labeled to Bruno in there as well as brands. But that's already a landing page. So that might be really a good start. Okay.

And so, um, by the way, my sister in law lives in Resene Oh

yeah. Mars cheese castles not far from there.

Me names and also the Kringle can't get enough of that. So that it my Trader Joe's. Yes,

they do now Oh, and ah, yeah. So crazy. All

right. So what else do you think people would want to know about the dairy farmers of Wisconsin and about American cheese month? What are some ways that they can our customers can celebrate?

So well first of all, I want to I want to give a shout out to our Wisconsin dairy farmers because as many of the cheese makers will attest, if you don't have great milk, you don't make grilled cheese. So I want to bring that back to the terroir of Wisconsin. You know, we've got four seasons lush pastures, fantastic. Water, spring water, you know, natural spring water and all of that makes just such a fantastic habitat for a dairy cow which then produces such fantastic delicious milk so I that's something that I think we need to acknowledge because there is no great cheese without great milk. So that's a huge shout out for us. And that's really one of the reasons why it makes us stand out as well because our terroir is just made for dairy farming. Another little nugget that I like to say when we talk about an in state, but it's cheese isn't what we do. It's who we are. I mean it really is. It is just part of our it's part of Wisconsin's heritage. You know it's nine $8 billion industry here in the state like it really is. We just know cheese. We know milk, we know. We just know.

Yeah, and I think you know, by celebrating American cheese month it is, you know, as embryol said, states and countries have very strict restrictions, very strict restrictions. On the type of cheese they make. So you know, America is just fantastic in playing with cultures and new varieties and new flavors. And you know, we're just, we're like this to innovate. Innovate. Yeah, a little innovation hub.

Is there any one person doing crazy things like really stretching the envelope any producer that you can think of on hand? That's just doing like reinventing the category and disrupting

think I mean, yes, I mean, I would say yeah, but in like, you know, the best way because they're making cheese is really exciting. I mean, all cheese is really excited. If you're Toro files like Michelle and I. All cheese is really exciting. And I think that's another thing I really want to make note of is that if you've ever been shamed for loving cheese, this is your month, this is your time to shine, and we welcome you to Wisconsin to do it as big and as hard as we do it here. But as far as people who are innovating Yeah, all the time. I think that's kind of the message we'd like to share always is that because we have this sort of freedom to have this understanding and licensure behind cheese, we can do it safely and effectively. And, you know, smartly. I don't know if that's a word. It is how I'm going to use it now. I'd say like somebody, Chris Raleigh is really well. Known for innovating of rally cheese house.

He used to be about again, I need to spell it.

Yeah. Chris Raleigh Roel Li. He's a mast. He has a Wisconsin master cheesemaker, and he is really known for his innovation. And he has chatters that he turns in or that he blues so it's a chatter blue variety. And he's really gotten behind Dunbarton blue is a white cheddar that's been inoculated with blue molds and in the cheese make process, and then he pierces it and then that blue that mold blooms. And so it's a dense chatter, right because cheddar is a type of and style of cheese making. And then because of the blue, it's only slightly grows right because it is such a dense cheddar. It doesn't have a lot of air passages to make that bloom come to life that blue camera life. And so we like to call it our gateway blue, but he has really bent and buckled down on these chatter blue varieties. So Dunbarton Blue was a white cheddar with blue, and that's a strong award winner. And then also he has red rock which is an orange cheddar that

he's going to be featuring that one.

Yeah. Both of those are really delightful. And again, it's a chatter blue. That's an interesting combination of two types of cheeses. You wouldn't necessarily expect in one variety. So that's a fun one. Michelle, don't any come to your mind.

I'll tell you. A lot of them come to mind but I just want to make sure that that's why I asked about what she said she was featuring so we can really go hard on those makers because I don't want to give a lot of information on the blog if it's not available at dobro. No,

that's fair. We can give you all sorts of information on all sorts of teasing.

Hang on one second. I'm gonna see if I can find it. I just I hesitate. Only because I know it's not final

but you said Red Rock will be featured.

didn't mention that hang on. I found a found it. One moment it's it always changes up to the last minute totally up plans cheese pleasant Ridge reserve.

Yep, yes, that's the most awarded cheese in United States. Okay,

um, I don't know if I'm saying this correctly. Mary, Mary Aki Mar Marika. Buddha Marika. Extra aged Gouda Deer Creek stag Deer Creek rattlesnake.

Yeah, also another gap. Um,

I don't know if this was a cheat. Oh. Fac CIA fernet neat. Is that a cheese?

That's, I think that's a meat isn't it?

He wrote neat. Maybe he meant meat. Okay, Roselle, the Red Rock row ally Red Rock. That's Raleigh. Yeah. Okay, so those are so far what we have.

Okay, so All right. So Deer Creek is a fantastic cheese are the cheese company. Christian teen is a Wisconsin or he's a cheese grater gra d r. And he's partnered with cheese companies to create these fantastic, fantastic cheeses that he actually he comes up with sitting around the kitchen table with his wife and his daughter and his pairings are masterful. Actually, if you are interested, we can send you a couple of quick interviews with him. If you want to take a look at that. Yeah. Okay.

Greater. I thought that was an instrument

and she's greater he so he he is great. The cheese. It's the grades that she is. Yep. Yes.

Not a cheese grater which is

completely different. Marie Kay is also fantastic. She She is had are immigrated from the Netherlands. And she got her citizenship through a special designation term without exception with a sectional exceptional ability. designee designation because her cheese one is

Enrique I'm sorry I'm not what and Oh, more. Okay. Yeah. Yeah,

we can Gouda. Okay, so her first cheese won the World cheese championship. Oh, cool back in 2013. And so she got this. What it was

the she got her green card. Yeah, she

got her green card with the exceptional distinction because of her cheesemaking Right.

Which is usually reserved for doctors or, like astronauts where you know,

that's cool. I love to talk about somebody

really pushing the envelope. Jamie, you had asked that that would be one. What? She's the only one that I know of that have ever that has ever because of cheesemaking exceptional ability has gotten a green card. They're like you know what, in order to stay, you can make wheels of cheese. Amazing. That's funny. So, and she makes some real, some of my I mean, all of these are some of my favorite cheeses. We already talked about Chris Raleigh, and the red rock, which is another innovative one. And then Michelle had said with uplands jeans, that's Andy hatch. Actually, last week, Thursday, he just became a master cheesemaker. So he had, you'd have to be making cheese in Wisconsin for 10 years before you can even apply to become a master cheesemaker. And then that program takes three years to become certified in a specific variety of cheese. And so he was just certified master cheesemaker in alpine style cheese, which is the pleasant Ridge reserve. And that is the most awarded cheese in United States history. So Michelle

was earlier. You're a very fast talker and I love this. I love this talker. Andy hatch, what's the name of his cheese or his company where he is now? Master cheesemaker.

So he's uplands. Up le nds. Okay. uplands, cheese, and he just last week, Thursday night was awarded his master cheesemaker medal, they get medals they get but you know, they get a label or a stamp that they get to put on their packaging for you know showcasing that they've reached that higher education elite designation.

Somebody wanted to come to Wisconsin on a cheese food tour or their verified sites for that. Can you send me that list? Because you never know like a lot of our our Chase fans have who are hardcore and they some of them just like plan their life on where to go to to experience dance cheese and it's not uncommon that Tommy gets questioned like that. So to be able to connect them to the the golden standard choices for that kind of thing would be really helpful. I think. We do have having

talked about the art of cheese next year. Yeah,

that's really important and talk

a little bit about that. Sure.

I'm actually wearing the sweatshirt right now the Arctic cheese festival

like this ethnic place.

So this past year was our very first ever Arctic cheese festival. It was and that was September 28 Through October 1 of 2023 will be bi annual. So that means this year will be off. We will still have one component component of the art of cheese festival which is the cheese fair off the square that's in tandem with the largest producer only farmers market in the country. That's the Dane County farmers market. It's right around Capitol Square. And we'll have a side road of cheesemakers that we're honoring it and a cheese fair off the square. And then next year we'll be back full force with the entire festival. Again, again three days that we encourage people from across the country and out of country. In fact, last year we had some folks from Canada attend the art of cheese Festival, and it's a three day affair of just your wildest cheese dreams come to life. And there is a website that we can share with you as well so you can find it in a link. Perfect. Yep, Thanks, Michelle. Got it. And there's classes, there's excursions. There's pub crawls, there's a cheese ball, which was absolutely incredible. We had our cheesemaker royalty with sashes and crowns on a stage that was of course, a giant cheese board. We really like I said we know how to go big when it comes to cheese celebration.

No, it's funny that reminds me. We had a Pollyanna on during Christmas time. To Bernal and I was able to find on Etsy earrings of miniatures or curry boards. Oh,

that sounds like a lot of fun. That would be the appropriate attire for the cheeseball

I love things like that. Okay. Great stuff. What should people know about your organization? You know, I'm looking for sound bites and if they want to learn more about the dairy farmers of Wisconsin or they want to learn more about the history of cheese making in the state of Wisconsin. What are the best resources for that?

Well of course our website Ww w dot Wisconsin cheese.com. Super easy and we have so much on our website. In fact, I recommend visiting multiple times and that's another plug for us but there is a lot of information so it may take you a little time to digest all that we have available out there. We have everything from recipes from our great pair share magazine. We have videos and history and we like to feature each of the cheeses that you can find in Wisconsin and all of the makers who make those cheeses we like to talk about our master cheesemaker program, and again, I'm talking fast, but basically our website is a is a font of information. Michelle, do you have anything? Oh, I guess our Instagram or if and or Facebook. For those who are social users. Those are both really great. Our Instagram is at Wisconsin cheese and our Facebook is again Wisconsin cheese. You'll be able to find us both there and we post trending content