and place. “It’s an incredible
representation of history. It’s
kind of a stamp on a certain time
frame,” he says, comparing it
to the way wine represents the
nuances of the earth.
o perations
and animals
Naturally, the flavor and type
of cheese first depends on the
animal used and what it eats,
then on the techniques of the
cheesemaker. Crave Brothers
Farmstead Cheese LLC,
Waterloo, Wis., milks its own
Holstein cows and gives them
the same feed year-round to
keep the flavor, protein and
butter consistent, says company
president George Crave.
The cheese, and thus the milk,
should reflect the uniqueness
of the artisan and the factory
making it, he adds. Cheeses can
be made from cow’s, goat’s or
sheep’s milk, or a blend. With
its cow’s milk, Crave Brothers
makes a fresh, milky mozzarella,
classic mascarpone and its most
popular, unique European-style
Les Frères cheese with an earthy,
fruity flavor.
The art involved in Les Frères,
for example, has much to do
with the different cultures used
to get the right flavor. Rather
than pressing the cheese, it is
form-filled, allowed to develop
Daniel;Orr
in a warm room for 24 hours,
then brined and moved to a
cellar environment where it is
washed in a variety of cultures
for a few weeks, then packed and
sent out. It continues to age and
develop through distribution,
Crave says. When it’s 2 months
old, it tastes different than at 1, 3
or 4 months. “It starts to develop
an attitude and gets nice and
bigger flavors—rich and savory
with a very creamy mouthfeel.”
Alex Seidel, chef/co-owner of
Denver’s Fruition Restaurant,
bought a 10-acre farm and
recently purchased a flock of
sheep. The restaurant staff turned
the barn into a cheesemaking
facility with aging rooms, and
in October 2010, began making
and selling ricotta cheese to 40
La;Laiterie;at;Farmstead;Inc.
top: Hand-selected artisanal
cheeses are prepared for a cheese
board at La Laiterie at Farmstead Inc.
left: Called Berry Blues FARMpie,
this pizza, created by Daniel Orr,
features artisanal goat cheese,
apples and cranberry compote.
right: Fruition Restaurant’s Alex
Seidel raises his own sheep and
produces and sells ricotta cheese.
