-By James Mellgren

Ti-tan *a person or thing of very great strength, intellect, or importance: a titan of American industry.
-- The New Oxford American Dictionary

In our not-so-distant agrarian past, both here and in Europe, cheesemaking was typically the responsibility of the women of the house. Just as those farm wives took on the task of putting up the fruits from the garden, cooking for the family and farm workers, and even brewing beer and making soap, so too would they convert the surplus milk from the family's dairy animals into cheese and butter that would nourish the family through the year. With that bit of historical perspective in mind, it is especially fitting that women in America (and Europe, too) have played a large part in the renaissance of artisanal cheesemaking across the country. Three women in particular have been at the forefront of the cheesemaking scene: Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese Company, Mary Keehn of Cypress Grove Chevre in Northern California, and Paula Lambert of The Mozzarella Company deep in the heart of Texas. They are all very different women with very different life experiences, and the cheeses they produce represent a broad range of styles and flavors. I was fortunate enough to hear all three speak recently in San Diego at the Winter Fancy Food Show, the panel being presided over by cheese aficionado Ari Weinzweig, co-owner of Zingerman's family of businesses that includes Zingerman's Creamery that has been producing stellar cream cheese and several artisanal cheeses since 2001.

Hooper began her cheese journey while studying in France in the late 1970s. After writing letters to organic farmers offering her help, she ended up working for a family in Brittany where, among other things, she first learned to make cheese. Back in the United States, chance played a part in determining Hooper's vocation. Needing at-the-time-hard-to-find goat cheese for a special state dinner, Hooper's future partner Bob Reese, then marketing director for the Vermont Department of Agriculture, called on her to make the cheese for the banquet. The two started Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. in 1984 with the idea that together they would craft "artisanal" dairy products in the European style through a vital link with local farms. Today, they support a network of over 20 family farms that provide the highest-quality milk for the making of butter and cheese. Although the company now ships cheese and butter all over the country and has achieved worldwide recognition for the quality of their products, they are most proud of their contribution to the health of the local agriculture.

For Mary Keehn, the journey began with the goats which she started raising in the 1970s in order to provide her children with healthful milk. Displaying a talent for breeding goats -- her herd won many awards -- Keehn was recognized as the country's premier breeder of Alpine dairy goats. However, in subsequent years, faced with surplus milk from 50 goats, Keehn entered a new phase of her career, that of cheesemaker as she began experimenting and teaching herself to make goat cheese. After some trial and error, and discovering an aptitude for the craft, she started Cypress Grove Chevre in 1983 with the help of family and friends. After taking her own pilgrimage to France, with another titan of the cheesemaking world, Judy Schad of Capriole, Inc., Keehn came home and created what would become not only a true American original, but one of the most revered and sought-after cheeses in America: Humboldt Fog, a deliciously creamy goat cheese that cheese author Laura Werlin described as "a two-layer pillow of two-month-old cheese separated by a thin layer of vegetable ash." The cheese is covered with a layer of snowy-white mold that is reminiscent of the morning fog in Humboldt County for which it is named. Humboldt Fog also stands as a great illustration of the effect of terroir on the cheese's final character. With its abundance of rain and fog, there is perhaps no other place in the world where one could make Humboldt Fog. Its uniqueness, its overt sense of terroir and the unbridled devotion of its fans (it has been used as a wedding cake and one fan named her son after the cheese) has made it a true modern classic.

Paula Lambert experienced her cheese epiphany in Italy, not France, as a graduate student living in Perugia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She fell in love with the fresh vibrant flavors of Italian food, as well as the cheese. Upon returning to her native Texas and her traditional Southern roots, she was dismayed that she couldn't buy good, fresh mozzarella like she had become accustomed to in Italy. Her goal, and the genesis of the Mozzarella Company, was her desire to make a simple mozzarella and tomato salad, a desire that would take her back to Italy in 1981 to learn to make cheese, and specifically mozzarella. She apprenticed at a small cheese factory, arriving every morning at 6 o'clock to learn her craft. Before leaving, she arranged for a young Italian cheese professor to come to Dallas to help her refine her skills and be able to open her business. The talented young chefs in the Dallas area were excited about Lambert's cheese and the rest is history. Today, the lovely and infectiously enthusiastic Lambert makes over 35 different cheeses at the Mozzarella Company, made from both cow and goat's milk, and representing an array of flavors and traditions that reflect her insatiable palate and her love of travel, as well as the many indigenous flavors of Texas and the Southwest.

Listening to these three titans of cheese talk about their experiences and philosophies about cheesemaking and business, and tasting the cheeses that ran from Zingerman's brilliant cream cheese to Humboldt Fog to Vermont Butter & Cheese's incomparable cultured butter with sea salt crystals, and finally to the delicious fresh mozzarella and Blanca Bianca (a "white white" tribute to both Italian and Mexican cheesemaking traditions) from the Mozzarella Co., it struck me that industry titans of our past, the robber barons who though they may have produced great things, really only considered profits and power and their own legacies. These modern titans also consider their impact on their communities, relationships with farmers and merchants, and an overall organic approach to doing business. Having grown up surrounded by strong, intelligent women, it is no surprise to me that women should be leading America's artisanal cheese scene. There are many other women, too, not least of whom is Laura Chenel, arguably the mother of the American goat cheese industry. Others, like Judy Schad in Indiana, Sally Jackson in Washington, Cindy Callahan, Sue Conley, Soo Young, and Jennifer Bice in California are making life interesting for cheese lovers across the country, and securing America's place as one of the great cheesemaking countries of the world.

Industry News
Norseland Forms Alliance With Westland Kaasexport
Norseland, Inc. of Stamford, Conn., has announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Westland Kaasexport B.V. of Holland. All U.S. sales, marketing and distribution of Old Amsterdam brand of aged Gouda from Holland will be the sole responsibility of Norseland, Inc. Old Amsterdam aged Gouda, with its rich, walnut-buttery notes, complements the current premier cheese line offered by Norseland, which includes Jarlsberg, Jarlsberg Lite, Boursin French Gournay cheeses and Woolwich Chevrai, Madame Chevre and Gourmet Goat brands. For more information, call 800-326-5620.

Got French Cheese?
Five renowned French cheesemakers have teamed up to promote and support the sales of their cheeses in the U.S. market through the efforts of Cécile Delannes and her company The French Cheese Club. Dubbing herself the French Cheese Club Ambassadress, her mission will be to work closely at the trade, press and consumer levels by organizing demos, supplying staff training and POS materials, as well as participating in seminars and food & wine events. She can also help retailers and importers source cheese and improve their supply chain management. The participating cheesemakers are Didier Lincet (Chaource, Brillat-Savarin, etc.), E. Graindorge (Pont l'Eveque, Livarot, Camembert, etc.), Étoile du Sud (St. Marcellin, etc.), Fromagerie Berthaut (Époisses, Perrière, etc.), and Rivoire-Jacquemin (Comté). For information about the French Cheese Club, call 646-216-9472 or e-mail contact@frenchcheeseclub.com.

Dairy
A Cheese for Every Season
Otter Creek Organic Farm of Black Earth, Wis., a family-run farm dedicated to sustainable agriculture, has launched a series of seasonal cheddars to honor the cheese that makes the state famous. Otter Creek's Seasonal Cheddars are made with fresh, unpasteurized organic milk that enhances flavor from the pasture and ensures purity of taste. The Fall Cheddar, for example, is based on the seasonal forage available to the herds, giving this cheese a unique flavor that sets it apart from Cheddars produced during the other seasons. These seasonal cheddars, available in 8-ounce blocks, age very well and can be enjoyed year-round. For more information, call 608-767-2520 or go to www.ottercreekorganicfarm.com.
CLICK VENDOR LINK NO. 402

Beyond Traditional Goat Cream Cheese From Meyenberg
Meyenberg Goat Milk Products has launched a new line of exquisite goat cream cheese that they have dubbed "Beyond Traditional." It is, as far as I know, the first goat cream cheese made for national distribution in the United States. More importantly, it is delicious (we tasted it at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Diego). So far, there are two versions available, Beyond Traditional Cream Cheese and Beyond Traditional Cream Cheese with Garlic & Chive. Meyenberg's goat cream cheese contains much more cream than regular cream cheese, and because it's made with goat's milk, the process really requires the manufacturer to be in the fluid goat milk business in order to be able to access the high level of cream for such a product. The result is magnificent with deluxe, creamy cream cheese, rather like good goat cheese in flavor that is brilliant as is or can be used in sauces and other recipes. Meyenberg is a leading manufacturer and distributor of goat milk, and has been doing it since 1934. In addition to selling fresh goat milk in various forms, the company produces a full line of goat butter and cheese including aged goat cheddar. For more information, call 800-891-GOAT or go to www.meyenberg.com.
CLICK VENDOR LINK NO. 405

There's a New Aussie Cheese in Town, Actually Several
Australia's artisanal cheese renaissance has paralleled our own, and the country now produces more than 100 varieties of cheese, cheeses that although they may sound familiar (feta, brie, gorgonzola), reflect the distinctive terroir of the land Down Under. A new initiative was launched at the Winter Fancy Food Show in which cheeses from the Australian state of Victoria will be promoted in the United States. The two-year project was organized jointly by the Victorian State government and Dairy Australia, a national industry body that represents the interests of cheese producers, milk producers, and others. Initially, the project is representing six companies, all located within the state of Victoria, with more producers coming on board over the next two years. The six companies mostly hail from the Gippsland region and the well-known wine country of the Yarra Valley. The state of Victoria is situated in the southeast corner of the island nation and includes the city of Melbourne. The companies include Tarago River (www.taragocheese.com), Yarra Valley Dairy (www.yvd.com.au), Meredith Dairy (www.meredithdairy.com), Moondarra Cheese, Lemnos Foods and King Island Dairy (www.kidairy.com.au). I was able to taste several of the cheeses, both at home and at the show. They are delicious, yes, but more importantly, they are different than the cheese we make here due to the temperate climate and unique soil. I tried the rich, double-cream Shadows of Blue from Tarago River; a delicious Yarra Valley Persian Fetta that comes marinated in extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices, and packed in a tin; and Moondarra's seductive Honey Pistachio Goat Cheese. The initiative is being managed here in the States by Alison Soltau, a PR consultant to the Australian Trade Commission, and she can be reached at 773-489-3013 or Alison@alisonsoltau.com.
CLICK VENDOR LINK NO. 408

Organic Lunch Packs for Kids and Adults
Potter Family Farms, a USDA-certified organic operation that produces cheese, yogurt, dips and various milk-based drinks, has launched a line of organic lunch packs for children and adults. They are nutritious and ready-to-eat meals made with premium organic ingredients packaged in their state-of-the-art facility and balanced nutritionally to meet federal Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for the four food groups. The organic Lil' Buckaroo Lunch Packs for kids include a beef sausage stick, cheddar cheese stick, raisins, carrots and crackers. The adult lunch packs include the Garlic Cowboy Lunch Pack with a garlic beef stick and garlic cheddar cheese; Home on the Range with Buffalo stick and Jalapeño Jack cheese; and the Ranch Hand Lunch Pack with Southwestern Chipotle beef stick and garlic cheddar cheese stick. All of the adult packs contain organic raisins, carrots and crackers as well. For more information, call them at 877-733-6260 or visit www.potterfamilyfarms.com.
CLICK VENDOR LINK NO. 401

Deli
New Antipasto and Olive Mixes in Byzantine Line
The Byzantine Empire created one of the greatest culinary cultures on earth, with the rich and complex flavors of exotic spices, citrus, olives, peppers and pomegranate. It is, therefore, no surprise that Source Atlantique chose Byzantine as the brand name for its new imported line of Mediterranean-style antipasto and olive mixes. There are eight varieties so far, four antipasto and four olive mixes, in this line of ready-to-eat, all-natural savory recipes that can be used for appetizers, sandwich spreads, pasta or pizza toppings, in omelets, and much more. They are packed in unique re-closeable retail trays and foodservice packs. The packaging is very smart and includes recipes and serving ideas. The Byzantine line requires no refrigeration. The antipasto line includes Pomegranate Glazed Onions, Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes & Feta, Roasted Sweet Peppers in Spicy Tomato Sauce, and Roasted Bruschetta. The olive mix line includes Country Olive Mix with Preserved Lemons and Oranges, Greek Isle Mix, Baby Kalamata with 4 Peppercorns, and the Antipasto Olives Mix. For more information, call 201-947-1000 or go to www.foodimportgroup.com.
CLICK VENDOR LINK NO. 404

Catelli Brothers Expands Italian Bistro Line
Having experienced tremendous growth through 2007, Catelli Brothers, one of the nation's premier veal and lamb purveyors, has expanded the Catelli Italian Bistro line even further with five new entrees, including Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmigiana, Lamb Rosetta and Veal Parmigiana. The number of stores carrying the Catelli Italian Bistro line has more than tripled with 2,200 stores nationwide. The line now includes 11 entrees that include simple package-to-plate cooking instructions. The others include Veal Bacon, Veal Marsala, Veal Piccata and Veal Provencale, as well as both Beef and Veal meatballs. Catelli Brothers will be heavily promoting the line through retail partnerships, broadcast advertising and regional cooking shows. For more information, call Monica D'Ancona at 856-869-9293, ext 230, or visit www.catelliitalianbistro.com.

Comments? jmellgren@sbcglobal.net