Holiday Recipes for Entertaining

As defined by the American Cheese Society, farmstead cheeses are crafted with milk from the farmer’s herd and aged on the farm where the animals are raised. This means these cheesemakers are directly and intimately involved in producing the quality and flavor of the milk used to make their artisan cheeses, a guaranteed mark of excellence. Learn more about the families behind these artisan treasures and how you can invite their cheeses to your holiday table.

“Our original goal was to anchor our family on a working farm,” says Andy Hatch, owner and Head Cheesemaker at Uplands Cheese. Andy's the creator of coveted cheeses Rush Creek Reserve and Pleasant Ridge Reserve; both are essential to holiday menus in The State of Cheese. “But farmstead cheesemaking has brought us so much more. (Our cheese) this complex, constantly changing thing connects people and makes them happy. And these deep and diverse experiences make our lives very meaningful and fulfilling.”

“Farmstead cheesemaking…is the ultimate way to secure quality, authenticity and integrity,” shares Marieke Penterman, owner and Head Cheesemaker at Marieke® Gouda. Her award-winning cheeses elevate cheese boards and sides to prime rib! “We have complete control and transparency, from how our gouda ladies are cared for to how we handle the milk. We don’t have to transport or cool it down—fresh raw milk from our farm flows directly from the milking parlor into our cheese vat! And this means richer, creamier gouda.”

“Our dad, John Pagel, had a love for the farm that extended beyond the dairy,” shares Director of Culture Jamie Witcpalek at Pagel’s Ponderosa Dairy. “He enjoyed cheese and felt our high-quality milk would make delicious cheeses.” Pagel’s cheesemaking plant is steps away from their milking parlor, allowing them to begin cheesemaking within 90 seconds of milking. “The result is the freshest milk production possible, which is the secret to our rich, creamy farmstead cheeses,” says Jamie.

The milk is piped directly from the dairy at Crave Brothers to the cheese factory, where owner and Head Cheesemaker George Crave has made highly decorated farmstead cheeses since 2001. “We wanted to ensure that our fresh milk came through in our mozzarella and sweet cream mascarpone,” shares George. The cheeses are produced with renewable energy. “We generate enough electricity daily to power the farm, cheese factory and about 300 homes in our community,” George says of his family’s businesses.