Artisan Cheese on the Farm

When Rebecca suggested we do a story revolving around cheese, I think she was surprised with my (over) enthusiasm. Years ago as a college student living in France, I developed a real taste for great cheeses. Every evening after dinner, the cheese plate would arrive with what I thought were the most delectable morsels in the world. The light bulb went on! Since then, I have learned that other great cheeses grace the planet. And more and more of them are here in our own backyard. And I also now realize that cheeseheads exist beyond the confines of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

So when I “had” to go to the featured cheese shop, Curds and Whey, to scout this story, it took no arm-twisting. And once I met David Schiffelbein and heard his story, I knew I’d found a mecca for this cheese lover.

David happily turned me on to Pat Morford’s (Three Ring Farm) cheeses and again, no arm-twisting necessary to see how she created these great little cheesy gems. She was, as David promised, open, friendly, and very generous with her time and her product. Before her interview, she fed us an olive tapenade chèvre on a rustic piece of toasted bread and another little number that went well with avocado. Nirvana.

I am clearly impressed by what I ate, but I am even more impressed by how hard Pat works at making her product and how hard David works at getting products like hers to the public. These creators and purveyors add a dimension to our lives that wasn’t there, say, 40 years ago when individually-wrapped orange-y cheese singles dominated American lunch boxes.

I say, thank you! —Beth Harrington

Beth Harrington—Grammy® and Emmy® nominee—is an independent producer, director and writer for television, radio and the education market.

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