The Goat Ladies Who Built American Chèvre
4-H teen Jennifer Bice receives a champion award for her Nubian kid. We are living in that tech-fueled world and we know the names of those industry makers by heart. But running quietly alongside the tech boom, another revolution has been unfolding; one that receives far less attention but has transformed the way Americans eat—the […]
I Survived the Charcuterie Board Craze
The year was 2020. I was happily living in New York City, working a steady job in corporate real estate. But suddenly, my days were consumed with back-to-back Zoom calls about social distancing, desk spacing, and return-to-office strategy (oof). Like many others, my then-fiancé and I joined the great city exodus. By summer, we’d washed […]
Oakfield Artisanal Is Bringing Authentic Mexican Cheese to New York
Backed by 12 generations of dairy farming, the Lamb and Veazey families of Oakfield Artisanal blend deep roots with a forward-thinking vision to craft culturally inspired, premium cheeses. Photos provided by Oakfield Artisanal If you’re lucky, the cheese aisle at your local supermarket offers some variety—American, cheddar, Swiss at least. A bag of store-brand shredded […]
Cheesemonger Gordon Edgar on American Cheese, Co-ops, and the Future of Cheesemaking
Gordon Edgar is many things: the cheese buyer for San Francisco’s Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, one of the most prominent worker-owned grocery stores in the US; the author of several books, including one on cheddar cheese, aptly named Cheddar; and a longtime Californian with a love of punk rock and Teleme, a legendary Bay Area soft-ripened […]
Inside Kingston Creamery: Amish Blue Cheese at Its Finest
Some of the most complex cheese flavors in the country start with quiet, intentional farming—and few places do it better than Kingston Co-op Creamery. Nestled in Kingston, Wisconsin, this Amish-owned creamery has been crafting award-winning blue cheeses since 1984, combining centuries-old tradition with hands-on care and sustainable practices. Kingston’s Amish community arrived in these rolling […]
A Conversation With Author, Nomad, and Fermentation Educator Trevor Warmedahl
Trevor Warmedahl, a cheesemaker and culture contributor known as the “Milk Trekker,” trots the globe visiting pastoral communities. His purpose? Investigating how milk is treated and transformed by indigenous microbes and the human touch.
It’s not a glamorous lifestyle, per se. In order to be the Milk Trekker, Warmedahl has to be comfortable navigating countries solo and communicating his intent to observe and understand niche dairy practices in spite of language barriers. He also travels light—and on a budget.
Cheese Trekking is as much a travelogue as it is a reflection on the links between terroir, cheesemaking, slow-food pathways, and heritage. We were lucky enough to catch up with Warmedahl, who was staying at a yurt in between his travels. Read on to learn about the experiences that shaped his writing, plus his views on the role of old-world food systems in a modern climate with high demand for all things quick and processed.
How to Age Cheese: Inside the World of Affineurs
On a cool fall morning in the Alps, an aromatic bouquet of fresh milk and damp stone drifts across the mountains. Deep inside a vaulted cellar, wheels of cheese—each weighing close to 80 pounds—are stacked like golden tomes on wide wooden planks. A man in a white coat pulls a wheel from the shelf and runs his hand along the rind, gently tapping the surface with a small hammer and listening for the soft thud that signals the right moisture within. Around him, thousands of cheeses rest quietly in low light, slowly transforming into something complex, elegant, and alive.
Why I Love Butter (and Kale Will Never Love Me Back)
I was dreaming my life had ended. I was walking along a beach, a large stick of cultured butter at my side, and the path along the sand marking my life was defined by our footsteps. My body had finally succumbed to the stresses of yo-yo dieting, spurts of working out, and extreme lifestyle changes—all driven by the belief that being healthy was better than being happy. After all the starts and stops, the good foods and the bad, in the end all I could think about was how hard I’d tried to be fit and eat right.
Why the Best Blue Cheeses Today Are Coming from Vermont
For nearly two decades, Bayley Hazen Blue has defined Jasper Hill Farm’s approach to blue cheese. Since its debut in 2003, the flagship blue-veined beauty has collected myriad accolades, including a spot in the top 14 at the 2024–2025 World Cheese Awards. In 2024, the creamery introduced two new variations: Withersbrook Blue, a square format aged in a cryovac pouch with a splash of local Eden Ciders Ice Cider; and Barnstorm Blue, a collaboration with the Murray’s Cheese Caves team, washed in malty ale from Focal Point Beer Co. Though the trio shares the same recipe, each develops its own personality.
Tariff Turmoil: Why America’s Trade Policy Rocked the Global Cheese Industry
For the specialty cheese industry, “Liberation Day” was anything but liberating. On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order implementing a broad set of new tariffs, or taxes on products imported from other countries, dubbing the occasion “Liberation Day” in recognition of what he called the United States’ “declaration of economic independence.” The order announced unprecedented tariffs of 10 to 50 percent across a broad range of trading partners, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland—key suppliers of cheese to the US.
