Mt. Tam Cheese | culture: the word on cheese
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Mt. Tam

Producer
Cowgirl Creamery
Country
United States
Region
California
Size
H: 2 ins W: 3.5 ins
Weight
10 oz
Website
www.cowgirlcreamery.com
Milk
Cow
Classification
Soft
Rennet
Microbial
Rind
Mold Ripened
Mt. Tam Cheese

Cowgirl Creamery, based in Marin County, California is the vision of owners Sue Conley and Peggy Smith.

Friends since college days on the east coast, they moved to California together in the 1970's, and, since both women were passionately interested in the food business, Peggy went to work at Chez Panisse in Berkeley with Alice Waters, while Sue became co-owner of the famous Bette's Ocean View Diner.

Twenty something yars later in 1993, Sue sold her part of the business in order to form Tomales Bay Foods, a business designed to provide a marketing outlet for local agricultural food products in Marin County. Discovering that her new company was fulfiling a tremendous need and niche, Sue asked Peggy to join her in launching a greatly expanded business, including a permanent farm-market type store selling locally made food products and a cheesemaking operation. The cheesemaking business and retail stores became known as Cowgirl Creamery.

The business flourished, and it quickly became clear that the cheese retail, wholesale and cheese making operations were the most successful. Today, Cowgirl Creamery has additional retail stores in San Francisco and Washington DC together with a much larger cheesemaking operation and warehouse based in Petaluma, CA.

Cowgirl Creamery, under the guidance of head cheesemaker Maureen Cunnie, produces a range of fresh and mold ripened cheeses using organic cow's milk from small local dairies.

Named after the 4,000 ft. Mt Tamalpais that lies at the southern end of Marin County, Mt. Tam is a triple cream cheese made using local organic milk with the addition of cream.

Flavors of the Mt. Tam are extremely rich and buttery, underscored with notes of mushrooms, grass and hay. The texture is smooth, dense and irresistable. This is an extremely accessible cheese with wide appeal and plenty of flavor.

Pairs very well with Champagne or a Sancerre.

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