This is a bit of a departure from our usual interviews, because Olivia Vessel and Joe Russell are most definitely insane(!) and they don’t actually make cheese. They are cute, though. Maybe we’re being overly optimistic, but we think they are probably on the verge of becoming cheese makers. In the latest episode of their YouTube channel, The Cheese Show, they actually melt mozzarella curds
Becky Collins Brooks in Accord, NY
Becky and her husband, Barton raise Wagyu cattle at their beautiful farm in the Catskills. Wagyu beef (that outrageously expensive beef you can find on the menus of very fine restaurants) is so delicious, it commands up to $200/pound in Japan(!) We can only imagine how wonderful it is for them to be able to eat it any time. They sell their beef at the
Rabbit Goody in Cherry Valley, New York
May we present yet another celebrity cheesemaker? It seems many of the most interesting people in the world make their own cheese. Rabbit Goody is a creator of historic textiles (Thistle Hill Weavers). She has made the fabric for dozens of movies through the years and for museums like the Smithsonian. She has a staff of 5 weavers. Rabbit and her staff also weave for designers interested
Mother Katherine in Otego, New York
Zoar Farm at Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery This is an unusual interview with an unusual woman. Mother Katherine is all about her flock and not about the world as most of us know it. She is a shepherd in the old-style – that is, she lives with her sheep and goats and she sings to them as she works. She knows each of them intimately and
Beth Parker in Chazy, New York
Beth Parker and her family have a small farm in upstate New York, near the border with Canada and Vermont. It’s beautiful country, close to Lake Champlain. Beth’s Story I am the Parts Manager for a Chevrolet Dealership. My husband and I have a son Parker 13, and our daughter Lily is 10. Chris and I are celebrating 20 years together this year! We have a
Donna Sprankle: Making Mozzarella in Her Instant Pot
Well, this is something new! We were intrigued when we got this note from Donna Sprankle in Ballston Spa, New York: Just wanted to send a thank you. Made my 1 st batch of mozzarella (using my instant pot pressure cooker) and it came out great! Hard to believe that the curds turn into mozzarella! Thanks for making the ingredients available. A quick look at
She Owned a Cheese Shop – Beth Lewand
Beth Lewand and her husband, Chris Gray found a storefront in Brooklyn, New York (Greenpoint) and opened their own cheese (and beer) shop – Eastern District. They owned it from 2010-2017. The shop is still there, very much as it was, but Beth and her husband have moved to western Massachusetts where Beth is now the manager at Cricket Creek Farm in Williamstown. When she
Dan Crowther, Roller Derby Husband and Cheese Maker
Dan Crowther lives in the small village of Valley Falls, NY (population around 450). It’s about 1/2 way between Albany, NY and Bennington, VT. When he first saw our article about Kizzma, the Roller Derby queen who makes cheese (click here) he thought it was an April’s Fool’s joke. Why? Because he makes cheese and his wife rolls with the Hellions of Troy out of