I am a retired environmental engineer who recently moved to Colorado Springs, CO. I make cheese at least once a week.
My previous job had me designing and implementing ways to clean up contaminated soil and groundwater. One of my specialties involved the use of microbes to reduce the concentrations of harmful chemicals. Cheesemaking gives me similar challenges and delicious edible rewards.
I enjoy using my engineering background to solve problems and overcome obstacles that occur during cheesemaking. I love that even failures can still turn out delicious.
There’s always more to learn and I look forward to using the Brevibacterium Linens I recently ordered from your store.
How I got started:
I started making cheese after ending a 30-year relationship less than two years ago.
I was at a low point and living at my brother’s house. My days consisted mostly of watching YouTube videos and moping. I found Gavin Webber’s channel and began watching for his calm and methodical manner.
My brother and I home brew craft beers and he suggested I try making cheeses to go with some of our specialty beers.
I followed the videos and ordered the necessary ingredients from your store.
My brother surprised me with a cheese press he ordered online and I started on my first recipe. It was an improperly aged Edam that lacked flavor (I must have lost a lot of milk fat mistreating the curds).
I have since made swiss, cheddar, queso fresco, panir (also Ras malai, an Indian dessert), parmesan, Monterey jack, ricotta, stout cheddar (with our own home brew stout), blue goat cheese and Camembert.
It has helped me learn patience, consistency and persistence.
In January 2020, I left Florida on a road trip that would change my life. Heading west, I took my clothes, a toiletry bag and a Monterey jack I had made.
I planned to catch up with friends and family and ended up at the home of a childhood friend in Colorado Springs.
She was the girl across the street from me while growing up. We reconnected in a way I could never have anticipated and I moved my possessions from Florida to Colorado.
On January 1, 2021, we tied the knot in a socially distanced ceremony. A lot of people grumble about 2020, but I found the love of my life.
I have discovered that the quality of dairy products in my area is very high. This has inspired me to try making new cheeses such as Sainte-Maure de Touraine and Marcellin.
The quality of goat milk here has inspired me to make Crottin. I came up with the idea for mini-Crottin in hopes of shortening the aging process for this white mold cheese.
The ones in the pics below were cultured with Choozit Geotrichum Candidum (GEO17 LYO 10 D) and chèvre (C20G).
I pick up 1/2 gallon of goat milk each week and have most recently been making bloomy chèvres.
Cheesemaking has taught me patience and faith. I wanted to make these as small gifts for Christmas but the majority were not ready. As Tom Petty once said “The waiting is the hardest part.”
Thank you for providing the tools, ingredients and knowledge that introduced me to the wonderful world of cheesemaking.
Martin Corbett says
Beautiful Story
That Cheese press needs stainless steel washers under the big butterfly screws.
Martin 🙂
Diane says
I also have discovered a high school classmate, who is also an engineer, and now have discovered the world of cheesemaking! What a sweet story!!
Alice says
Such a great story, thanks for sharing!
Susan says
BTW I love the domed shape of the hand-formed, charcoal dusted mini Crottins. But in the first picture they do not appear to be domed. Does the domed shape happen during drying/aging naturally (ie, slumping) after being formed, or am I misreading the first picture and they are actually more domed at the outset. Your finished result is like little half snowballs which I find extremely attractive! Very much reminds me of a famous cheese from Vermont!
Love your Crottins, Saint-Maure de Tauraine and all of your other wonderful creations.
And that towel that Mrs. is holding is the BOMB!
Congratulations and kudos!
What a wonderful story!! I’m so happy that you found new love in the form of a dear childhood friend. Wishing much love, happiness and laughter for you both!!
Keep on Cheesing’!! : )
Perfect match- great story
What a great story! Truly a cheese adventure. I’m in the environmental industry as well, and never even thought of the parallel until reading your story!! Thanks for sharing. I really need to get more daring in my cheese making!
Hi, I notice more than a few cheese makers on this blog vacuum-pack their cheeses. At what point of the process do you do this? I have the cheese making book but it doesn’t talk about vacuum packing.
Thanks
I vac pack my longer aged cheeses because there are a variety of cultures being grown and I want to keep everything separated in one small aging space. I recently had to disinfect the entire cave from a particularly stubborn blue mold. It even infected a canestrato that likely wasn’t fully sealed.
thanks, I figured it was for the longer aged cheeses, but, what I meant is at what point in the process are you comfortable vacuum packing so there is no accumulation of water as the cheese ages.
thanks again…
So proud of you Paul. God is in control of all things and He will continue to bless you as you continue to trust him. So, so, happy for you! Can’t wait to try some of your creations!!!!
Paul I loved reading this post. Thanks fir sharing.
Wonderfull story you tell sir. You truly inspire me to belive in late love, and good cheese making😄 Thanks a lot for sharing🙏
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Great story
What a charming and inspiring story. Welcome to Colorado – you’ll meet a lot of fellow home-cheesemakers here (when we can finally get out and start meeting people again)!
I am looking forward to it.
I just love your hand-formed cheeses! I never thought of doing that…but I am going to try it. They are really beautiful!
Keep going…
Just remember to pre-drain the cheese before hand molding. I usually let the curds drain in butter muslin in a colander for about an hour; then tie the corners and hang overnight to drain. The next morning I remove the curds, salt and mill them, place them back into the butter muslin and drain for another half day or so until the texture resembles play dough.
At this point the cheese can be hand molded or placed in molds or forms.
Paul, so glad you found the love of your life, and congratulations to you and your wife upon your matrimony January 1, 2021! I am also an engineer in distant background, chemical engineering to be specific. Further experience in medicine really pared down my cheese making skills. Although working with bacterial cultures and molds is new to me, I have a healthy respect for their microbial activities in my cheeses.
I have yet to attempt a truly blooming cheese, but I have Camembert on my plan next month. It will be my first truly soft, blooming cheese. I do have a Tomme de Savoie aging and working on a surface bloom in my cave.
Your blooms are inspiring! I also note that you vacuum pack your cheeses to age when not to bloom. How has this effected your aging outcomes? I know some say that vacuum packing doesn’t allow the cheese to breath, and thus aging is hindered. What is your experience?
Best of experience to you, sir! Great article and wonderful photos!
Charles Delcambre
There are some advantages to vac packing that are mostly selfish. The bloomy blues receive that airflow without cross contamination of the longer aged cheeses. I love the look of cheeses aged in the open but would rather not end up with 10 pounds of blue cheese.
The balance of flora in my cave is perfect for these bloomy blues but probably not diverse enough for longer aged cheeses.