Phase I of the Big Adventure:
Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Station, CA

9/13/2005 Arriving in Point Reyes

After a thankfully uneventful flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL to Oakland, CA, I hopped on the airBART bus, followed by BART, followed by a city bus with a kind driver who was helpful enough to shout out my stop as we approached it. The adventure had indeed begun! My friend in Oakland let me borrow his 1986 Ford Mustang (stick-shift) for the duration of my stay. I re-visited Arizmendi, a bakery/pizza shop around the corner from his house. I know this because the aromas wafting from the shop invaded my soul during a yoga class two doors down during my vacation to California a month prior. One could say I HAD to go back. I took the slice of pizza to go and ate it on the way to Point Reyes. I drove and drove and drove. Apparently there was a detour from my designated route; the detour being "the scenic route" (Panoramic Highway). First I drove up the mountain, then I drove down the mountain. Did I mention stick shift?! Forget sight-seeing! However, my excitement allowed me to see the silver lining of this harrowing, hairpin turn filled drive: I was on Mt. Tamalpais. The Cowgirls have a cheese named Mt. Tam

MT TAM
Just North of the San Francisco Bay, Mt. Tamalpais rises like a monument to Northern California's natural beauty. In deference, Cowgirl Creamery named its signature cheese MT TAM. It's a smooth, creamy, elegant, 8-oz, triple-cream - made with tasty organic milk from the Straus Family Dairy. MT TAM is firm, yet buttery with a mellow, earthy flavor reminiscent of white mushrooms. MT TAM won 1st Prize in the soft-ripened category at this year's American Cheese Society competition. (from www.cowgirlcreamery.com)

As I was driving through the clouds (or was that fog?), I was indeed reminded of the gentle layer of white mold that encases each cheese. It served as a nice segue between the city and country.

Finally I entered the city limits of Point Reyes (population 350) and headed straight to the refurbished barn that houses The Cowgirl Creamery. Being closed to the public on Mondays and Tuesdays, things were quiet. Happenstance, Maureen Cunnie, the head cheesemaker was the one who asked if I needed help. We introduced ourselves and she expounded upon her busyness and told me to come back tomorrow morning at 9:00am. It was happening: my nightmare was coming true!!! It felt like a wave crashing over me; a wave I could see swelling on the horizon. From my first contact with her, I sensed that she/they were simply too busy to take on an intern. It was a small operation operating at maximum capacity and to take on an apprentice for merely a week would not serve them, but rather hinder them. It is why she gently rejected me the first time. She was kind and very forthcoming about other creameries that would possibly be more receptive to an intern. (One of which was Jasper Hill Farm, which will become Phase II of the Big Adventure starting October 9.) But a short time later, she contacted my via email to rescind the patent rejection and offer an abbreviated version with a day at the creamery, warehouse and retail shop; following the cheese from milk to the consumer. I was so excited to get to be a part of it at all that I accepted immediately and booked a flight.

But still the nagging feeling of being an obligatory guest persisted in the weeks before my journey. I was apprehensive that they would offer me a standard tour of the factory followed by a tasting and then announce that was all they had planned for me. Certainly I could occupy my time graciously in Northern California, but that was beside the point of the grant. But I tried to quell my fears and remain positive.

And as the wave of disappointment crashed over me and I felt my lungs filling with water, I grasped for a lifeline and inquired about a tour of the mostly deserted factory. Too busy for that as well. The buoy bobbed just out of reach. As I was reading the bulletin board on my way out (to find something to do in town,) Maureen had rethought the idea and assigned Jonathan, a younger cheesemaker who began his tenure here as an extern, to show me around a bit. He was very helpful and knowledgeable. Off the bat he suggested The Cheesemaker's Manual by Margaret Morris as a good read. (Later in the trip I perused the book and found many similarities between the book and the techniques used at The Cowgirl Creamery.)

Some unique points about The Cowgirl Creamery shared by Jonathan: They have a 100-gallon pasteurizing tank, which is very unusual in the U.S. And there is one even smaller, too. Most others in this country are larger. Initially the creamery was set up for fresh cheese making only, i.e. cottage cheese, crème fraiche, farmer's cheese. Their set-up sometimes makes making other cheeses slightly more challenging. The milk is channeled through stainless steel pipes from the outside where trucks deliver it to a holding tank. Then it is channeled to the pasteurizing tank. All Cowgirl cheeses are pasteurized. All milk comes from a specific breed on the farm of Strauss Dairy; note that it's not one of Strauss' cooperative farms that contribute dairy to the Strauss name. Regardless, it is all organic. They add culture at the same time as rennet in the cheese making process. This practice allows them to use a fraction of the culture, as opposed to say spraying it on during the aging process. It also allows the culture to reproduce from the inside out, thus contributing to the character of the cheese. They are experimenting with some of their fresh cheeses that are approaching their sell by date and spraying the outside with penicillium candidum to utilize it and elevate it to something greater, instead of discarding it. (I was able to actually see this in the cheese counter on my final day at the retail shop; details to follow.)

I meandered around town and found a yoga class. The Point Reyes Hostel was tucked deep within the National Seashore (another harrowing drive.) It was bare bones and reminiscent of summer camp, but it was cheap. I am glad it was relatively close so I could pour more money into the educational part of the grant instead of the accommodations part. I did have some very nice co-visitors.

9/14/2005 The Creamery

My first day of work began at 9:00am with a lesson in the importance of sanitation. Shoe soles are dipped into bleach water before entering the creamery. Head directly to the hand-washing sink. Put on uniform shirt, hairnet, cheese cap and perhaps a plastic apron. Then wash hands again because you touched your hair. READY! My first task was an exciting one: removing yesterday's cheese from the brine vat. All of the petite cheese bobbed happily like apples during Halloween. Apparently the brine of a creamery is a point of pride and something to be guarded and nurtured. Following this, the exterior of the vat is scrubbed and rinsed, where in my zeal to clean the vat well, I accidentally knocked one of the cheeses off the rack. Oh dear. The next task of the day was to tear disposable cheesecloth from a large roll in the utility closet. Pieces about yea long, folded like so, until the roll is gone. As a grateful intern, I was happy to perform this duty, though I confess to being dismayed at being in a small closet with no view of the on goings of the creamery. Nevertheless, I decided to be the best cheesecloth folder the Cowgirl Creamery had ever known! Subsequently, I cut some of these cheesecloths into smaller squares to fit into molds later in the day.

Then I was assigned to measuring the ingredients for one of their newer cheeses, Panir. I measured the cream, yogurt, kosher salt, and milk per the regular recipe. And then added additional yogurt and some homemade yogurt because these ingredients needed to be utilized. This was put into the smaller steam-jacketed vessel to heat and stirred almost constantly. Erroneously, the mixture began to separate by itself as it was heating. Maureen's theory is that the pH was too acidic (no known reason) and perhaps some other unseen elements. The resulting cheese had a very poor yield because much of the fat and protein remained in the whey that drained off. She discarded the second half of the batch before it finished.

Curiously, earlier in the day Maureen had discussed such failed cheese attempts with the culprits being foreigners in the creamery. For example, anytime a work crew comes in to repair a piece of machinery, patch a wall, or repair the floor, the cheese freaks out! Similarly, any time there is a new cheese maker, the starter culture dies. It's just a living thing that is very sensitive to change. I secretly hoped I wasn't the cause of the failed Panir. I tried to keep my "flora and fauna" to myself.

Later in the day, I trailed with Jonathan as he made Red Hawk. The milk and the cream in the vat get inoculated with bacteria and rennet; the setting "curdling/renneting" begins to take place. After about 40 minutes, give or take, he checks for readiness by inserting a chef's knife at a 45° angle and bending it toward the ceiling. As the curd lifts, it will form a seam and break. Ideally it will be a clean break with no warbles. Another test is to take a shallower angle and flip it like a pancake. Then watch for how quickly the whey fills in the void "senarisis". Too early makes a bad cheese as does too late. There is however a small window of acceptability where there will be an unnoticeable difference in the final product. When Jonathan felt it was ready, he cut the curd into cubes using a vertical cutter once and a horizontal cutter twice.

The smaller space in the wires, the smaller the cubes, which means more surface area is exposed to bacteria and rennet. Which results in tighter "knitting" (the compactness of the cheese.) For example, Camembert or Brie has large cubes. Then we wait. Then he stirred with the stirring stick.

And continued to cut with the chef's knife in case any slipped past the large cutters. Then the cheese is allowed to rest. Then stir for about 30 minutes to avoid clumping of curd "matting". Jonathan is always on the lookout for undesirable breakage of the curd "shattering". [The next day, Maureen commented that it is very demoralizing when your cheese shatters. Not unlike breaking a mayonnaise, except on a much greater scale.] Then drain the whey (all whey is saved and collected by a local farmer to feed his pigs). Then it is rinsed with fresh water and stirred some more. And that's when it happened for me! That's when the light bulb turned on! That's when the miracle of cheese became apparent to me! DRAINING THE WHEY FROM THE CURD TAKES FOOD AWAY FROM THE BACTERIA. That's why cheese can exist in the danger zone, yet milk cannot. Jonathan said this as a matter of course, but I was so happy to have a summarized broad understanding of cheese making. It was like a leash on an unwieldy beast.

Continuing, the curds and whey are scooped and dumped into plastic forms with tiny drain holes, which are lined with disposable cheesecloth. Each mold is filled then allowed to drain (they are lined up on a drain table). The cheesecloth is then tweaked and pulled taut so the cheese does not firm up with creases. Then they are topped off again with remaining curd to the point of mounding. Jonathan noted that the cheese should begin to "knit". The molds are covered with sheets of real cheesecloth, then topped with weighted lids. Wait. Then the cheeses are turned over in their forms, the sheets of cheesecloth are replaced, as are the lids, and they are left to set overnight.

As I left, I could feel my head whirring with all the nuance and subtleties of the cheese making process. Details to make it better, easier; minute temperature adjustments; stirring a minute more or less; the proper lay in the form in the cheesecloth. It all matters. And so, it is very important to take detailed notes (make sheet) so one can review them at the tasting six weeks later. One must develop one's own vocabulary for what you see and experience during the cheese making process, to what you see and experience during the tasting. Really, there is no other way to remember after that much time.

A concern has been voiced about having four cheese makers-too many different approaches create inconsistency. When one is so intimately involved with the process, it seems that one almost becomes another ingredient and contribution to the cheese.

It seems the Cowgirl Creamery is set to expand greatly very soon. They are looking for a new creamery in the Marin area. In truth, the current place was designed for production of fresh cheese only. And it's quite a balancing act of time and space to make the cheeses they do. Ideally they would like to only make Red Hawk in Pt. Reyes Station because of the terroir. There seems to be a good amount of b. linens in the air, which is what helps that cheese ripen along. Then make all the others at the larger creamery. Also, they are looking for a retail spot in Washington D.C. so they can have a trans-continental transportation option.

To me, these ideas seem like the logical next steps, but I would worry that it may lose some of its artisinal appeal as it heads toward medium scale. But then again they're spreading the word and the product. They see it as an opportunity to let others rise to the occasion, which is also positive. I think the Cowgirls are thinking globally and acting locally, and now have an opportunity to ACT more than locally. It seems the cheese is the vehicle. They are very special people with a focused vision. They consider their choices carefully with the outcomes and impacts in mind.

9/15/2005 "Running Down a Dream"

The day began at 6:00am with Maureen at the creamery. Moved yesterday's Mt. Tam cheeses into the brine water bath. Dunk them. Add one box of kosher salt. (One box is added every batch, plus one case per week. Wow!) Then onto washing forms. Here I made yet another sanitation faux pas: cannot wipe down a small mess with bleach water rag. Must be cleaned first-then sanitized with the rag. Soap for sink is just detergent because these items get rinsed and sanitized in bleach water. Soap for scrubbing buckets for equipment has bleach and detergent. Then I measured starter culture/bacteria for 2 recipes. Must be careful and exact with different types of bacteria.

Then off to consult with Sue about the rest of the day. She has tried to coordinate some field trips. Strauss Dairy did not happen unfortunately. Instead, I was sent to Redwood Hill Goat Farm. This was a two hour drive up the coast past dairy farms and oyster beds. It felt like a treasure hunt. Met Scott, the goat tender and youngest of ten children. His older sister, Jennifer owns the company started by their father as a 4-H project. Their goats win blue ribbons in shows, as well as their cheeses.

The goats are separated by purpose and stage in life. Young kids, new males for breeding (the aromatic ones), pregnant females, nursing/milking females, old daddies-quite mature for breeding. It should be noted that some of these were quite stylish with coiffures and goatees; one almost had the appearance of a lion his mane was so hairy! One goat had fallen ill and had to be kept in a separate pen, but they put a companion goat in an adjacent pen so he wouldn't feel like he was "in timeout". Scott knows all of their names. Mid-day, they lounge under cover of the barn sheds, but in the cooler hours they roam through the woods to graze and feed. They return by instinct when it is time to milk.

During the breeding season, they arrange dates to try to achieve certain strong traits. Because the two prospects share a common fence, they can sniff each other out in an animalistic courtship. Then once the two are in the mating pen, it really only takes a few minutes before the deed is done. Sometimes they give them more time for a second round just in case. That's ten minutes (or less) later. (Shazam!) Gestation is five months and they kid between one and three. The kids are weaned at ten weeks.

Milkers are dairied twice daily. They get food pellets while they are hooked up to the pumps. Iodine is used to prep the teats and pumps. The goats are usually glad for the relief! I bid Scott and the goats farewell and was off in search of Matos Farm. The only directions I had from Sue was that it was "off 116". That Scott would know where it was. Well, he didn't! And thus another adventure began… Scott could point me in the direction of Llanos Road. By some miracle considering my sense of direction, I found the road and traveled down it until I came upon a worn-down, plywood sign spray painted with the words "Matos Cheese Factory" [plus an arrow]. So I turned here with suspicion and traveled down more severe country roads to another sign "Cheese Factory" [plus an arrow]. Then the road turned to dirt and I passed the cows and tractors until there is an old house and a barn. As I walked through the unlocked door, a bell rang. A Portuguese woman, Fernanda, entered the foyer where I stood. Without a word, she took a slice of St. George Cheddar from the only wheel on display (by this I mean a single old glass counter with the cheese in it covered by a mesh dome) and handed it to me to taste. I tasted it and said, "Si." (Not bad for a gringa.) One pound for $5.67… a steal! But they want to keep it reasonable for their Portuguese friends and neighbors. I took a look around the aging room, which was floor to ceiling wood shelves with their only cheese on it, arranged youngest to oldest.

The whole trip thus far seemed surreal in a Gus Van Sant sort of way. I'm so glad I tracked it down because I was somewhat spent emotionally from the ride out to Sebastapol. I think it takes the average driver an hour, albeit it took me two. And thus concluded my cheese assignments for the day, but it was only 2:30pm, so I continued the adventure by calling my brother who happened to be visiting Napa for the purpose of proposing to his girlfriend! (He had it pre-arranged with the people from Quintessa.) I started the trek east to liaison with them. I called on the way to say that I had the cheese and the apples (from a road side orchard stand) and some good Italian chocolate. I smelled of goat and was coming over!! All we needed was some wine and bread and we had ourselves a party!

Frank and LeeAnna were crossing the street in front of me as I rolled into Yountville. We walked to the grocer's and Frank got a bottle of 2002 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon; and to Bouchon Bakery for a pull-apart baguette ring. The bed and breakfast Petit Logis had, as a matter of course, a cheese plate, knife and wine key. We sat on the veranda and fore-went some wine tours to stay in each other's company. We were all so content!

Then we had dinner at Domaine Chandon to conclude a wonderful day. This whole day had been so rewarding and to get to be around my brother on the night before his engagement was just exhilarating! By the way, LeeAnna said yes.

9/16/2005 Tomales Bay Foods Warehouse in Petaluma

I met Maureen at the Creamery to get directions to the warehouse. They distribute over 200 cheeses from around the world, country and region. They import French cheeses from Jean d'Alos (whom I met on my trip to Bordeaux in 2001.) Doing inventory of all the cheeses was kind of boring, of course; but that wasn't the true assignment. By taking part in this task, I was exposed to all of the cheeses. They turn the cheeses once per week and try to keep like cheeses together. Small, especially moldy cheeses are kept in a cabinet. The blues are kept together to prevent the penicillin from ending up on the cheddar, and the like. It is quite cold, as they are not trying to age the cheeses further, simply hold them. I was able to sample a handful of cheeses: Abbeye de Beloc, Cowgirl Creamery Pierce Point, Rocollo, Foglie di Noci, Emmi cave-aged Gruyere, Sottocenere, Bellwether Farms San Andreas, Three Sisters Serena, and Vella Monterey. I caught a glimpse of the Mail Order Corral and other administrative aspects of the operation.

In the morning, Sue, Peggy and some others did a tasting of three Red Hawks from three consecutive days because they've been having consistency and over-ripening issues due to the b. linens. I found it amazing that the three were distinctly different and VERY different from the one I had received a week earlier back home (to prepare myself for the externship.) I think mine was overly ripe, though some prefer it that way. They pinpointed what they liked about these three and decided to pull the overly-ripe ones from the distribution cycle. I don't know what will become of them. I thought I heard mention of Katrina Victims?! While this was a noble thought, I had a hard time envisioning a hard-struck family opening a Red Hawk along with their other rations of military meals and bottled water…

I took a lunch break at a recommended taqueria in town, Mi Pueblo. Quite good. And I enjoyed the sweet California weather for ninety minutes before heading to a wine and cheese tasting at Della Fattoria. This is primarily a bakery and a lunch spot for some simple and straightforward plates. And I mean simple and straightforward in the best possible way. The dishes were so vibrantly fresh and dressed with delicate olive oil and a pinch of fleur de sel. I loved their honesty! Although this was a Friday night and they were open specifically for this cooperative food and wine pairing with Sue from Cowgirl Creamery. Sue chose Mountain Cheeses as a focus, so all the selections were large wheels. Each participant was given descriptive papers about the wine and the cheese. There was one large communal table plus some other smaller ones. This place was full of charm, from the window treatments to the lighting to the tables to the cases. And this speaks nothing to the grace of the people operating it or the delicacies they were peddling. I would have liked to imbibe more and to stay longer, but I had to make my way into San Francisco for my next hostel, which I learned was in "The Tenderloin." Everyone cringed a little when I told them the location and warned me to be careful, that there were all sorts of characters in this part of town. Lo and behold, it was true!! As I walked the three blocks or so from the parking garage to the hostel, I saw prostitutes, drug thugs, homeboys, transvestite prostitutes, homeless people and a few others I couldn't quite categorize. I wonder what category they put me in?! Needless to say, I walked as fast as I could and held my personal affects tightly to my body.

Once in the hostel, it was a wonderful escape. This was a Victorian-style hotel or apartment building once upon a time and it still maintained much of its historical appeal. There were all sorts of international travelers and the staff here was young and hip and highly knowledgeable. Here there were only four people to a room with a bathroom. I got a good night's rest and checked out in the morning.

9/17/2005 Ferry Plaza

WHAT AN AMAZING GATHERING THIS PLACE IS!!!!! I know it didn't happen overnight, but they have made a gourmand's fantasy a reality by bringing all of these producers together. I arrived early so I could take in the wonders of The Embarcadero. The farmer's market was more beautiful and lively than any other I've seen. I sampled a peach and walked on, but had to return to buy it! Then I dashed over to the Saint Benoît yogurt booth. The makers are Alsatian French. The flavor I chose was honey from Marshall Field Farm. It came in an individual ceramic crock and cost $4.00 minus $1.25 if you returned the crock. With my peach, no less! And I indulged in a pain au chocolate from Acme Bakery. I bought apples that were picked yesterday and learned, much to my chagrin, that most grocery store apples are about three months off the tree.

I wandered about and found a few more treasures, then went to the Cowgirl Creamery retail shop. I met with Nan (who is Sue's partner) and worked with her behind the fresh cheese case. Many tourists but a lot of regulars as well. Sheep and cow ricotta, mascarpone, crème fraîche, cottage cheese, fromage blanc, chevre, bocconcini and a new item from Cowgirl Creamery: Farralon. As mentioned on day one of this journal, this cheese is the fromage blanc that Maureen tries to utilize before it reaches its expiration date. She forms them and then sprays the outside with penicillin so they approach a Brie-like quality. So far, she is not entirely pleased with the outcome of the rind, so she has the shop marinate them in McEvoy organic olive oil, black peppercorns, dried red chiles and fresh herbs. People are loving it! I wonder what will happen when she finally gets it just right and will sell it as is. Will people already be hooked?

I ventured over to the aged cheese counter but couldn't really get close without being in the way. There was a lot of hustle going on! I purchased a few souvenirs and took the street car back through San Francisco to the parking garage (I made a point to take this journey during day light hours! I drove to Oakland to return my friend's car; the two of us grabbed a bite to eat at Barnie's and he gave me a lift to the hotel near the airport. I must admit I was happy to have a room to myself after so many nights of shared lodging. I took the hotel shuttle to the airport early in the morning and brought Phase I of the Big Adventure to a close. I smiled the whole way home!

~Francy Deskin

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