Customer Reviews

The Cheeses of Vermont: A Gourmet Guide to Vermont's Artisanal Cheesemakers

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For several years now I've been placing my order with Cabot Farms or Grafton village for some of their wonderful, aged, Vermont white cheddar cheese. Wisconsin not withstanding, I am convinced that the finest cheddar cheeses in the world come from Vermont, not to mention the fact that they are found in some of the most gorgeous settings to be found anywhere. You can't help but picture New England on a snowy winter's day.

That's why this book was such a great read. I was already familiar with many of the Farms mentioned by Mr. Tewksbury, having visited many of their websites in the past, but I certainly found some new places I was not aware of. Learning about Vermont's cheesemakers and the products they lovingly craft makes eating them all the more enjoyable. Tewksbury tells us where and how each artisan makes cheese, which operations welcome visitors, and where to purchases the cheeses.

Thank God for the Internet because no matter where you live you can have these wonderful products of Vermont sent right to your doorstep.

Henry Tewksbury spent the better part of his career as Peter Tewksbury in California, where he produced films and TV shows, such as Father Knows Best and My Three Sons. In his later years, he started a second life in Vermont as a cheese expert and consultant and to mark the change, reverted to his real first name, Henry. Tewksbury's transformation from Hollywood bigwig to small town cheese connoisseur is oddly parallel to that of many of the cheesemakers whose stories he tells in this informative and engaging book. While a few were born and raised on the farm, others left successful jobs in law, finance, teaching and other professions for the lure of healthy country living and the chance to try something new.

There are several well written and comprehensive guides available for selecting and serving artisanal and farmstead cheeses from around the world, including many that are produced in the USA. What sets this book apart from all the rest is its focus on the hard-working people who have created these fine cheeses: how they got started in the business, how they learned about making cheese (often with the help of others who came before them, but sometimes also through trial and error), and what their daily life is like. Of course, there is also information about each producer's cheeses, along with Tewksbury's personal assessment. His admiration for what these cheesemakers have accomplished, their vision and passion, and the originality of each cheese shines through in the writing.

Potential readers should understand that the book is a snapshot of Vermont's artisanal cheese movement as it existed about five years ago when the book was researched and written. Most of the information remains valid today, but a few things have changed. The most notable "omission" is Mateo and Andy Kehler from Jasper Hill Farm in northeast Vermont. Their cheeses are now considered to be among the very best made in America, but they were not yet in operation at the time the book was written. Unfortunately, Henry Tewksbury died the year after the book was published, so unless someone else takes up the charge, there will be no update. That, however, should not deter the cheese enthusiast who wants to know "the story behind the story" of farmstead cheesemaking. Highly recommended!