TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Cheese Road Trip

ADVERTISEMENT

The Associated Press

Published: March 29, 2009

MILWAUKEE - It's possible, even pleasurable, to eat one's way through Wisconsin.

The state has nearly 140 licensed cheese factories, and most are small operations that focus on a few specialty cheeses. That makes it the perfect place to do the dairy equivalent of a Napa Valley winery tour. In a few hours, foodies can sample the only Limburger made in the United States, meet one of the last cheesemakers to use glazed bricks to make brick cheese and try the state's signature cheese curds.

The Department of Tourism is introducing itineraries this spring for driving trips through the eastern and western parts of Wisconsin, and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has outlined alternate routes.

Be prepared to rise early and call before you hit the road. Although many cheesemakers have retail stores that are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., most limit access to the plant because of health regulations. Even at those offering tours or viewing, cheesemaking tends to start early and wrap up before 11 a.m.

Hiram Smith, a farmer on the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents, opened Wisconsin's first cheese factory near Sheboygan in 1859. Today, 1 in every 4 pounds of cheese sold in the U.S. is made in Wisconsin, according to the Milk Marketing Board.

"Wisconsin has developed a reputation as an epicenter for specialty cheese," Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble said.

The U.S. and World Championship Cheese contests are held in Wisconsin in alternate years (this year's was held this month in Green Bay), and the state's cheesemakers have done well in both.

There's no cheesemaking plant in Milwaukee, but groceries and cheese shops carry varieties from across the state. West Allis Cheese and Sausage Shoppe in the Milwaukee Public Market and Wisconsin Cheese Mart are two downtown shops with particularly large selections. Both will package cheese for air and other travel.

One good place to see cheese being made is Widmer's Cheese Cellars in Theresa, about an hour northwest of Milwaukee. The shop opens onto the cheesemaking operation, and visitors can see large vats holding milk and curds.

Work at Widmer's starts about 4:30 a.m. Workers pasteurize milk and add bacteria to ripen and flavor it. About 40 minutes later, they add rennet, an enzyme that curdles and thickens the milk. Then workers cut the cheese into cubes, or curds, which are washed and drained.

Widmer's specializes in brick cheese, which is formed when workers pack curds in molds and place a glazed brick on top to compress the chunks.

IF YOU GO

WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM CHEESE TRAIL: www.travelwisconsin.com

Here are a few cheese stores and producers:

West Allis Cheese & Sausage, 400 N. Water St., Milwaukee, www.wacheese-gifts

.com or (414) 289-8333. Store.

Wisconsin Cheese Mart, 215 W. Highland Ave., Milwaukee, www.wisconsincheesemart

.com or 1-888-482-7700. Store.

Widmer's Cheese Cellars, 214 W. Henni St., Theresa, Wis., www.widmerscheese.com or (920) 488-2503. Store and viewing area. Tours by reservation.

Beechwood Cheese Co., N1598W County Road A, Beechwood, Wis., www

.beechwoodcheese.com or 1-877-224-3373. Crowds line up to buy fresh, warm curds first Saturday of the month, 11 a.m. Store and viewing window.

Arena Cheese, 300 Highway 14, Arena, Wis., www.arena cheese.com or (608) 753-2501. Store and viewing area. Talk on cheesemaking by reservation.

Chalet Cheese Cooperative, N4858 County Road N., Monroe, Wis., (608) 325-4343. Only Limburger maker in the United States. Store.

NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CENTER: 2108 Sixth Ave., Monroe, Wis., www

.nationalhistoriccheesemaking

center.org or (608) 325-4636. Open April 1-Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

WISCONSIN MILK MARKETING BOARD: www.eatwiscon sincheese.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT