I owe a great deal of gratitude to passionate American cheese makers who were inspired and courageous enough to venture into the world of hand-crafted cheese making. Thank you to these who I consider to be the godmothers and godfathers of the American artisan cheese movement: Jennifer Bice, Laura Chenel, Allison Hooper, Mary Keehn, Paula Lambert, Judy Schad, Tom and Ig Vella, and Celso and Pete Viviani. The crafting of handmade cheese in America began with them. All have generously shared their cheeses, passion, and cheese making expertise over the years and have mentored a new wave of cheese makers. They are the foundation of the American cheese community and continue to contribute daily to its nourishment and sustainability. These artisans are my inspiration for teaching cheese making, making cheese myself, and writing this book.
In addition I want to thank these folks for their support:
Lynne Devereux, for your constant encouragement and unwavering support throughout the years.
David Viviani and Lou Biaggi, of Sonoma Jack, for inviting me to create cheeses with you.
Ted Reader and Napoleon Grills, for showing me how food really should be smoked.
Peter Dixon and Jim Wallace, for lifting the veil on many of the mysteries of cheese making.
Laura Werlin, for making cheese so popular.
Fran Gage and Michael Recchuiti, for your chocolate genius.
Nick Malgieri, for your baking expertise and advice.
Hugs and kisses to the cheese maker contributors: Jill Giacomini Basch and Kuba Hemmerling of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Jacquelyn Buchanan of Laura Chenel’s Chevre, Angela Miller and Peter Dixon of Consider Bardwell Farm, Stan Biasini of Mt. Mansfield Creamery, Kurt Dammeier and Brad Sinko of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Paula Lambert and her ladies of Mozzarella Company, Judy Schad of Capriole, Allison Hooper of Vermont Butter & Cheese, and serious hobbyists Aaron Estes, Nancy Vineyard, and Jim Wallace. Thank you for allowing me to include you.
To my incredible cooking recipe testing team: Kay Austin, team manager, and James Cribb, Suzy Foster, Nancy Lang, Lisa Lavagetto, Annie Simmons, and Sue Simon. Thank you for contributing your practiced palates to my recipes once again.
To my amazing cheese testing team: Sally McComas, team manager, and Lori Bowling, Gabe Jackson, and Robyn Rosemon. Thank you for bringing your cheese making expertise to this project. You are awesome!
A special nod to Sally McComas, for being my cheese assistant extraordinaire. Her thoughtful suggestions and well-honed managerial skills kept me moving forward.
Applause for the Beverage People in Santa Rosa for their staunch support and contributions. Thank you to Bob and Nancy for taking my cheese making class. Thank you for supporting hobbyist cheese makers. Hugs to Robyn, the Cheddar Queen, for her love for all things cheese. Kudos to Gabe Jackson, Maestro pH, for his adventuresome spirit and investigative mind.
Thanks also to the following people:
Bert Archer, my biggest fan, for years of love and coaching.
John Ash, for years of love, encouragement, and generosity.
Bud and Lorrie Polley, for your willingness to taste my cheeses and for years of friendship.
Peter Reinhart, for being there.
Richard and Karen Silverton, for feeding me the scoop on artisan cheese makers.
Liz Thorpe, Sasha Ingram, and Michael Anderson at Murray’s Cheese, for educating cheese-hungry enthusiasts, and approaching cheese with respect and humor.
Annie Simmons, my photo shoot assistant; your acute professionalism made the shoot effortless.
Ed Anderson, photographer, for your artistic eye and wicked humor.
Aaron Wehner, Melissa Moore, and the creative team at Ten Speed Press, for welcoming my vision and producing a beautiful book.
Ricki Carroll, for having the idea way back that cheese making at home would be embraced.
All of the cooking schools who recognize that do-it-yourselfers want to learn to make cheese. Thank you to all who come to my classes.