In my neck of the woods, I know of two local cheese companies. (Not counting Kraft, which has a plant here.) The Mozzarella Company, which is near downtown Dallas and sells their cheeses at places like Central Market and maybe Whole Foods, and Lucky Layla, in Garland, which is more of a yogurt company, but they do make cheese as well. I've never been to visit the Mozzarella company, so I don't know if they have a store front. Lucky Layla does not, but they sell their products at the above mentioned stores.

There are places in Texas, such as Fredricksburg, that have artisan cheese shops, but Fredricksburg is a tourist town near Austin, in the Hill Country, and they have lots of artisan shops of all kinds, mostly galleries. A cheese shops fits in there better than one would in the Dallas area.

Sally

We have a few local dairies that make their own cheese and also some goat cheese producers. A friend of mine and her family operate the Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, North Carolina. They sell their goat cheese at the large NC farmers' market on the interstate near Greensboro and they also sell to local restaurants. The dairy farm is organic and now they offer Community Supported Agriculture shares during the growing season. Shareholders get a box of produce each week according to what is in season.

Teresa

Here is a link that might be useful: Goat Lady Dairy

We have many world-class cheesemakers in America, and also many more local producers of good (not great) everyday cheese. My preference is for the original source of the cheese; if you want Gruyére or Gorgonzola, go with the European ones. But there are lots of original, wonderful American cheeses.

I live in Connecticut and we have a "cheese trail" that runs pretty much along our state's "wine trail". We're a very small state and almost all of our locally produced cheese stays in Connecticut. We've even got national award winning cheeses but nobody has ever heard of them. You'll find them though at many of our better restaurants and seasonal farmer's markets.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Connecticut Cheese Trail

We have a lot of specialty cheesemakers in Oz as well, and earlier this year I flew across the country specially to attend an artisan cheesemakers festival :-) OK I'm a cheese nerd :-)

Here in north central Maryland we have dairy farms that make their own cheeses and ice creams. They sell them at local farmers markets and a few new dairy stores that have opened in the past few years. They make some very good cheeses.

I love cheese, but can't have much now, so what I buy lasts a long time.

We also have locally made cheese, including an internationally known raclette from Black Star Farms which has won numerous awards at international cheese "compeetitions" and that's so popular you almost can't find it to buy it. I even took a cheese making class at a local organic dairy.

We have a large dairy near us that makes organic cheese from milk from grass fed cattle and another one that makes "just cheese". A couple make goat's milk cheeses and some have cheese caves and make the aged and/or moldy cheese types.

Elery loves cheese. I can take it or leave it and I usually leave it. (shrug) I like the process of making cheese and like to make my own mozzarella when I'm making pizza for the kids or my own ricotta for lasagna, but I like the process better than I like the product, I guess.

Annie

A lot of cheese made in CA and some of it even good, LOL. A number of artisanal cheese makers have sprung up since the 1980's, one of the most famous being Laurel Chenel's fresh chevre. She has since gone on to other things, selling her business to a corporation that still makes pretty darn good chevre.

But the premier goat cheese vendor is now Cypress Grove. Their Humboldt Fog and the bleu are amazing. We thought it was quite funny when we went to the East Coast and ate lunch at Hudson House in Nyack, NY, only to encounter a cheese plate with two of the four cheeses from Cypress Grove!

Cypress is now getting into sheep's milk cheeses and their Lamb Chopper was the unanimous hit at our Xmas dinner this year. An absolutely beautiful semi-soft all by itself, no need for crackers or fruit to set it off.

Nicasio is not my fav but my sister loves their version of the Italian cheese, Taleggio.

I grew up in Chicago so everybody eats cheese, and much of it is from Wisconsin. When I buy commercial packaged cheese I prefer Sargento, which is HQed in WI. Not gourmet but good for everyday cooking.

NY's Black Diamond cheddar is still, IMHO, one of the world's greatest cheddars. I fell in love with it at the very first bite, some four decades ago. I had never had an uncolored cheddar before, either. Makes the most amazing mac'n'cheese ever.

My spouse loves Brie, but I prefer Fromager d'Affinois, both from France. There is nothing better with our local Acme Bakery sweet French baguettes, eaten with Saag pate and Genova salame (both local) - yum!

Colleen, you may be a cheese nerd, but I think I am part mouse. I must have cheese each day.

I live just south of Wisconsin, land of the cheese heads, so I have fast access to a number of dairies, but still prefer the imports for some cheese. Cambazola, Dutch gouda, Italian gorganzola, Danish Blue, english cheddars.

I used to buy this cheese straight from the owners, but now I can get it at our local Whole Foods and a few other stores. I'm not sure if it's available nationally.

We had another company that made outstanding cheeses, but it closed a several years ago and will be reopening soon in Wisconsin. I'm looking forward to it because I have really missed their cheeses. I'm a cheese nut!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mouco Cheese

There are many artisan cheese makers here but it will never be Europe! The vast majority of people buy cheese at the grocery store in cellophane wrapped blocks and the cheese is basic and usually acceptable if nothing more. Not gourmet!
Better cheeses cost more and that typically is the deciding factor, along with lack of appreciation and food education.

In my very nearby area, there is a well known locally made bleu cheese ( Clemson) and a goat cheese producer. Both are good cheeses but I don't think they are better than the national brands available at the grocery store for much less. But even that separates me from the majority of people who wouldn't buy goat cheese anyway.

Recently, I had two conversations with two men (40-50 yrs old) who are college educated and fairly well traveled if not overally sophisticated and definitely not foodies. Neither had ever had goat cheese.
Both would order a cheeseburger in a fine restaurant if it was available! One at least knew what Kobe Beef was.

I know what to make next time they come over!

I'm in WI and there are at least a dozen fabulous artisanal cheese producers within an hour of Madison. Many have their own retail outlets, but even more are carried in the local grocery stores and co ops. Even the Piggly Wiggly in my little town carries a few different cheeses from a few different makers. Madison is definatley a "foodie" town, and it's really nice to be able to get these fabulous cheeses locally.

Yes, there are those people who will grab a celo-wrapped chunk of store brand cheddar and not look any further, but why get that when right next to it is a washed rind goat's milk bleu that will knock your socks off!! Not criticizing anyone's taste, with cheese as many things, cost is indicative of quality. I will certainly grab the block of celo-wrapped cheddar if it's appropriate to what I am doing with it. You don't need $20 a pound artisanal cheddar in a pasta salad!

Steve

I used to live in Massachusetts where there are many artisanal cheese makers producing excellent cheeses easily rivaling the best European cheeses. In Vermont many of the sheep farmers have converted to keeping goats because there is little demand for lamb or wool, and goats are less costly to farm. So chevres, boucheron style cheeses and others are found in small numbers in specialty shops. Formaggio's in Cambridge is the best cheese shop I know, bar none. If you're ever in the area, stop by and enjoy a tasting. They keep their own cellars to age cheeses until they're ready for eating.

Now we're in the Southwest where we've found a few local cheeses, including Old Windmill, a decent goat cheese. They also offer cheese making workshops. We get great Californian cheeses. I just came back from San Francisco where the Cowgirl Creamery shop in the Ferry Building is one of my regular stops. I always get Red Hawk, and Redwood Farm Camellia, then look around for anything else that's new.

I eat cheese almost every day, starting most weekend mornings with a bagel and good cheese. I wish there were a US cheese to rival Brie de Meaux or Parmigiano Reggiano. If there is, let me know!

I don't like the idea of US vs Europe. I like cheeses from both areas but I always support my local farmers when possible.

Cheryl

Oh Steve, but if you put the $20/lb artisanal cheese in the pasta salad it will elevate it from nice to _awesome_ :-)
Pkramer, I don't think I am part mouse as I like cats too much, but I loooooove cheese. Funnily enough as a child I would only eat Kraft slices (and still have a crazy fondness for them in grilled cheese sandwiches :-) ).
A quick and easy (and yummy) mac and cheese is to cook your pasta (I like penne) and add some butter to coat then some crumbled Gorgonzola dolce and some grated Parmesan. Let the heat of the pasta melt the cheeses. Mmmm.
Last time we were in Melbourne together DH and I discovered Meredith Valley marinated goats cheese which is really, really good. Only one store I visit semi-regularly carries it. Last time I was there it was $2 a jar off, so I bought three jars! (And we still had a jar part-consumed.) DH looks into the fridge and says, "Why do we seem to have cornered the market on goat cheese?"

It's been great reading about all your cheeses. I was sure that you didn't have to resort to sending cheese half the way round the planet! Anyway, the best cheeses will always be found close to home. You didn't think the french were going to let go of their best stuff, did you? ;)

Oh, yes, I forgot about the people selling flavored goat cheese at the Tahlequah Farmer's Market the last time I got to go to it. We're not usually there on Saturday mornings, so I rarely get to visit the farmers market, but I enjoy the local artisans there when I do. The couple's flavored goat cheese was delicious, and ranged from various herb flavors to honey almond. I wish I remembered the name of their company/farm.

Colleen, I grew up eating, then making what my mother called (spelling phonetic) Pasta Shoota. I've mentioned it before on this forum. It's basically the same thing that you do, but we toss spaghetti with lots of garlic, olive oil and blue cheese. The easiest "mac and cheese" one could make, and oh so decadent.

Sally

I agree, Islay, the best food is usually found close to home. That goes for produce, cheese, eggs, many things. There are some things that are only produced in a single place and there are no good replacements. However, much of the time products are better for having not been shipped thousands of miles from their origin.

Annie

Good read from our local paper last week:

Domestic favorite cheeses of 2012
Janet Fletcher, San Francisco Chronicle, December 28, 2012

Looking back at a year of columns, I'm surprised by how many American cheeses I featured. Availability provides part of the answer. Americans keep opening creameries, and existing creameries keep creating new cheeses. Membership in the American Cheese Society has doubled in the past decade, and the 1,700-plus entries in the society's competition broke records again.

Distributors and retailers do their part by taking a risk on these unproven new cheeses. It's easy to find buyers for Mount Tam or Pleasant Ridge Reserve, award-winning cheeses with avid fans. But how do you move a high-priced newbie with no name recognition? The brief life span of many cheeses puts extra pressure on distributors and retailers to stock only brisk sellers.

That's all the more reason to applaud Cream and the Crop, a new Bay Area distributor specializing in American artisan producers like Fraga Farms in Oregon and Alemar Cheese in Minnesota.

In that spirit, I'd like to return the spotlight to some favorite domestic cheeses I highlighted in 2012. They're not all new, but all strike me as having exceptional merit. If you haven't yet tasted them, put them high on your shopping list.

Here is a link that might be useful: 10 Domestic Cheese in 2012

I have tried the Alemar Camembert and it is fabulous! They sell at the Minneapolis Farmer's Market. It is expensive but I find myself buying a little bit and savoring each taste with a bite of fruit. They also sell at the Farmer's Market in downtown Minneapolis on Thursdays. Often a small portion of Alemar Cam is my entire lunch.

Another premium Minnesota cheesemaker is AmaBlu - the Cheese Caves of Faribault. I had the opportunity to visit their store in downtown Faribault in October. They have three blue veined cheeses. It is the first cave aged blue cheese in America beating out Maytag by less than a decade. I was not able to taste and compare their Blu to Maytag - but I believe they each have their own merits and are excellent.

I don't buy European cheeses very often anymore. I do like Jarlsburg for some things however. With the local cheesemakers and the fabulous award winning cheeses from the happy cows in California (and Wisconsin) - I need look no further than the USA!

Well that's a thumbs up for your local cheeses!

Well, I'm a Univore when it come to cheese! Just made that up - "universal" cheese lover.

When we lived in the Netherlands, initially we revelled in the Dutch cheeses but as a little time passed we became bored with the slight differences in choice offered and had access to venues that sold terrific French and German cheese. I fell in love with cheese over there!!

I have to say I really missed sharp aged cheddar from the States. Occasionally we could buy English cheddar, but it was so prohibitively priced we just made ourselves happy with French, German and Dutch varieties.

Planning a trip back to Holland and France in April. Life is short. Eat cheese!

seagrass

We're lucky to have some wonderful local cheeses in Eastern Ontario and of course Quebec! Quebec is probably the best of the Canadian cheese making areas in my estimation but Prince Edward county in Ontario is giving them a good run. A 6 year old raw milk Canadian cheddar from Quebec is to die for! My very favourite thing is to pick up fresh curd when visiting cheese making establishment. I love fresh curds!

Although we can get excellent cheeses locally, I still love imported cheeses, especially from France. When we were in France I could barley speak I was so overwhelmed with the incredible selection. I wasn't comfortable enough discussing the cheeses with the vendor in French so I would watch for quite a long time to see what cheeses people were selecting and then just point! LOL

Cheryl, if you enjoy Cowgirl Creamery cheeses, take a look at this blog. I found the link through our local SF Chronicle website and really enjoyed the read. The blog also has an active link to the two dozen+ cheese vendors on the West Marin-Sonoma County "Cheese Trail".

Here is a link that might be useful: The Insider's Guide to Cowgirl Creamery

jkom - thank you for the link. I love Cowgirl Creamery cheeses and the shop. I'm in SF every December for a conference, and make a pilgrimage to the Ferry Building to buy Recchiuti chocolates and CC cheese. I get something from Acme and take it outside to eat while watching the ferries cross the water. I know the Ferry Building is very touristy, but I look forward to my visit every year.

Cheryl

I love the Ferry Bldg too, and used to buy stuff from the Tues farmers market every week when I worked nearby. The vendor with the chocolate walnuts saw me regularly, LOL.

It was always hard buying presents for my mom, but one year I gifted her with an ounce of five different types of dried porcini from the Mushroom Shop inside the Ferry Bldg. She was in heaven!

We have tried many artisanal chocolates, but I agree Recchiuti is still the best. Having lost Joseph Schmidt and Scharffenberger to BigCorp; e.g. Hershey (boo! hiss!), I truly hope Michael Recchiuti continues to make his magnificent bittersweet chocolates for a long, long time.

They are, BTW, fantastic to eat with a glass of Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine.....woohoo!

jkom,

I am in bay area and we love cowgirl. I had not realized the other cheeses they make. We will look into the ferry plaza bldg on our next trip there. The Devil's Gulch sounds amazing!