Eureka! Finding California's Cheese Trail

By Athena Lucero

It's a fact: Cheese makes you happy. So that explains why partygoers hover around the cheeseboard. Whether made from the milk of cows, buffaloes, sheep or goats, this phenomenon has been studied by scientists around the world (more on this later).

Considered an ancient food, cheese made its way to California when Spanish missionaries brought cows and the art of cheesemaking with them in the late 1700s. Some 100 years later, immigrants built dairy farms in San Francisco to make butter and cheese to feed miners during the gold rush.

California grew to become the second-largest producer of cheese in the United States after Wisconsin. It would be only a matter of time -- in 2010 -- until the California Cheese Trail would bear the fruits of our casein-culture forebears.

Sister-brother team Vivien and Michael Straus created the nonprofit Cheese Trail. Raised on a dairy farm started by their parents in Northern California, they know a lot about cheese. Spearheaded by Vivien, the project promotes agritourism by leading cheese-lovers to farms, creameries and retailers up and down the Golden State to learn about one of the world's oldest and most favorite foods.

Visitors can meet the cheesemakers, learn how cheese is made, see the animals and taste cheeses typically sold at gourmet stores and farmers markets or to distributors and the pickiest chefs. They can also purchase freshly made cheese.

In the beginning, the Cheese Trail map covered just Marin and Sonoma counties.

"At the time," Vivien said, "only a couple of cheesemakers were open to the public."

The Cheese Trail today covers San Francisco, North Coast, Central Coast, Central Valley, Gold Country and Southern California. Of the almost 80 cheesemakers in the state, more than half now open their doors to the public.

Besides the colorful interactive online map, foldable versions are available at various locations listed on its website. It can also be mailed free of charge. The map is chock-full of information such as descriptions of each location, farm stores, tours (visits are by appointment only) and how to order cheese by mail. There's also a Dairy Glossary: Artisan means made by hand in small batches; farmstead means made on the farm with milk from the farm's animals.

Not all farms or cheesemakers are in the countryside. I paid visits to two near my home in Los Angeles County -- Gioia Cheese Co.'s factory in South El Monte and Drake Family Farms in Ontario.

In its fourth generation, the Girardi family hails from Gioia del Colle in Puglia, Italy -- "the land of fresh mozzarella." Third-generation Vito Girardi achieved his dream to introduce mozzarella to the Los Angeles market in 1992. At Gioia Cheese Co., the Girardi family's Old World recipe sets the standard for authentic preservative-free Italian cheeses made with all-natural ingredients.

A wholesale distributor, Gioia welcomes walk-ins to pick up artisanal cheeses made daily. In its front office, my husband and I studied the list of cheeses and left ecstatic with our stash of creamy burrata, soft mozzarella and a large ball of provolone wrapped in netting that hangs in our fridge.

Our tour at Drake Family Farms was all about goats, from the petting zoo to exquisite cheese-tasting. Owner Dan Drake, aka "Dr. Dan," is a dairy veterinarian and scientist who loves his goats.

"They all have personalities," he said, "and each has a name."

The farm first started in West Jordan, Utah, when his great-great-grandfather immigrated from England. It is a designated a historic Utah Century Farm that still operates today.

Artisan farmstead chevre, feta, soft-blooming mold-ripened cheeses and an aged semi-hard cheese are made from the milk of award-winning Nubian, Saanen and Alpine goats. Overlapping breeding seasons of these three varieties provide year-round milk at the farm.

Dr. Dan conducts the tours with his contagious enthusiasm. We learned how he manages his registered, Certified Humane herd to "strengthen the genetics of the breeds ... and help them live healthy, productive happy lives."

The goats are milked twice every day, using a strict sanitizing protocol. Here, vegetarian rennet (a coagulant that separates the curds from the whey) is used during cheesemaking.

"The secret to having the best goat cheese," Dr. Dan said, "is having the best milk through a diet of the highest-quality hays and outstanding health care."

Proof was in the fabulous cheese-tasting that highlighted the distinct smells, textures and flavors of each.

Later this summer, the farm is relocating to a larger acreage in the town of Winchester in nearby Riverside County that will accommodate its expanding business with tours resuming by the end of the year (check their website for new tour schedules).

We discovered the Cheese Shop, a retailer on the Cheese Trail during a road trip to Santa Barbara on the Central Coast. Near the Santa Barbara Historical Museum, its logo (a chunk of cheese) was hard to miss. Owners Kathryn and Michael Graham built a neighborhood favorite with their collection of artisanal cheeses from around the world along with chilled wines, salami, and kitchen and household products.

So what is it about cheese that makes us happy?

In short, Healthline.com explains that casein, an addictive dairy protein in milk, triggers the release of dopamine, the feel-good hormone. But don't end your cheese cravings just yet. This calcium-rich food contains healthy fats and vitamins that benefit bone and heart health, the immune system, digestion and mental health.

Cheese consumption in America increases every year, according to Food & Beverage Insider, and 2024 is on track to be record-breaking.

Say cheese, everyone!

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WHEN YOU GO

California Cheese Trail: www.cheesetrail.org

Drake Family Farms: www.drakefamilyfarms.com

Goia Italian Cheese Co.: www.gioiacheeseco.com

Cheese Shop Santa Barbara: www.cheeseshopsb.com

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Athena Lucero is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.