Union Square Grill is proud to partner with some of the best
handcrafted local Artisan Cheesemakers during April 21-May 25. We will be celebrating regional and international cheese by offering up a tempting array of dishes highlighting the many flavors of cheese. Below are the cheesemakers that we’ll be featuring in our wide range of inspired cheese preparations.
Washington Cheese
Washington State is quickly becoming world renowned in the cheese
industry with cheese production increasing every year. According to
the Agricultural Marketing Resouce Center U.S. per person cheese
consumption was 32.5 pounds in 2006, a 3.2 percent increase from
2005. Overall cheese consumption continues to increase due to its
versatility and adaptability to recipes and more available varieties.
River Valley Ranch
Owners: Rob & Julie Steil
Rob and Julie Steil are artisan farmstead cheesemakers. Simply put,
the
milk is produced on their ranch in the Snoqualmie Valley, where
it is then made into cheese.
The artisan part means that they make their cheese in small-scale quantities by hand with great attention to detail and lots of pride. All of River Valley Ranch’s products are green & humane. This means that they aren’t certified organic but their practices are organic in making the cheeses.
To find out more information about River Valley Ranch click here
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Mt. Townsend Creamery
Owners: Matt Day, Ryan Trail, and Will O’Donnell
In 2005 partners Matt Day, Ryan Trail and Will O’Donnell were drawn together by a shared vision of creating an artisan cheese making business using fresh milk from local Washington dairies.
Mt Townsend’s cheese is a direct product of their landscape. They source only the best local milk from the North Olympic Peninsula—from small grass based dairies, that use no hormones, antibiotics or chemical fertilizers.
To find out more information about Mt. Townsend Creamery click here
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Rogue Creamery
Owners: David Gremmels and Cary Bryant
Since 1935 the Rogue Creamery has preserved the old world tradition of Artisan handmade cheese. In 1957 Oregon Blue Cheese was added to its popular line of cheddar, and has since garnered worldwide attention. Rogue Creamery's seasonal blue cheese, Rogue River Blue won "Best Blue Cheese in the World" at the 2003 World Cheese Awards in London. Other fine blues include Crater Lake Blue, Smokey Blue, Oregonzola, and Echo Mountain. Daily cheese tasting at the historic cheese shop, with an extensive selection of Rogue Valley wine, Italian wine, and gourmet foods.
To find out more information about Rogue Creamery click here
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Port Madison Farm
Owners: Steve and Beverly Phillips
Located in Bainbridge Island, Port Madison Farm produces their yogurt, chèvre, various soft cheeses, and cheddar, all from pasteurized Nubian goat's milk. Nubian goats are considered the Jerseys of the goat world, producing sweet and creamy milk with a smooth, velvety texture and no goaty aftertaste. Port Madison Farm has been making cheese without stabilizers or preservatives for about 10 years, always a hot item at farmers markets.
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Pholia Farm
Owners: Vern and Gianaclis Caldwell
Pholia only uses 100% Nigerian Dwarf Goat's milk. This miniature breed has the highest butterfat of any goat breed. Their herd regularly averages over 8% butterfat and over 5% protein.
Their cheeses are named after local landmarks and are each distinctive in their processing, shape, and flavor. Since Nigerians are not seasonal breeders, as most goats are, half of the herd is freshened in the fall and half in the spring. This allows for a consistent supply of sweet, creamy milk and year-round cheese making. The herd is small and the goats, being miniatures, are not large producers, but the milk is so unique in its components, which makes for incredible cheese. Production is under 100 pounds of cheese per month and will always remain low. One of the Pholia mottos is: “If we can’t remember the doe’s name, we have too many goats.”
To find out more information about Pholia Farm click here
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Quillisascut
Owners: Lora Lea and Rick Misterly
Quillisascut Cheese Company is a small family farm near the rural town of Rice in Northeastern Washington State. The 36-acre farm is located at the base of the Huckleberry Mountain range, just off the Columbia River. Using only the milk from their own herd of goats, they produce a variety of aged raw milk cheese.
To find out more information about Quillisascut Cheese Company click here
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Rollingstone Chèvre
Owners: Charles & Karen Evans
Rollingstone Chèvre was established as Idaho's first goat cheese producer. They have continued to produce artisan goat cheese commercially since 1988. Their forty-five acre farmstead is nestled in rolling hills in Southwest Idaho, in the heart of a burgeoning wine country between the Snake and the Boise Rivers, where temperatures and soil composition mirror those of Provence, France.
All of Rolling Stone’s products are processed in a small fromagerie on the Rollingstone farm. This provides them with ultimate quality control and allows for the production of some of the finest goat cheese on the market today. A clean taste, mild flavor, and creamy texture are among the most dramatic differences you will notice. These differences are a direct result of the breed of goat, careful herd management, and proper care of the milk.
To find out more information about Rollingstone Chèvre Click here
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Estrella Family Creamery
Owners: Anthony & Kelli Estrella
Estrella Family Creamery is situated on 164 acres in a region that at one time supported more than 500 dairies. (Now there are only 10). The land has deep topsoil, which feeds the plush grass that nourishes the livestock.
The Estrella’s make over eighteen different types of cheese, with seasonal variations. All Estrella Family Creamery cheeses are made with raw milk from animals grazed in our organically maintained pastures.
To find out more information about Estrella Family Click here
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Cowgirl Creamery
Owners: Sue Conley and Peggy Smith
In 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith opened Cowgirl Creamery in Pt. Reyes Station, a picturesque postage-stamp-of-a-town on the coast about an hour north of San Francisco. They started with an old barn, made it beautiful, put in a small plant for making handcrafted cheese, bought organic milk from the neighbor, Straus Family Creamery. Cowgirl Creamery makes just a small collection of cheese -- four, soft aged and three fresh, totaling about 3,000 pounds per week. However, their circle of cheesemaking friends has grown like wildfire and they now distribute extraordinary artisan cheeses from over 200 of America's and Europe's most prized producers.
To find out more information about Cowgirl Creamery Click here
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Beecher’s
Owner: Kurt Beecher Dammeier
In 2002, Kurt Dammeier decided to combine his love of great cheese
and passion for pure food. The idea for Beecher's Handmade Cheese was
born and Kurt soon discovered that he was the only artisan cheese
producer in all of Seattle.
Beecher’s is located in the heart of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market
where people press their noses against the windows at Beecher's Handmade Cheese to witness a vat of creamy white milk transformed by the expert
hands of the cheesemaker. They watch as curds materialize from the milk,
and then knit together to create a fine artisanal cheese.
To find out more information about Beecher’s Click here
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Lovetree Farmstead
Owner: Dave and Mary Falk
LoveTree Farmstead Cheese was established in 1986 in the Trade Lake area of northern Wisconsin. In this unique "glacial " setting there are eight lakes within two miles of LoveTree and many more within the surrounding terrain. It is these lakes that Lovetree's different cheeses are named after...Trade Lake Cedar, Big Holmes, Little Holmes, Spirit, and Trade River.
LoveTree is organically farmed with 130 acres devoted to grazing lands and 70 acres devoted to wildlife habitat. This not only makes for a healthy environment ecologically speaking, but it also offers them some unique opportunities for flavor enhancement of our cheeses.
To find out more information about Lovetree Farmstead Click here
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DeLaurenti – Specialty food & wine
Owner: Pat McCarthy
Delaurenti is the first retail outlet in Seattle to offer artisan and traditional cheeses from around the world. Their café offers a great menu highlighting the wide-variety of ingredients found in their store.
Delaurenti is located on the historic corner of Pike and First, the cafe offers
a great spot to find a delicious breakfast on the way to a meeting or at the start of a Pike Place Market tour. The lunch menu offers something for everyone, and is a great place to fill your picnic basket or surprise co-workers
at the next lunch meeting.
To find out more information Click here
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Seattle Cheese Festival
The 4th annual Seattle Cheese Festival will return May 16th-18th. As artisanal cheese production grows in the state of Washington, so does the festival. This festival will be offering more than 200 cheeses from local and international producers along the streets of Pike Place Market. There will be chef demos, wine tastings, cheese tastings and a mozzarella-making demo at DeLaurenti. Come and celebrate the love of cheese.
Check our the educational seminars at the Seattle Cheese Festival. Each seminar includes paired wine! For more information, click here.
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