Who would have thought that in the capitol of the state most known for its cheese production, there would be such a void of places where a person could buy artisanal cheese? I’m talking about the varieties you find at the smaller vendors at the farmers market, or that you would otherwise have to drive out into the country to their individual farms and factories to get. Ken Monteleone and his crew have saved us from this terrible oversight by opening Fromagination, a specialty shop that carries fine cheeses and their “companions” (crackers, olives, wines and beers, etc.) from around the state.

The store opened last week and their grand opening, which will feature talks by area cheese makers and the introduction of 30 cheeses from around the world, will be on October 22. There’s already significant interest in the place, too, as the New York Times has been by to check it out, in addition to our own august institution, dane101.

I took the liberty of attending a cheese class, the first in a series of its kind offered at the store, this past Tuesday evening. The class, focused on Wisconsin cheeses, involved a brief history of the industry in the state and was followed by a tasting of nine cheeses and information about their makers. I took my cheese obsessed friend Kelly along to provide a second opinion. All in the name of journalism!

The shop, located on the capitol square, is modestly sized and extremely well designed and decorated. Everything from the arrangements of cheeses, bottles of microbrews and wines to the complimentary, diffused lighting was well-thought out and executed. The floors are made of recycled slate tiles and the walls are covered in milk protein paint, all part of the owners’ desire to have an eco-friendly space with a rustic, European theme.

I arrived just minutes before the class was to begin and was happy to see that the turn-out for the event was better than expected. About thirteen people, mostly middle-aged, crowded into the shop for a chance to sample and learn about the goods. I introduced myself to the two women who would be running the show that night: Laurie Greenberg, a consultant with the Dairy Business Innovation Center, and Jeanne Carpenter, a freelance writer, Communications Director for the DBIC, and tireless proponent of Wisconsin cheese makers (she runs the blog "Cheese Underground").

We sat down in front of a large flat screen television and were given small trays with nuts, berries, bread (from Café Soleil, no less), and dried apricots on them as “companions” to the main course. Using the TV to display related photos and facts, Laurie then launched into an abridged history of the dairy industry in Wisconsin, something we all know exists but that I, for one, didn’t know much about.

For instance, did you know that out of a total cheese production of 9.53 billion pounds in the United States, Wisconsin makes up for 25.9% of that? And that there are 115 cheese factories in the state, 67 of which are specialty makers? Our numbers kick California’s butt when it comes to both the quantity of factories and number of homegrown varieties. As to their claim about having happier cows, may I refer you to the story of Mike Gingrich and Uplands Farm?

Jeanne happily told us the tale of Gingrich and his wife, Carol, who are the makers of the famed Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Instead of spending most of their time in barns, the cows on their farm are free to wander (something called intensive rotational grazing). Even better, calves are allowed to stay with their mothers for the first six months of their lives, something almost unheard of on pretty much any other dairy farm.

“The first time I drove out to their farmstead,” Jeanne said, “I thought their calves had gotten out of their pens and tried to warn them. They just laughed and told me that it was on purpose.”

The claim is that this makes for healthier, happier cows, and that happy cows make better tasting milk, which in turn makes better tasting cheese. From what I could gather, they’re right. The Pleasant Ridge Reserve is very flavorful yet discreet, and has won top honors at some of the biggest cheese competitions in the world.

We also sampled a sheep’s milk cheese from the Hidden Springs Creamery (delicious on bread), the Mobay from Carr Valley Cheese (layers of both sheep and goat’s milk with a vein of grapevine ash—my favorite of the bunch), the Fleuri Noir from Fantome Farm, the aged Swiss Wheel from the Chalet Cheese Cooperative, an 8-year cheddar from Carr Valley (man, what a kick!), an aged brick from Widmer’s Cheese Cellars, Les Freres from Crave Brothers and Black River Gorgonzola from the North Hendren Co-op.

Sadly, my stomach is incapable of digesting any sort of blue cheese, so the task of tasting and reviewing the gorgonzola fell to my trusty partner, Kelly. She says it was delicious and tangy without being bitter.

Throughout the whole of the tasting, we learned about each of the individual cheese makers and their businesses. Jeanne and Laurie seemed to have no end of inside knowledge about the people behind the product, and their passion for the craft was palpable.

We learned that Brenda Jensen and her husband Dean of Hidden Springs Creamery still use draft horses to plow their fields. We learned that Wisconsin is the only state that requires you to study for and earn a cheese maker’s license before you can produce cheese for sale and that there are 1,196 such licensed producers in the state. For those of you into the potent smell and taste of Limburger, we also learned that Chalet Cheese Cooperative is the only place left in the United States that makes it. And good news for you; Fromagination carries it.

Everyone seemed more than pleased with how the class went and especially with the samples given. From mild to strong, each cheese was distinct, delicious, and deserving of its place in the shop.

“I’ve worked in the dairy industry for 8 years,” Laurie told us, “so it’s really great to finally have a shop where we can carry these Wisconsin cheeses that weren’t previously available in Madison.”

She went on to quip that “When your relatives come in from California, you now have some good ammunition about why Wisconsin cheeses are so good.”

They may soon have us beat on the sheer numbers count, but when it comes to quality cheese, both of traditional and innovative varieties, Wisconsin can still proudly doff its square, orange, pock-marked cap as it surpasses California by leaps and bounds.

As for Fromagination, one can only imagine that such a store will do well for itself in the capitol of the cheese capitol of the country. Plus, situated as it is on the square, surrounded during the day by businesspeople, politicians, condo owners and the occasional wandering journalist, there should be no shortage of interested patrons.

At the very least, they made converts out of the group that night at the class. Kelly and I stumbled out of the shop and into the cool, windy night with bellies full and tongues buzzing with glee, ready to spread the gospel of cheese to anyone who’d listen.

Check out the upcoming classes and events at the store by going to http://www.fromagination.com/classes.php

The Dairy Business Innovation Center: http://www.dbicusa.org/

The World Championship Cheese Contest (to be held this March right here in Madison): http://www.wischeesemakersassn.org/

Special thanks to Chris Norris for the photos.
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