Yes.

There is actual cheese at Alemar Cheese. My make today went really well. Even though it was a thirteen hour day, I felt energized throughout, especially once the cheese made it into the molds. I plan to post a full description of the cheesemaking process, but not tonight. After I finished cleaning up, I spent a few moments just staring at the end result of something I've been working towards for almost a year. Cheese is not the most attractive looking stuff right out of the vat, but you coulda fooled me. It was beautiful.

There is still no guarantee that the cheese will be great, but so far I'm confident. For a long time now, people will ask what I'm up to, and I'll launch into a lengthy bit about how I'm starting this cheese business and so on. Tomorrow, if anyone asks what I do, I'll simply look them dead in the eye and say "I'm a cheesemaker". Have a great night...

Missed it by that much...

This will be short and sweet. I was almost through the cheesemaking process when I committed a rookie error. The cheese could have been saved, but it had no chance to be great, so I pulled the plug. It's almost 10 p.m. and I'm just finished with clean up. I'm tired and a bit dejected, though not as much as I would have expected. I know what I did wrong and it will be corrected, so life goes on. Next make: Monday the 27th.

Showtime

Today is the first day of production. I'll post some thoughts afterward. Wish me luck...

Cheese Trier?

Because I make soft cheese, I don't need to have a cheese trier on hand. What is a cheese trier?

A cheese trier is a tool for, well, trying cheese. It kind of resembles an old school corkscrew, but instead of an auger on the end, a long, tapering cylindrical knife takes its place. This allows you to burrow deep into a large wheel of cheese leaving a small hole. Kind of like drilling a core sample, it provides you with a cross section of the wheel, gauging its maturation and any imperfections. It's a very valuable tool for most cheesemakers, and, like most tools, a clever device well suited to its task.

My problem lies with the name. In winemaking, samples are extracted from the aging barrels with a "thief", a large glass cousin of the turkey baster. Thief--now that has a ring to it. It implies mischief, sexiness and intrigue. "Trier"? Perhaps the word rolls off the tongue beautifully in French. But, beyond the goofy sound of the word, it just seems like the antithesis of elegance; utilitarian and drab.

I'm going to work on this. You're welcome to join.

Mensch Central

This business would not exist without a small circle of friends who are taking a chance on me.

I'm blessed to have a number of exceptional friends, and short of my immediate family, they mean the world to me. Money and friends can be an explosive combination, but we are all at the age, I think, where whatever the outcome, our bonds will remain intact. Let it be said that I have every intent to make this work and provide a nice return, but every new venture starts out with optimism.

So, a brief, but exponentially sincere thanks, to my friends and partners Mike, Marty, Chris, Tim, Bruce & Dean.

Stalking the Unsuspecting Mentor

When I made the decision to really commit to Alemar Cheese, I knew I was going to need someone in the business to call on for guidance and knowledge. I knew I wanted to make soft ripened cheeses. I had already tried a number of varieties, both domestic and imported, and the maker I kept returning to was Cowgirl Creamery.

Cowgirl was founded in 1997 by Peggy Smith and Sue Conley. They initially made fresh cheese exclusively, and, after getting that down, focused on soft ripened. Their first cheese, Mt. Tam, was an immediate hit, and since that time they've developed a number of additional varieties. Their cheeses have won a plethora of awards, and Cowgirl grew as the accolades mounted. You can find them at www.cowgirlcreamery.com. They also stock an impressive array of other artisan cheeses, primarily American. Besides the obvious fact that they were running a profitable operation, I just got a sense from reading up on the company that they were my kind of people, and as I did further research that became more and more apparent.

Early last Summer I sent an email to Peggy and Sue. With the success they've achieved, I was certainly one of many seeking an audience. A week or so later, Sue replied. She said I was welcome to come out and visit, and mentioned that she would be in Chicago for the American Cheese Society conference in late July. I was already planning to attend, but now it was set in stone: my main goal for the conference would be to meet Sue and find out if I had a chance to spend some time under her wing.

I found her late one afternoon at a day end cheese tasting. My nerves were jumping as I bided my time, waiting to introduce myself. She seemed to know everyone, so each time she left a conversation, she'd turn and start another. Ultimately, she broke free for a moment and I pounced. I'm sure an observer might describe my move as more of a sidle, but I assure you, it was definitely a pounce.

I said hello and she knew immediately who I was. We small talked a bit, and I mentioned that I had a trip planned to California in a few weeks. Sue said she would be happy to spend a morning with me touring both of Cowgirl's production facilities.

Sue possesses a great sense of calm. I have no idea if she dabbles in zen, but it wouldn't surprise me. She exudes joy and natural curiosity, and I felt like I'd known her a long time.

In early August, I made the drive to Cowgirl's original site in Pt. Reyes Station, a rustic village in rural Marin County. I could smell the sea as I walked from the car to the refurbished barn that houses Cowgirl. Sue arranged for me to take a tour of the facilities with an assistant cheesemaker. He went through their process of cheesemaking, and it felt good, sort of conspiratorial, to be "talking the talk" with a real cheesemaker. As the morning unfolded, Cowgirl opened for business, and several visitors began to turn up. There is a lovely deli on site, and a crowd began to form, picking out provisions and wine for picnicking later. The entire place has a great vibe--I hope you'll get the chance to visit, it's more than worth the drive.

Next, I drove to Petaluma where the new, larger production site is located. Sue met me with a kind smile and suggested a tour. The facility is much larger, yet the feel is still very artisan. I had a chance to walk through their aging/holding rooms, and the aroma left me heady. Talking with an icon of the industry certainly contributed to the feeling. We walked past the two giant vats (keep in mind that "giant" in the artisan circles still falls under the toy category of the behemouth cheese producers) as Cowgirl's cheesemakers went about the business of filling molds full of freshly cut curds.

I had a chance to meet a bunch of folks at Cowgirl, and to a person they seemed genuinely happy at work. What a wonderful thing to have created, a business teeming with fulfillment and purpose. As Sue walked me to my car, I popped the question, straight out: "Will you be my mentor?", I asked. She smiled, and said yes. I tried my best to calmly accept her reply, but I'm sure she knew how much it pleased me. Just a few minutes prior to that, after I'd told her my story, she looked at me calmly and said "You can do this." Those words will be forever etched in my memory, and I thank Sue with all my heart for her kindness and generosity.

Sue and I don't talk all that often--She's amazingly busy, and I try not to trouble her with things I can figure out on my own. But, whenever I've needed her time and counsel, she's been there.

Animal Spirits

As I get closer and closer to getting Alemar Cheese off the ground, I'm reminded why everyone isn't in business for themselves. Each day there are minor victories and unexpected setbacks. Emotions peak and wane by the hour. Starting a business, let alone succeeding for any length of time, demands hard work, some smarts, and a healthy dose of luck.

John Maynard Keynes, the noted economist, coined the term "Animal Spirits" to describe the confidence and naive optimism of the entrepreneur. It's a bit of a strange name, but I understand it: where does one find the will to take an idea and turn it into a viable business? Why take the risk?

Something in the human condition has propelled us to continuously improve our circumstances. While some might argue this may turn out to be our ultimate undoing, there are at anytime millions of us striving to figure out a way to do something better. It's hardwired into our brains, like it or not.

I'm not curing cancer or solving world hunger, though I'm deeply grateful that there are those on this planet who try. I'm just doing the thing that, for whatever reason, I'm driven to do. When I experience a sharp feeling of self-doubt, I try my best to breath and remember all the things I'm fortunate to have. Then I muster the Animal Spirits inside, and carry on.