how it all began

We have a dream to become artisan cheese makers. Join us on a real-time journey to see what happens. We are coming up with ideas and putting together a plan, whether it works or not we will put in the effort and if anything, walk away knowing we tried our best. We haven't ever attempted anything this big, we usually try and stay pretty safe and neutral (boring). But I think this is something we can do and since we are in it together, hopefully it will work. This is our story.
Joel and I met in May 1994, we were married by November 1994. We had our first baby in June 1995 and our fifth baby in December 2002. We put ourselves through college while raising our children; Joel got his degree in History and I got my degree in Studio Art, both, at the University of California, Irvine. Joel has always had a love for cheese. Bleu is by far his favorite and when his 31st birthday came around I asked him what he wanted for his cake, he simply answered "Cheese". I take things very literally so I was on a mission to find him some great cheese. I found a little shop in Orange, California that had a fantastic selection so off I went. Upon entering this wonderful shop I was greeted with the smells of molded, stinky cheese. I had a specific idea in mind for his cake and cheese worked perfectly. I wanted to take several wedges and put them together to create a cake shape. I had to get 4 different types, that were about the same height. I found my cheeses of choice; Roquefort, Humbolt Fog and a couple others I can't remember. I sampled most of them and the Roquefort was by far the most exciting, it had a numbing effect on the palate and so I knew he would love it. Being fairly proud of myself I went home and set it up along with the finishing touch... candles on top. He was truly surprised and it was definitely a cake made for Joel. We all dove in and spent the night trying all the different cheeses. That was the first time we had a true "cheese" experience. It was from then on that Joel dove into the world of cheese and as he investigated his beloved bleu (Roquefort) he found out why it was so remarkable and which marked the beginning our journey...it all begins with sheep.