For her part, Andante's Scanlan is looking outward. Not only does she manage the cheese programs at a few Bay Area and Napa restaurants such as chef-owner Daniel Patterson's Coi in San Francisco, but she's also an exclusive distributor of the cheeses of Herve Mons, a prominent Roanne, France-based affineur -- one who collects cheeses from small producers and practices the fine art of aging and finishing the cheese. And she is hoping to open a cheese and wine bar in San Francisco within a year. "I want to serve cheese properly, a point," she says, when a cheese shows its truest potential -- its most developed characteristics and flavors. "The way we so often serve cheese is still far from what it could be."
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Their milky way
The latest generation of California artisans is taking cheese-making to a delicious new level.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday July 12, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 26 words Type of Material: Correction
Cheese: In an article about California cheese makers in Wednesday's Food section, the toll-free number for Cowgirl Creamery was listed incorrectly. The number is (866) 433-7834.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday July 18, 2007 Home Edition Food Part F Page 2 Features Desk 0 inches; 24 words Type of Material: Correction
Cheese: In a July 11 article about California cheese makers, the toll-free number for Cowgirl Creamery was listed incorrectly. The number is (866) 433-7834.
She also plans to partner with small producers in France to establish cheese-making operations in California, with ambitions to revive here what some in France worry might be waning -- cheeses that are made according to strict traditional standards.
Who knows -- maybe that'll mean a Petaluma Reblochon to go with that Healdsburg Petit Marcel or Napa Sumi on your California cheese plate.
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California's new artisanal cheeses
Who's making them
Pugs Leap Farm. Pascal Destandau's and Eric Smith's goat cheese dairy in Healdsburg produces \o7buches\f7 -- creamy, mellow, slightly sweet logs; paves -- pyramid-shaped, a little mushroomy, with a slightly spicy finish; and Petit Marcel -- fresh-tasting, slightly tart small rounds.
Andante Dairy. In Petaluma, Soyoung Scanlan makes Minuet, a luxurious mixed-milk triple-creme, with a refined texture; Acapella, soft, creamy rounds or firm pyramids of goat cheese; Picolo, a melt-in-your-mouth cow's milk triple creme; Nocturne, a rich cow's milk cheese with an ashed, bloomy rind; Largo, an aged cow's milk triple creme, creamy, smooth and nutty; and Camembert-like Legato, creamy and soft with strong flavor when ripe; as well as other cheeses.
Elk Creamery. Kermit Carter makes organic goat cheeses in Elk, Calif., including Red Gold, mold-ripened and creamy, with a chile-coated rind; and ash-coated Black Gold, tangy, a little salty, with a peppery bite.
Rinconada Dairy. Jim and Christine Maguire's sheep cheese dairy in Santa Margarita produces Pozo Tomme, a nutty, rich aged raw milk cheese with a natural rind; La Panza Gold, a rustic, earthy, golden, washed-rind cheese; and Chaparral, a smooth, creamy unpressed cheese made from sheep's and Nubian goat's milk.
Where to find them
The following stores carry a number of California cheeses, including a selection from the above producers. Elk Creamery cheese is also available at some Whole Foods stores. Cheese from Rinconada Dairy is available at the Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market.
The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, 419 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (310) 278-2855, www.cheesestorebh.com.
The Cheese Store of Silver Lake, 3926-28 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 644-7511, www.cheesestoresl.com.
Cube, 615 N. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 939-1148, www.divinepasta.com.
Artisan Cheese Gallery, 12023 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 505-0207, www.artisancheesegallery.com.
Many California cheeses can also be mail-ordered through Cowgirl Creamery at Tomales Bay Foods in Point Reyes, (866) 433-7384, www.cowgirlcreamery.com, or through Aniata Cheese Co. in Del Mar, (858) 847-9616, www.aniata.com.
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