Cheese: Artisanal Cheese Movement: California

The quintessential artisanal cheese story of California belongs to Laura Chenel, who began making goat cheese in 1979 in Sebastopol. It gained notoriety after appearing by name on the menu at Chez Panisse, and although the company was sold to a French firm, she still maintains the herd. Also in California, Cypress Grove’s Mary Keehn began making a signature goat cheese with a line of ash down the middle, named Humboldt Fog, in 1983. Although reminiscent of French morbier, this kind of ripened cheese with a bloomy mold exterior was rare in the United States.