Get your dairy in with these locally-made cheeses.
Banjo from Hobo Cheese
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Credit: C. W. Cameron
A few years ago farmers Tyler and Megan Davis left their farm in Mansfield to pursue a new passion – making cheese. Now they’ve returned, settling in Oxford and building a new creamery, Hobo Cheese. They purchase milk from local dairies and make small batch, handcrafted cheese inspired by the cow’s milk cheeses of northern Italy. One of their cheeses is Banjo, a soft cheese with a rich, almost decadent flavor. A few months ago it was chosen by Tim Gaddis, Atlanta’s preeminent cheesemonger, for an event at Restaurant Eugene. The Davises also produce ricotta and Mulligan, their version of feta with both plain and marinated versions available. Their cheeses are showing up on more restaurant menus including at The Wrecking Bar and Bocca Lupo and as time goes on, the Davises will be working on aged cheeses including some similar to taleggio and camembert.
$10 per 8-ounces. Available at these Saturday farmers markets: Green Market at Piedmont Park, Marietta Square and Decatur. Also available at Alon's in Morningside. http://hobocheese.co
Chevre from Capra Gia
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Credit: C. W. Cameron
The Capra Gia Cheese Company in Carrollton has been working with goat’s milk for more than 7 years. They make a variety of fresh goat cheese chevre in mild, sweet and savory versions which they sell individually or in packages with scoops of four compatible flavors. We’re particular fans of the savory ones like Roasted Garlic and Red Pepper, Onion and Chive, Italian Herb and Mediterranean, but we wouldn’t say no to a serving of the Peach or Orange Cinnamon and we love seasonal flavors like Honey Fig. When we’re sorely tempted and can’t decide, we love knowing that you can freeze the rounds of chevre which means we can buy lots more than we could ever eat at one time. In addition to the fresh chevre, they also make an ash-ripened goat cheese and goat’s milk confections.
$8.75 for a 6-ounce sampler. Available at Cheeses & Mary, Alon's, Farmers' Table, Farmers Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Little Farmhouse Cafe, Nature's Garden Express and these farmers markets: Sweet Apple, Peachtree City, Alpharetta, Marietta Square, Cotton Mill and Athens. http://facebook.com/capragia
Bit O’ Blue from Calyroad Creamery
Credit: C. W. Cameron
Credit: C. W. Cameron
We love knowing that wonderful cheese is made just outside I-285 on Hilderbrand Drive in Sandy Springs. There Robin Schick and the cheesemakers of Calyroad Creamery make a variety of cow and goat’s milk cheeses. Our new favorite is Bit O’ Blue, a semi-soft cow’s milk based on a cambozola recipe — it tastes like part French triple cream, part Italian Gorgonzola. It’s luscious but without the bite that sometimes makes people turn up their noses at blue cheese. We love blue cheese with apples, but at the suggestion of the creamery, we tried Bit O’ Blue with beautiful spring strawberries. Absolutely delicious. And we’ll stretch out the last little bit by blending it with unsalted butter. That can go in the freezer and come out when there’s fresh corn to be cooked on the grill and dressed with this “blue-butter.” Soon they hope you can find it at Whole Foods Market.
$12 per 8-ounces. Available at the creamery, Floral Park Market, Heywood’s Provision Company and Jensen Reserve or online at http://calyroadcreamery.com. Calyroad Creamery, 225 Hilderbrand Drive, Sandy Springs. 678-773-0843.
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