Inside an Amish Blue Cheese Creamery | Wisconsin Foodie

Описание: Some of the most complex cheese flavors in the country start with quiet, intentional farming.

In this episode of Wisconsin Foodie, Luke visits Kingston Co-op Creamery, an Amish-owned creamery producing award-winning blue cheese using regenerative farming practices, hand-milked cows, and centuries-old tradition. Luke spends the day with second-generation cheesemaker Nelson Schrock, learning how small family farms, healthy soil, and seasonal forage translate directly into flavor.

From milk delivered daily in ten-gallon cans to hand-packed blue cheese wheels aging for up to 90 days, this episode dives deep into the craft of blue cheese making, including curd cutting, brining, and cellar aging. The tasting reveals why Kingston’s mixed-milk blue cheeses offer unexpected depth, creaminess, and balance that challenge everything people think they know about blue cheese.

The journey continues at the Owl Farm, where Luke collaborates with chef Justin Aprahamian of Sanford in Milwaukee to build a multi-course dinner celebrating Wisconsin dairy farmers, Amish producers, and regional ingredients. Featuring housemade focaccia, Crave Brothers mozzarella, Kingston blue cheese cream, pork schnitzel, and prairie-raised beef, the meal becomes a reflection of community, sustainability, and storytelling through food.

This episode is for anyone interested in artisan cheese, Amish food culture, regenerative agriculture, and why Wisconsin remains a global dairy powerhouse.

00:00 Welcome to Wisconsin Foodie
00:10 Inside Kingston Co-op Creamery
00:40 Meeting Amish cheesemaker Nelson Schrock
01:06 Regenerative farming and hand-milked cows
01:47 How seasonal forage shapes blue cheese flavor
01:59 Milk delivered daily in traditional cans
02:21 Making Amish blue cheese at scale
02:58 America’s only Amish blue cheese creamery
03:44 Inside the blue cheese vats
04:12 Cutting curds and separating whey
04:39 Amish tradition meets modern cheesemaking
05:11 Reading milk through butterfat and cream
05:39 From milk to brine
06:07 Piercing blue cheese for veining
07:00 Aging blue cheese and Gorgonzola
07:24 Why blue cheese is misunderstood
08:18 Tasting Breezy Blue
09:03 Breaking down flavor and texture
09:56 Smoked blue cheese tasting
10:34 Why Kingston cheese is world class
11:15 How food connects culture and community
11:32 Packing cheese for the café
12:24 Arrival at The Owl Farm
12:51 Radical hospitality and storytelling through food
13:13 Cooking with chef Justin Jamison
14:00 Foraged mushrooms and broth
14:46 Honoring Wisconsin dairy farmers
15:44 Housemade focaccia and butter
16:25 A four-generation Gouda tasting
17:12 Crave Brothers mozzarella panzanella
18:09 Pork schnitzel with Kingston blue cheese
19:00 Prairie-raised beef and sustainability
20:36 Dessert with maple and mascarpone
21:20 Reflections on farmers and food
21:53 Closing moments

Visit Kingston Creamery Co-op:
https://www.kingstoncoop.org/