In a Cheesemaker's Kitchen

Book excerpt: Culinary luminaries like renowned chefs Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin, Michel Richard of Citronelle, and Molly Hanson of Grill 23; chef, writer, and educator Dan Barber of Blue Hill; chef-entrepreneurs Alison Lane and Andrew Silva of Mirabelles; knight of the French Order of the Merite Agricole, chef Raymond Ost of Sandrine s; and food writer and former CEO of Clicquot, Inc., Mireille Guiliano, share their heartfelt philosophies about food. Their tantalizing recipes will expand any home cook s culinary repertoire. Twenty-five years ago Allison Hooper and Bob Reese began crafting artisanal dairy products in the European style. They developed a vital link with local farms that continues to this day: Vermont Butter & Cheese Company supports a network of more than 20 family farms that provide milk that meets the highest standards of purity. As Allison learned on a family farm in France, quality originates at the source with the people who work the land and the pride they take in its yield. In a Cheesemaker s Kitchen celebrates their perhaps improbable success. It is the story of pioneers in the fledgling American artisan cheese industry and how they bootstrapped a small, socially responsible business."