PROVIDENCE — In the make room of Narragansett Creamery, cheesemaker Louella Hill stands next to a 2,000-gallon vat of just-pasteurized milk. Thanks to a recent sprinkling of cultures, the milk has just begun to set, trapping yellow clouds of butterfat in its gelled surface. Hill briefly presses her gloved hand against the surface, and the handprint left behind indicates that the milk will soon be ready to transform into fresh mozzarella curd. “That’s cheesemaking right there,’’ she says.
Rubber boots, hairnets, and white coats are the daily uniform here, where ricotta is kettle-heated and hand-dipped, queso fresco hand-crumbled, and feta brined in sea salt. Owned by husband and wife team Mark and Pattie Federico, the creamery represents the artisan cheese division of Providence Specialty Products, an institutional cheese wholesaler and family business.
Products have Rhode Island-themed names like “Divine Providence’’ for gouda, “Atwell’s Gold’’ for aged Italian-style cheddar, and “Newport Pearls’’ for marinated mozzarella balls. This summer at farmers’ markets in Boston, Pattie Federico and a team from Narragansett will be doling out samples and recipe advice under the Narragansett Creamery awning splashed with the motto “feathery, fresh, squishy, stinky.’’
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