In recent years, many would-be West Coast cheese makers have taken a four-day course in artisan cheese making at California Poly in San Luis Obispo. The curriculum includes classroom instruction, hands-on production and enough cheese chemistry to scare off the dabblers.
I took the course a few years ago to help me understand the process better, and on occasion I cross paths with some of my former classmates. One in particular, Sarah Marcus, impressed me with her drive, and I had no doubt that eventually I would see her name on some good cheese.
While she put her plans and financing together, Marcus methodically built her skills and learned the business. A San Rafael native, she worked behind the counter at Cowgirl Creamery's shop in San Francisco as well as in the creamery itself. She traveled to England to apprentice with Robin Congdon, the acclaimed producer of Ticklemore, and also spent time at a goat dairy in North Carolina.
Priced out of California, Marcus and her husband bought property in Dundee, in Oregon's wine country, and begin building their dream creamery. On a trip to Oregon last fall, I stopped into her Briar Rose Creamery for a brief visit.
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