MADISON, Wis. – A Salem woman recently selected to participate in a mentorship program for future farmers is the recipient of the 2016 Beginning Cheesemaker Scholarship from Wisconsin Cheese Originals.
Gabriella Szmola will use the $2,500 award to begin the process of earning her Wisconsin Cheesemaker’s License. Wisconsin is the only state to require cheesemakers to be licensed, an 18-month process that involves attendance at five university short courses, 240 hours of apprenticeship under a licensed cheesemaker, and passing a written exam at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture.
Szmola operates a small dairy goat farm near Salem, Wis., and was recently selected by the Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council to participate in a mentorship program. Her assigned mentor is renowned cheesemaker Anne Topham, often referred to as the grande dame of goat cheese. Szmola aims to apprentice at Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee and make her family’s farm sustainable by building a creamery to market her farmstead cheeses.
Since 2009, Wisconsin Cheese Originals has awarded $19,000 to 10 different beginning Wisconsin cheesemakers. All have gone on to earn their licenses, and several have won U.S. and World Championship medals for their cow, goat and sheep milk cheeses.
Wisconsin Cheese Originals is a member-based organization dedicated to growing and promoting the state’s artisan cheese community by hosting seminars, cheesemaker dinners, dairy tours and educational events. For more information, contact executive director Jeanne Carpenter, 608-358-7837 or email Jeanne@wordartisanllc.com. To learn more, visit www.wisconsincheeseoriginals.com.
Source: Wisconsin Cheese Originals
