Scrolling through Instagram, Scott Schroeder sees a picture of Sue Miller posing for a selfie with a block of cheese.
Not too long after, that cheese – handmade and aged in Miller's Chester County creamery – has traveled an hour east into Philadelphia and ended up at Schroeder's Queen Village restaurant, Hungry Pigeon. There, the cheese is carved up and served at the rustic, exposed-brick eatery where Schroeder is the owner and chef. One order of cheese is $7. Five is $25. Pricier than Kraft Singles or the goopy Philly tourist novelty, Cheez Whiz? For sure.
But the sale of fancier cheeses, both farmers and artisanal cheesemakers say, has partially offset dipping milk prices in Pennsylvania's languishing dairy industry and provided some dairy farmers and cheesemakers with the option to transform an increasingly invaluable commodity into one for which restaurateurs and consumers are willing to pay a premium.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Philadelphia Inquirer