Pennsylvania Backs Down On Valentino’s Cheese

Joe Gorgacz might be making basket cheese for Easter after all.

Sen. Elder Vogel’s office announced this week that state officials have eased up on some requirements, allowing Gorgacz to resume production of the specialty cheese. Vogel’s office had been working to help reach a solution to Gorgacz’s dilemma.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture decided this week to allow Gorgacz to to purchase pasteurized milk to use to meet this Easter’s demand for the basket cheese he makes at his business, Valentino’s Cheese and Dairy Company on Cedar Street. Initially, the state had refused to allow him to use pre-pasteurized milk, saying it might co-mingle in transit. State officials have also backed off a demand that Gorgacz spend thousands of dollars to buy a new pasteurizer and have decided to allow him to retrofit and “tweak” his current equipment, according to Michael Rader of Vogel’s office.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: New Castle News