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Artisanal Cheese Makers

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Does' Leap

Sunset is not the end of the workday for Kristan Doolan and George vanVlaanderen, the owners of Does' Leap farm; it's the beginning of evening chores. When George walks in the door after his day job teaching at the nearby high school, Kristan hands over their two small children so she can begin the nightly milking. With a fledgling farm, George's day job is a necessary one, since he and Kristan are still trying to find a niche for their impeccably fresh goat's cheese.

The couple began making cheese in 1999, and their small operation still presents plenty of challenges. They own one of the few certified organic goat dairies in Vermont. During peak times, the dairy produces more than 100 pounds of cheese a week, including a fresh chèvre, a soft-ripened caprella, a feta, and an aged tomme.

Their small-scale operation has Kristan and George milking 44 Nubian and Alpine does, with a good deal of the cheese going to local restaurants and shareholders in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms.

To Taste the Cheeses

To taste the cheeses in this story, check local specialty food shops and farmers' markets, or visit these Web sites:

Hillman Farm: hillmanfarm.com

Orb Weaver Farm: orbweaver.com

Willow Hill Farm: sheepcheese.com

Does' Leap: vtcheese.com

Bringing Home the Cheese

Vermont leads the region with small family operations producing world-class cheeses. For a list of New England cheese makers and where to buy their cheeses, visit newenglandcheese.com or call 508-865-6336. We are particularly enamored with the following.

Appleton Creamery, Appleton, Maine. In addition to fresh chèvre, the Hunter family also makes feta, sheep's yogurt and a hard cheese they call Crofters. 207-785-4431. appletoncreamery.com

Grafton Village Cheese Company, Grafton, Vermont. Grafton cheddar has a sharp flavor and creamy to dry texture (depending on age). 800-472-3866. graftonvillagecheese.com

Great Hill Dairy, Marion, Massachusetts. Made by the Stone family, Great Hill's tangy blue is handcrafted from raw Guernsey cow's milk. 888-748-2208. greathillblue.com

Lazy Lady Farm, Westfield, Vermont. Cheese maker Laini Fondiller tends a herd of 33 organically raised Alpine goats and produces 15 different cheeses. 802-744-6365. vtcheese.com

The Cheese Whizzes of Shelburne Farms

In contrast to the grassroots operation of Orb Weaver Farm, Shelburne Farms in Vermont's Champlain Valley annually produces 100,000 pounds of raw-milk cheddar made from their purebred herd of 125 Brown Swiss cows. The farm is probably one of the most well-known cheese producers in America today.

Shelburne Farms is open to the public and their signature cheddar is available. For ordering information, visit shelburnefarms.org or call 802-985-8686.