American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World

Overall Ranking 3) Consider Reading

American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World by Joe Berkowitz, 2020, Harper Perennial

What is the book about?

There was a point in time where author Joe Berkowitz believed he knew and appreciated cheese. Cheddar, gouda, and Swiss were staples in his fridge, and the thought of taking his wife to an upscale cheese shop one Valentine’s Day seemed like a simple, fun outing. That tasting, however, ended up upturning his culinary world. His palate was stunned by the artisanal offerings. A rush of intense, unexpected flavor unlike anything he had experienced. 

The biggest surprise? These complex world-class cheeses weren't imports from Europe's established dairy empires; they were Made in America. The country that was so new to cheesemaking that the paperwork for exporting an American artisanal cheese wasn't even created until its 227th birthday in 2003. This discovery felt like uncovering a magnificent, delicious secret.

This profound realization launched Berkowitz on a year-long, immersive quest detailed in American Cheese. He dives headfirst into the subculture, exploring every facet of the industry, from its humblest roots to its intellectual command centers. His journey connects him with elite cheesemakers, specialist mongers, the cave-dwelling affineurs who handle aging, dairy scientists, and restaurateurs. While the core focus is the American cheese renaissance, his exploration extends globally, taking him everywhere from the mountains of Gruyère to the underground aging caves beneath Paris, all to cultivate a deeper appreciation for the curd and its often-underestimated place in American society.

Would I recommend reading it?

I feel like I am the same person that Joe is in his first pages. Someone who appreciates a solid slice of gouda on a sandwich, but I don't understand what happens at the cheese counter at the grocery store. Might as well be an alien concept entirely. Berkowitz's journey makes the translation from know-nothing to know-something like a kind teacher telling you some special secret.

He makes the world of cheese feel magical with flavor combinations that wow and artisans who cast spells doused with science to create wheels of dairy delight. Yet, still keeps it grounded in reality by reminding you that not every batch is golden. Some wheels genuinely spue out geysers of "rancid whey" and smell so much like ammonia your fight or flight kicks in. This realm is beautiful, delicious, disgusting, scientific, accidental, and above all seasonal. It makes you want to take the leap and dive into that world. Even if it's just fun samplings every now and then.

You'll also be sprinkled with little nuggets of wisdom along the way. Like how Dr. Nitin Ahuja of the University of Pennsylvania "Most often the effect that cheese has on the bowels is loose stools. Constipation is much rarer.". So you can be unafraid of eating as much cheese as you want and be unafraid of cheese that smells like feet because you know it was made with a bacteria called B.linens that just so happens to grow especially well on human feet. 

The cake that those sprinkles fall onto is mostly events, tours, competitions, and tastings that happen in the cheese world. The heft of this book is less a linear approach or history of American cheeses but looking at the engine of the American artisanal community. There is a cast of re-occurring cheese enthusiasts that accompany Joe as he takes you on his cheese journey. So be ready to be exceptionally jealous of all the cheese he eats, who he eats it with, and how the cheese world looks like a constant party.

Overall, this is a fun read that is going to plant the seed of cheese curiosity in your skull. It isn't meant to be academic or recommend you pair certain cheeses with certain accoutrements. It is the journey of an average Joe who tells us how he went about learning how the cheese world ticks and eats some scrumptious stuff along the way. It is very much about the journey. The destination is to just have an open curiosity of cheeses which I think it accomplishes. I don't really feel changed though. 

As such, I would give this book a ranking of Consider Reading. It's fun, a good page-turner that is a touch too long as you get the jist that all the cheese contents are intense and filled with cheese. You will walk away going, huh, interesting. It may even spur you to eat some wild or whacky cheeses! It is enjoyable and if you find a copy on the cheap give it a whirl. But once you get to the end, there is no follow through. 

You are absolutely welcome, encouraged even, to write a book about your adventures tasting cheeses across the American continent. But it feels like an absolute missed opportunity that Berkowitz didn't include a curated resource guide, such as a simple, one- or two-page list of the cheeses that left the greatest impact on him. It is baffling even.

As a reader, you close the book and think, "Okay, maybe I'll try me some of those cheeses," but then you're left hanging. Where should a person even begin? Or even just a list of specific American cheeses he recommends trying in general? This frustration extends beyond the cheese itself; if I wanted to attend an event he described or visit a cheesemonger he praised, tracking down the specifics, which chapter mentioned it, which event it was, requires an unnecessary amount of energy that kills the post-reading momentum.

Out of sheer frustration, or what I’ll call an "angry stupor" I decided to do the legwork for you. The list that follows isn't a complete collection of every cheese Joe encounters throughout his year of munching, but it does compile a couple major award winners and the producers he mentions repeatedly.

Keep in mind that the American artisanal cheese world is volatile. Since Berkowitz wrote this, I assume new, ooey gooey award-winning cheeses have been born, while others have been retired (rest in peace to the delicious Rupert Reserve by Consider Bardwell Farms). So while some great cheeses he mentions may no longer exist, and new greats are waiting to be found, this compiled list is a faithful starting point, sticking to what truly stood out in American Cheese. 

Enjoy my correction of this awkward mistake. I hope it leads you somewhere awesome.

The Cheeses

• Rogue River Blue by Rogue Creamery: 
• Rogue River Blue shocked the culinary world by becoming the USA’s first and only World Champion Cheese at the 2019/20 World Cheese Awards
• Artisanal blue cheese wrapped in grape leaves that are soaked in pear liqueur with rich, nuanced notes of seared meat, chocolate, fig, and brown butter, and moderate blue spice. You may note a slight yet satisfying “crunch” in the texture - a result of the cheese’s long and careful aging process.
• CHEESE COMPETITION AWARDS
• World Champion Cheese at the 2019/2020 World Cheese Awards
• Stockinghall Cheddar by Murray's Cheeses 
• This cheese combines meaty bacon and sour cream flavors with surprising hints of pineapple. A cheese this rich in flavor deserves to be paired with an equally flavorful Merlot or stout 
• CHEESE COMPETITION AWARDS
• Recognized by American Cheese Society as the 2019 Best of Show winner, 
• Professor's Brie by Wegman's
• A rich, brie-style cheese has a lush, dense texture and subtle mushroom notes, with a touch of pepper from the rind. The cheese is made by Wegman's partner Old Chatham Creamery (Finger Lakes Region, NY State) using 1/3 Cow’s Milk, 1/3 Cow’s Milk Cream, 1/3 Sheep Milk. It is then aged in Wegmans Cheese Caves in Rochester, NY. 
• CHEESE COMPETITION AWARDS
• Bronze Medal World Cheese Awards, Norway 2023
• Gold Medal American Cheese Society, 2023
• Silver Medal World Championship Cheese Contest, Wisconsin 2022
• Silver Medal World Cheese Awards, Wales 2022. 
• American Cheese Society Awards 2nd Best in Show Bergamo, Italy 2022
• American Cheese Society Awards Gold Medal Bergamo, Italy 2022
• Bronze Medal World Cheese Awards Bergamo, Italy 2022
• American Cheese Society Awards Gold Medal 2018
• Tarentaise by Spring Brook Farm
• A French-Alpine style of cheese where depending on the season, the flavor profile on Tarentaise can range from bright red berries and floral undertones to nutty, browned butter to wonderfully savory and brothy. 
• CHEESE COMPETITION AWARDS
• Bronze Medal, World Cheese Awards 2023
• Bronze Medal (Tarentaise Reserve), World Cheese Awards 2023
• 3rd in Category (Tarentaise Reserve), American Cheese Society 2023
• Bronze Medal, World Cheese Awards 2022
• Bronze in Category, The Big E Cheese Competition 2022
• Best in Class, World Championship Cheese Contest 2020
• 1st Place in Category (Tarentaise Reserve), American Cheese Society 2019
• Silver in Category, The Big E Cheese Competition 2019
• Bronze Medal, World Cheese Awards 2019
• Rush Creek Reserve by Uplands Cheese
• Produced only in the fall, as the diet of cows begins to change from summer pasture to the winter’s dry hay.  This rich milk creates a cheese that is so soft and decadent that it’s often referred to as savory custard.  Each cheese is wrapped in spruce bark, which gives shape to the cheese and imparts a subtle woodsy flavor. No awards, but it is the "Pumpkin Spice of the Cheese World".

The Cheesemongers & Cheese Sellers

Now that I am less angry, I will acknowledge that the acknowledgement section does include a thank you to the ambassadors of the dairy and cheese industry and list them all out. But its in paragraph style going "Andy Hatch of Uplands Dairy, David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery, Anne Saxelby of Saxelby Cheesemongers, Chrisitian and Ashley Coffey of Folly Cheese Company, Tenaya Darlington aka Madame Fromage, Rory Stamp, Jordan Edwards, Lilith Spencer" etc. I feel like that makes them all blend together and I immediately zone out. So here are some of the names that stood out the most to me while reading and who you will probably end up googling.  

• Tenaya Darlington aka Madame Fromage
• An educator and stinky cheese advocate who runs a popular cheese blog, acts as a tour guide for behind the scenes visits of exclusive kitchens and caves of renowned European cheese makers and the author of several books including:
• Madame Fromage's Adventures in Cheese: How to Explore It, Pair It, and Love It, from the Creamiest Bries to the Funkiest Blues, 2023
• Di Bruno Bros
• Adam Jay Moskowitz
• Adam Jay Moskowitz is a third-generation cheese importer who owns and operates The Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI), Maker to Monger and Larkin Cold Storage.  A self-proclaimed modern day renaissance man with many passions, Adam is also a poet, painter, dj performing as The Beat Poet (often in a cow costume). But one of his favorite things to do is Fonduel.
• Murray's Cheese
• One of the first shops in the US to import a variety of European cheeses and champions small-scale American cheesemakers. The shop offers a tasting/pairing salon, a classroom cheese forward educational classes, and a well-stocked shop that sells cheese accompaniments. Located in NYC.
• Has a secret volunteer program that our author uses for the winter of 2019.
• Center for Dairy Research
• CDR’s Cheese Industry and Applications Staff work to build a sustainable competitive advantage for the domestic cheese industry through leadership in innovative strategic research, technology, product development, outreach, and continuing education. From Cheddar to Sweet Swiss, Queso Fresco to Juustoleipä, bloomy to surface ripened cheeses, CDR’s licensed cheesemakers and dairy researchers serve as a technical resource in the development, troubleshooting, and utilization of cheese products.
• Le Cheese Geek
• When you're in Paris check out Le Cheese Geek, a collective of gourmets whose mission is simply to make your taste buds go wild and turn you into a cheese and wine geek through cheese and wine tastings in various shops and caves in Paris

The Events and Award Ceremonies

Since I am ranging about lists, here are the events Joe went to should you wish to attend yourself. If you go, I will be so jealous. 

• Mondial du Fromage
• The Mondial du Fromage is a biennial event held in Tours, France, that combines a trade show for dairy professionals with a juried cheese tasting and the World’s Best Cheesemonger competition. Essentially the worldwide cheesemonger Olympics. It’s a platform for high-level cheesemongering techniques to be showcased to the entire trade, and for mongers from around the world to show off their skills and represent their country’s cheese industry.
• World Cheese Awards
• Operated by the Guild of Fine Food the World Cheese Awards brings together cheesemakers, retailers, buyers and food commentators worldwide to judge over 4,500 cheeses from over 40 countries. Taking place annually, the World Cheese Awards is hosted by different nations to shine a light on local cheesemaking, food & drink tourism and culture.
• American Cheese Society's Annual Conference
• A premier event for the cheese industry that brings together professionals and enthusiasts for education, networking, and celebration. Attendees can participate in sessions, competitions, tastings, and workshops focused on cheesemaking, marketing, and food safety. The conference also includes the ACS Judging & Competition, which showcases and awards high-quality American cheeses.  
• Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI)
• The Cheesemonger Invitational is an all-you-can-eat event meant to discover the best artisan cheeses from around the globe. It is a multi-day event for U.S. cheesemongers that combines a competition, educational workshops, and a public festival. It showcases and tests the technical skills, knowledge, and salesmanship of cheesemongers through challenges like identifying cheeses by taste, accurately weighing and cutting cheese, and a sales pitch to judges. Its run by Adam Jay Moskowitz from above.

I spent a lot of time on these lists so you might as well go to an event or eat some of the cheese. It would make it worth the re-reading and list building.

I Try the Cheese

If you're going to read the book, you might as well try the cheese! I found a slice of Rogue River Blue in a Wholefoods nearby and gave it a whirl. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was.... surprised by it. You'll either feel like you won the lottery or that it just took your wife and kids.

Books to Bowls OUT!

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