Cheesemaking in Paradise

Kate Johnson, founder of The Art of Cheese located in Longmont, CO, offered her first cheesemaking retreats this winter in Hawaii. She had told us about them in our December interview with her. (Note: She’s already scheduled next February’s retreat and you can save $$ by enrolling early – https://theartofcheese.com/event/cheesemaking-in-paradise-retreat-in-kona-hawaii/.)

We knew Jamie Ryer was attending the first retreat, so we asked him to take a few pictures for us. He did and he also wrote a rave review of it for us. (James is a master cheesemaker from Fairfax, Virginia (click here).) We are very grateful to him for this story.

Cheesemaking in Paradise

By Jamie Ryer

As I touched down in Kona, my heart soared at the beauty of the island of Hawaii. The mountains, the coastline, rain forests, and fields of blackened lava rock, a reminder of the legends of the ancients concerning Pele the fire goddess who it is believed formed and reigned over the islands of Hawaii. Known as “she who shapes the sacred land,” the magic of the islands touches all who live and visit. Here, these people call it the spirit or “mana” and you can’t help feel it from the moment you arrive.

As I disembarked the wind blew and the sun shone brightly. The distant mountains were covered with a sacred mist or “kuhi” and as I retrieved my luggage and began the drive to the Thunder Mountain Coffee Plantation where the class would be happening.

I quickly glanced at the picture of the house we would be staying at as the excitement of furthering my cheesemaking education and experience caused my heart to swell.

During the flight to Hawaii, I caught up on Kate’s story – how she and her husband moved from a tightly packed suburban location to a 5 acre farm to pursue their dreams. She never imagined those first goats would lead her to making cheese and then a full time business sharing that passion and teaching others how to make cheese.

Cheese, a saying once written, captures it so eloquently, “is milk’s leap to immortality.”

There truly is something special about taking something so simple as milk and creating something new and amazing from it – cheese.

In a few hours, 9 strangers would meet on a beautiful coffee plantation 3000 feet above the Kona coastline in the mountains of Hawaii and embark on a journey dreams are made of.

They would be the first group of the first class Kate was sponsoring – a class that sold out within hours of being posted online. It sold out so quickly Kate would offer a second class the following week in Hilo. It too would sell out.

In the weeks prior to arriving on the island and officially meeting Kate, I proposed to her that we do a class in Provence, France. I had lived there for 4 years several years ago. She embraced the idea and if this class turned out to be the success we sensed it would, we had no doubts France would be the next destination.

That class will be offered in July of 2021. Students attending will experience the same 3 day curriculum with a focus on French cheeses. Of course there will also be 3-4 days where students can explore on their own. A couple optional excursions will be offered. One to the lavender fields of Provence, the wine caves of Chateuneuf de Pape and the cheese caves of Roquefort. More to come on that trip so stay tuned.

But now back to Cheesemaking in Paradise. Students from all over the country and one from France would be learning, dining and experiencing all Kate would offer. This was indeed the trip of a lifetime.

One by one, as we began to arrive at the house, the excitement in the air was so thick you could cut it with a cheese knife.

We greeted each other over a reception of wine, and cheese of course, and Kate introduced herself and spoke of what we would be experiencing the next few days. We then each introduced ourselves and noted everyone of us had either no experience or lots of experience. One thing was certain, we were all eager to learn from Kate and most of us had some story to share.

On the first day, we started with simple fresh cheeses. We sampled a couple of them: chèvre and feta, and we spent the day covering how those were made.

Starting with fresh milk and adding cultures, then letting it rest overnight and draining the next day, just long enough to reach the consistency and acid levels (where cheese gets it initial flavors) desired.

Over the next couple days of classes we would also cover hard and aged cheeses, like cheddar, and some simpler ones to make – mozzarella and ricotta.

Besides making cheese, we would taste lots and lots of amazing local cheeses and cheeses Kate had brought to the islands to share with us.

It is quite easy to follow recipes online, watch a few You Tube videos and, true, anyone can make cheese, but experiencing this in a classroom setting, in paradise, or some other location of the world, is truly special. This would be an experience that fostered memories for a lifetime. And the hands-on experience with others is definitely more beneficial than trying to go it alone.

If you have not taken a cheese class yet, you definitely should and I highly recommend you do it with Kate. Even with me having over a year of experience and having made some good cheeses, I learned more than I could have ever imagined in those three days (and learned I still have a lot to learn).

Of course, many friendships would be made, a positive side affect of bringing a group of people together who share a common passion and desire to learn. This is also why taking a cheese class is more than just learning how to make better cheese. It is about sharing a passion, ideas, experiences and enjoying what we love so much while bringing people together who share a common interest and creating lifelong bonds.

Food has always been a way to bring people together. Cheesemaking is also a way to bring people together.

The energy and excitement we experienced during the three days of classes and the three days we had to explore the island, would leave us all with fond memories.

As the week of our adventure closed and we parted ways, I was one of the last to leave and as I walked the empty halls of that home, my heart was filled with gratitude for what I experienced there and the people I shared it with. Who would have ever thought that learning to make cheese could be such an uplifting experience.

We truly experienced something special and everyone who attended Kate’s class felt it and knew it. All of us expressed gratitude for what Kate shared with us and vowed we couldn’t wait to reunite again at her next destination class in Hawaii next year or Provence, France in 2021.

Aloha means hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. Isn’t that neat? You say Aloha for hello or goodbye. Only one word. Why is this significant? In Hawaii goodbye is never goodbye, it is aloha, a sentiment conveying love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy. Hawaiians never say goodbye because when you part ways it is not “goodbye” for there are no goodbyes in Hawaii.

In life, take your passion and soar with it. Do what you love and love what you do. This essential concept will ensure you the greatest joys life has to offer.

In addition to learning to make cheese, we all learned to live a little more and enjoy all life has to offer.

Such is the experience we had and all of us were grateful that a lady named Kate decided to raise goats on a farm in Colorado and turned that into a passion she would share with others.

Aloha.