Mary Anne Farah in Oakville, Ontario

We’re in total awe of how much Mary Anne manages to achieve while raising 2 boys, aged 13 and 18. There’s her full-time job, her part-time job and her cheese making YouTube channel – Give Cheese a Chance. She even wrote a children’s e-book – Pepper’s Special Wings to teach youngsters about natural selection.

Mary Anne’s Story

I was born in Canada and presently live in Oakville, Ontario, which is a lovely city close to Toronto.

I wish I could say that I lived on a farm (I am envious of cheesemakers who have their own goats). However, I live in a suburb.

I do not have easy access to raw milk (which is illegal to sell in Canada) and therefore, all of my cheeses are made with store-bought, pasteurized and homogenized milk. But, I still make great tasting cheeses with them, none-the-less!

My mother, Nadia, first showed me how to make cheese over 30 years ago. As a teenager, I watched her make yogurt, labneh and Nabulsi cheese (a white brined cheese) from scratch countless times.

But I wasn’t hooked on cheesemaking until several years ago when my sister-in-law, Lourdes, was visiting from Brazil. She made a Boursin-type cheese in my kitchen for a New Year’s Eve party and it sparked in me a steep phase of learning that didn’t fade over time.

I had gone through many cooking phases before (i.e. Thai cooking, Middle Eastern cooking, bread and pasta-making) but my interest in cheesemaking was so much deeper and riveting.

I suspect this is because cheesemaking unites many of my interests – it brings together my education in microbiology and mycology with my need to cook, and then it became a reason to socialize – to talk about my home-made cheeses and do taste tests with friends (which they enjoyed very much). Home cheesemaking is a win-win for everyone!

My day job:

Monday to Friday, I am an Executive Assistant for a team of investment bankers. On weekends, I am a Humanist Officiant. (For people who don’t know what an Officiant is, I marry people and perform other ceremonies.) I have had both of these roles for the past 8 years.

Previously, I was in communications, design, and I even worked as a lab technician after I graduated with a degree in biology.

Initially, I learned how to make cheese by watching my mother. However, she didn’t have recipes for all the other cheeses I wanted to make. So, I turned to the cheesemaking.com website.

The photos and the clear instructions have been so very helpful. It has beginner and advanced recipes, so there’s something for everyone, no matter what level of cheesemaker you are. I have a large stack of printed recipes from cheesemaking.com that I often refer back to.

I have also become a cheesemaking book hog; I sometimes joke that if there was ever a fire in my house, I wouldn’t grab my jewelry, I’d grab my cheesemaking books!

Lastly, I also watched videos on Youtube to learn. While I found most of the cheesemaking videos to be helpful, I wanted to use my own experience, personal style and passion for cheesemaking to inspire others, so I started the Give Cheese a Chance channel on Youtube. In my videos, I try to relay what I have learned as a home cheesemaker, and make it entertaining to watch as well.

My biggest motivation for making Youtube cheesemaking videos was to say to people, “You can make cheese at home!” Most people don’t know this is even possible.

I really want to spread the word and encourage people to try making cheese, so they can see how satisfying it is. This is why I named my Youtube Channel “Give Cheese a Chance.” I am hoping that my videos will inspire others to give it a try by showing them that each step is easy – “If I can do it, you can too.”

Thinking back though, I’d say there were two life experiences that gave me the courage to be in front of the camera – namely, my volunteer position as the anchor of a “news-magazine” television show (when I was much younger) and my role speaking to large groups of people performing wedding ceremonies. I don’t expect myself to be perfect when I speak in public, and that removal of fear, has allowed me to make Youtube videos.

Tools of the trade:

Initially, I looked for cheese recipes that didn’t require any specialized tools or ingredients, and I suspect it is the same for most beginners. I didn’t want to invest much money in this hobby at first – so I looked around the kitchen and was creative with what I already had. For example, I made a basic mold by punching holes in the bottom and sides of a cookie tin. It worked well enough.

But, I soon started dreaming about having proper equipment. So, I bought molds and followers of various sizes, and to have better technique I bought a digital thermometer, a set of smaller measuring spoon, pH strips and ripening boxes. They made my life so much easier!

I also showed my husband (Kyle) and father-in-law (Gord) a basic cheese press design and they agreed to build it. It involved drilling 4 holes in 2 pre-made wooden cutting boards and securing metal plumbing pipes perpendicularly between them. I used this home-made cheese press for several years.

It was only recently that we modified this press to include plastic cutting boards (instead of the wooden boards) for easier cleaning and longevity. My husband even added drainage channels to the bottom board to direct draining whey away from the cheese and into the sink.

In terms of a cheese cave, I have a cold room in my basement which is great for maturing cheeses most months of the year. During extreme winter weather, however, I have to check that the temperature in the cold room doesn’t get too cold (since I live in Canada). If so, I perform a “cheese migration” where all the cheeses get moved to a warmer area temporarily.

I also have a special fridge for my cheeses which is left-over from a kitchen renovation project – this fridge makes cheese storage much easier.

Future plans:

I just posted my Brie Judging Video and I am in the process of editing a Colby video. I tried something different with the Brie video — I compared 4 different recipes! A few weeks ago, I made 4 different Bries at home, and when they were mature, 4 friends came over to determine which brie was the best in terms of taste, texture, aroma and appearance (a fun judging video). There was one brie that won the most votes as “Best Brie” so now I know which recipe I am going to use in my upcoming “How to Make Brie at Home” video!

Before that video gets made though, I will finish up the editing of my “How to Make Colby at Home” video. My family members (all Colby lovers) are happy that the Colby video filming is over because they have been feasting on Colby morning and night!

Advice for beginners:

Remember: Each step involved in making cheese at home is relatively easy. Can you use measuring spoons? Can you stir? Can you read a thermometer? Can you strain? Of course, you can! But, can you wait? Now, THAT is the hardest part of cheesemaking!