Nicholas and his fiancee, Sarah Patten
Nicholas and Sarah are getting married August 24th, only a few days from now. Yet, Nicholas found the time to do this interview! We’re very grateful and, of course, we send our very best wishes to the happy couple.
Nicholas holding a freshly-pressed Gruyere to be served at his wedding
When did you start making cheese?
I first got interested in making cheese when I visited the Azores with my girlfriend (now wife-to-be) in May, 2017. I was already highly interested in DIY pursuits – always trying to save money, make a high-quality product, and learn a hands-on trade all at once.
We visited a small cheese shop in Ponta Delgada that was packed with people buying their signature cheeses made on a neighboring island dedicated to dairy farming. The clerk could tell we could not speak the language or choose a cheese, so we trusted him to pick something right.
We actually came to adore this cheese and we bought more in the airport heading home. It was sort of a tangier, very sharp cheddar that went well on Portuguese sweet rolls drizzled in honey. I have been able to find the Sao Jorge cheese at only one store in the Boston area so far, but I would love to know if you or anyone can locate it anywhere else!
His bandage-wrapped Red Leicester
I would say it was there in Portugal, amidst the excitement of immersing myself in a different culture, that I decided to understand what cheese is, how it is made, and if anybody makes it at home.
I doubted anyone could do it without a dedicated facility, sterilized from wall-to-wall. But, finding Gavin Webber’s videos on YouTube and cheesemaking.com soon proved me wrong. There are actually quite a few communities of hobby cheese makers who are friendly and willing to offer recipes and answer questions, so I soon felt as though my rare hobby idea would find some support online.
His Farmhouse Blue Cheddar (from Gavin Webber’s video)
How did you learn?
I learned to make cheese initially from Gavin’s videos and reading some of his blog. I believe he actually mentioned cheesemaking.com one time to use as a reference for recipes, and that’s when I started using your site for nearly all my recipes.
I never went to a workshop, but I would certainly be open to the idea; I have never been critiqued by another cheese maker, so I may be able to make an even better product!
I now use Ricki Carroll’s Home Cheese Making as I always prefer cookbooks over a computer screen. I have also begun experimenting with recipes in David Asher’s The Art of Natural Cheesemaking, but anyone who has read that knows that it’s a whole different practice and set of tools than is taught everywhere else.
His 12 month aged Parmesan
What kind of milk are you using?
I sometimes use store-bought pasteurized/homeogenized milk if I don’t have the time to make a trip out of town. But there is a clear distinction between the ones made with that and my raw milk cheeses.
I have bought raw milk from several dairies in Massachusetts including Clover Luck Farm, Cricket Creek, Carter and Stevens – all amazing results. I also have some in-laws in upstate New York who run goat and cow dairy farms, all organic and grass-fed. They have been gracious enough in the past to lend me some of their excellent milk for making cheese.
A wheel of his cow’s milk Manchego
