Jake’s Gouda, Deansboro, New York

Jake and Sylvia Stoltzfus faithfully follow practices that originated in Gouda, Holland, turning wheels coated in cream instead of wax on imported Dutch pine planks (American pine has an odor) to produce Jake's Gouda. Few small cheesemakers make gouda because of the labor-intensive process. "We just wanted to make the cheese right," Sylvia says. Jake had met an equipment maker from Holland who also provided a recipe. The Amish couple, who grow their Holsteins' feed, won 4th place in the 2011 United States Cheese Championships, gouda category, their first year of production. Products now include baby, smoked, and flavored gouda.

"I love their cheese because especially their extra-aged gouda is pretty unique," enthuses Saxelby. "We don't have too many cheeses that are being aged for that amount of time and have that kind of crystallization. It's an intense kind of butterscotchy gouda-style cheese that's really distinctive."

Where to Eat and Stay

WM FARMER & SONS At this family run restaurant, chef William Kirby Farmer is elevating the bounty of the Hudson Valley to its peak expression. The menu changes seasonally, but snag the beef tartare with truffled wontons and Hudson Valley steelhead trout anytime you see them. 20 S. FRONT ST. HUDSON, NY 12534 | WMFARMERANDSONS.COM

THE MAKER Step back into a more decadent age at The Maker restaurant and adjoining lounge. For extra cheesy bites under the glass conservatory at the restaurant, look for the ricotta and chervil dumplings or the parmesan custard. Slide up to the Parisian-style bar in the lounge at night for a signature craft cocktail. 302 WARREN ST. HUDSON, NY 12534 | THEMAKER.COM

TALBOTT & ARDING Along with copious amounts of cheese and charcuterie from around the world, there’s everything from chicken Milanese and fresh stuffed pastas to jams and dried goods, savory galettes and mozzarella-brimming sandwiches, to—my personal favorite—ginger loaf topped with candied ginger and lemon frosting (I buy at least three of these every visit). 202 ALLEN ST. HUDSON, NY 12534 | TALBOTTANDARDING.COM

HUDSON FOOD STUDIO For more casual fare that doesn’t sacrifice a whit on flavor and freshness, this is your go-to. Southeast Asian bites like pork belly bao, spicy shrimp rice, and the “big bowl” of melt-in-your-mouth braised pork shoulder in a pork bone broth with alkaline noodles are the highlights. 746 WARREN ST. HUDSON, NY 12534 | HUDSONFOODSTUDIO.COM

THE MAKER Located in the heart of Hudson, each of the 11 rooms in this intimate property harkens back to a more glamorous and decadent age. Lavish suites appointed with Moroccan rugs and one-of-a-kind antiques travel from the Belle Epoque, Art Deco, and Mid-Century periods. 302 WARREN ST. HUDSON, NY 12534 | THEMAKER.COM

THE EMERSON HOUSE Gladys and “Tink” Emerson managed the herd of Jersey cows at the Kent estate for over 40 years from this home built and designed by Rockwell Kent in the 1930s. The two-bedroom home is fully equipped with a modern kitchen, living space, and outdoor barbecue to grill up a few steaks and vegetables straight from the farm. 74 ASGAARD WAY, AU SABLE FORKS, NY 12912 | AASGARDFARM.COM

Churchtown Dairy

At the end of a weekend of travel, Laura and I finally arrive back in Hudson—our final destination just 15 minutes outside the historic town.

Churchtown Dairy is the archetype of the picturesque dairy farm. It wasn’t always this way. After years of steady milk price declines, and the passage of the Food Security Act, the three previous dairy farms on the 250 acres Churchtown now inhabits were unable to stay in business past the mid 1980s. Developers shortly began scooping up parcels of the former farmlands for housing communities.

In arrive Peggy Rockefeller, of the fabled Rockefeller family. Wanting to preserve the treasured pastures around the Hudson Valley, Rockefeller began purchasing plots as they came to auction. Eventually she amassed over 3,000 acres. In 2008, a decade after her passing, her daughter Abby Rockefeller assumed operations of the land at Churchtown. Her vision was to build a beautiful dairy farm that would be an anchor of the community.

“Nothing is wasted, or as close as we can manage it,” says Deputy Director Amy Gavaris, as she tours us between the milking barn, creamery, and the medicinal gardens. Plants from the gardens are turned into homeopathic remedies and field crops, fertilized by manure compost from the herd.

In 2017, Matt Spiegler arrived from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont to kick off the cheese production as head cheesemaker. In 2019, he was joined by Grace Pullin from Talbott & Arding to assist in cheesemaking and manage production. Together they produce Churchtown’s three signature cheeses. Peggy is a three-quarter pound, cave-aged camembert-style cheese. “I wanted Peggy to be really light and buttery when it’s young,” says Spiegler as we cut into a few wheels. “But as it gets older it develops these great mushroom and chicken broth characteristics.”

Coperthwaite begins the same way as Peggy, but receives a wash in a blend of cultures to give it more meat and aroma. The chicken broth flavor is laced with notes of onion and a mouth-watering umami. Lastly, we sample cuts of Wendell, a semi-hard tomme. Aged in Churchtown’s cave, this is a cheese that really does well with a little time, further developing its nutty and caramel notes.

Chama Mama

Of course I wasn’t going to leave you hanging on the Georgian cheese bread thing. While pizza and mac and cheese are dishes you’re going to run into all over the place in NYC whether you’re seeking them out or not, khachapuri requires a little extra effort. (Your effort will be handsomely rewarded, however, with one of the most decadent pools of salty cheese ever to be encased in a bread boat.) If you can’t make it down to southern Brooklyn to immerse yourself in the Georgian enclave around Sheepshead Bay or Bensonhurst, Manhattan boasts no fewer than 9 restaurants that offer khachapuri. My vote goes to Chama Mama: a well-located and worthy tavern on 14th Street with a spacious back patio perfect for noshing on cheese bread while enjoying a sip or two from their deep selection of amber, Georgian wines.