Cheesemaking | Cheese Producers | Variety Of Cheese

'european' Cheese Made In . . . Idaho?

by Lane Bettencourt Idaho

PARMA, Idaho -- Gourmet goat cheese in the finest European tradition is being created in Parma.

Idaho, that is.

To create the increasingly popular variety of cheese, Chuck and Karen Evans' small dairy in western Canyon County is busy this time of year. And noisy.

With 135 baby goats born this spring, there's a lot of bleating going on.

When they're old enough, most of these newborn goats will join others in being milked to produce cheese. More consumers are developing a taste for goat cheese, and they have a growing appetite for high-end wines and other gourmet selections.

"Americans are eating far more cheese than they did a few years ago," Chuck Evans said, "and niche markets like goat cheese are growing even faster."

With cheese at $20 to $35 a pound, the couple markets their goat cheese to upscale stores, delis and restaurants. This is not the cheese you'd put on nachos or burgers.

"No kid comes home and makes a goat cheese and baloney sandwich after school," Chuck joked.

Rollingstone Chevre, the name the Evanses have given their dairy, has been producing cheese since the late 1980s. The farm had been in Chuck's family for more than 50 years, but the couple moved to Minnesota years ago to pursue other careers before deciding to return.

Since Chuck was a sculptor and Karen a potter, they thought they might be able to make a living here selling pottery. "It just wasn't realistic," Karen recalled.

Fortunately, Karen had taken up cheesemaking as a hobby in the Midwest and brought her goats with her.

The hobby turned into a profession, with Rollingstone Chevre now one of only two cheese producers of its type in Idaho.

The goats, a Swiss variety called Saanen that are uniformly white, are milked twice a day. The milk goes into a tank, is then pasteurized at high temperatures and injected with a bacterial culture that differs by cheese variety. Some of the cheese is ready to eat in 24 hours and some needs to age six months.

Ingredients such as basil, sun-dried tomatoes and even cranberries can be added.

Comparing it to cheese from dairy cows, Karen said goat cheese -- especially theirs -- is marked by a clean, creamy, tart taste.

Walking among the noisy young goats on their 45-acre farm, Chuck said most farmers who raise calves find baby goats obnoxious. For instance, they're very curious and have a tendency to climb all over you. But he is fond of them.

"They're really intelligent and kind of like cats -- because they think that people exist for their convenience."

Although the cheese the dairy produces is pricey, Karen said folks from all walks of life are becoming more willing to splurge once in a while for something different.

With 80 milking goats, Rollingstone Chevre produces about 600 pounds of cheese a week. Production has doubled to meet demand.

"We could sell twice what we make," Karen said. "We've never had to advertise."

Favorable write-ups in food publications such as Bon Appetit magazine haven't hurt.

Borrowing a page from the wineries that are close by the dairy, the couple plans to open a tasting room at the "fromagerie," the French term for cheese dairy. The entrepreneurs think the timing is right, especially with a growing preference for food grown close to home.

"The U.S. imports far more goat cheese than it produces," Chuck said. "I really don't see any end to the growth."