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Cowgirl Creamery is a company located in Point Reyes Station, California, which manufactures
Cowgirl Creamery crafts its own cheeses using organic milk from the neighboring Straus Family Creamery, as well as John Tavernas' dairy. Mount Tam, a triple cream cheese similar to Explorateur, and Red Hawk, also a triple cream, with a washed rind, are the more well-known of their aged cheeses, but the company also makes four seasonal soft cheeses: ''Pierce Point'', ''Saint Pat'', ''Chimney Rock,'' and ''Devil's Gulch.'' Only two of their aged cheeses are in a slightly different format: ''Inverness'' looks like an aged goat cheese but is actually made with cow's milk, and is only available at Cowgirl's stores due to a short shelf life; ''Wagon Wheel'', which is a semi-firm cheese designed to melt, is made in 25-pound wheels. Their most recent cheese is the semi-firm ''Hopalong.'' They very, very rarely make an unpublicized aged cheese, ''Sir Francis Drake'', which is the same size, shape, and base as the Mount Tam, but is washed in Muscat wine and topped with macerated currants and has a stronger, sweeter flavor.
Their aged cheeses are named after landmarks or other features local to the
Cowgirl Creamery
* NPR's
"For Cheesemakers, Cows Make All the Difference
{{Cheesemakers Cheesemakers Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Companies based in Marin County, California 1994 establishments in California West Marin Dairy products companies in California
Cowgirl Creamery is a company located in Point Reyes Station, California, which manufactures artisan
An artisan (from french: artisan, it, artigiano) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art ...
cheeses. Founded in 1994, the company manufactures its own cheeses and sells other imported and domestic cheese and fine artisan foods. Its own cheeses include ''Red Hawk'' and ''Mt. Tam'' (named after Mount Tamalpais
Mount Tamalpais (; ; Miwok: ''Támal Pájiṣ''), known locally as Mount Tam, is a peak in Marin County, California, United States, often considered symbolic of Marin County. Much of Mount Tamalpais is protected within public lands such as Moun ...
). Until April 2021, the company operated a storefront in the Ferry Building of San Francisco. Founders Peggy Smith and Sue Conley worked for years in the kitchens of the Bay Area, and Alice Waters' Chez Panisse, where Peggy worked for many years, is among many Bay Area establishments to incorporate cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery into its menu.
Cheesemaking
Cowgirl Creamery crafts its own cheeses using organic milk from the neighboring Straus Family Creamery, as well as John Tavernas' dairy. Mount Tam, a triple cream cheese similar to Explorateur, and Red Hawk, also a triple cream, with a washed rind, are the more well-known of their aged cheeses, but the company also makes four seasonal soft cheeses: ''Pierce Point'', ''Saint Pat'', ''Chimney Rock,'' and ''Devil's Gulch.'' Only two of their aged cheeses are in a slightly different format: ''Inverness'' looks like an aged goat cheese but is actually made with cow's milk, and is only available at Cowgirl's stores due to a short shelf life; ''Wagon Wheel'', which is a semi-firm cheese designed to melt, is made in 25-pound wheels. Their most recent cheese is the semi-firm ''Hopalong.'' They very, very rarely make an unpublicized aged cheese, ''Sir Francis Drake'', which is the same size, shape, and base as the Mount Tam, but is washed in Muscat wine and topped with macerated currants and has a stronger, sweeter flavor.
Their aged cheeses are named after landmarks or other features local to the Marin Headlands
The Marin Headlands is a hilly peninsula at the southernmost end of Marin County, California, United States, located just north of San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, which connects the two counties and peninsulas. The entire area is pa ...
. Cowgirl Creamery also makes fresh cheeses: a fromage blanc
''Fromage blanc'' (; ; also known as ''maquée'') is a fresh cheese originating from the north of France and southern Belgium. The name means "white cheese" in French. ''Fromage frais'' ("fresh cheese") differs from ''fromage blanc'' in that, acc ...
and a crème fraiche and recently resumes making their clabbered cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keep ...
; they no longer make Niloufer's Panir (which is named for chef Niloufer Ichaporia King).
History
The company was started in 1994. In addition to its San Francisco store and Sidekick Cafe, the original creamery in Point Reyes Station includes a store and cantina, and a storefront in thePenn Quarter
Penn Quarter is a neighborhood east of Downtown Washington, D.C. and north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Penn Quarter is roughly equivalent to the city's early downtown core near Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street NW, The definition of Downtown W ...
neighborhood of Washington, D.C. (where founders Sue Conley and Peggy Smith are from) was open from 2006 to 2013.
On May 17, 2016, the company announced that they had been acquired by the publicly traded Swiss dairy company Emmi AG
Emmi AG () is a Swiss milk processor and dairy products company headquartered in Lucerne. The company employs a total of around 8,900 people in Europe (including Switzerland), North America (USA and Mexico), South America (Brazil and Chile) and ...
.
Popular culture
Cowgirl Creamery was referenced in episode 6.1 of the popular TV sitcom ''Will & Grace
''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman ( Eric McCormack), a gay lawyer, and Grace Adler ( Debra Messi ...
'', "Dames at Sea", in the scene where Will is trying to ease the mind of Jack in suspicions of a drunken rendezvous with each other. It has also been mentioned as being a favorite among several notable celebrities.
See also
*List of cheesemakers
This is a list of notable cheesemakers. Cheesemakers are people or companies that make cheese, who have developed the knowledge and skills required to convert milk into cheese. Cheesemaking involves controlling precisely the types and amounts o ...
*
*
References
External links
Cowgirl Creamery
* NPR's
All Things Considered
''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...
"For Cheesemakers, Cows Make All the Difference
{{Cheesemakers Cheesemakers Food and drink in the San Francisco Bay Area Companies based in Marin County, California 1994 establishments in California West Marin Dairy products companies in California