Marieke Penterman Is Making Rattling Just right Gouda within the Center of Wisconsin

We’ve teamed up with Wisconsin Cheese for an interview mini-series known as Meet the Makers, that includes a sampling of the state’s greatest cheesemakers and their award-winning creations.

In 2019 I used to be fortunate sufficient to wait the once a year American Cheese Society Awards, hosted that 12 months in Richmond, Virginia. Of the numerous fond reminiscences I’ve from that go back and forth, there’s one specifically that has a tendency to upward push to the highest of my thoughts on every occasion I’m reflecting on it: an enormous sea of proud Wisconsin cheesemakers cheering each and every different on because the state took house win after win for its improbable cheeses. I misplaced rely of the choice of awards that the state’s cheesemakers took house for cheddars and cheese curds—I’d anticipated them to polish in the ones classes. What I wasn’t anticipating was once for a Wisconsin cheesemaker to take house now not one, however two awards for Gouda, a cheese I’d lengthy related simplest with Europe.

That 12 months, Marieke Gouda took house 1st position within the Global-Taste with Taste Added class for his or her Baron Verulam Gouda and 2d position in that very same class for his or her Foenegreek Gouda. However how did award-winning Gouda make its option to the midwest? I sat down with Marieke Penterman, founding father of Marieke Gouda, to determine.

This interview has been edited and condensed for readability.

MADISON TRAPKIN: What introduced you to Wisconsin?

MARIEKE PENTERMAN: I grew up on a dairy farm within the Netherlands on a 600-cow farm. Holland may be very small, it suits about 5 instances within the state of Wisconsin, and now we have about 80 million other people, which makes [farming] fairly difficult and really pricey. So to ensure that [my family] to proceed dairy farming, we needed to seem in a foreign country and the place else are you able to cross in case you love cows and excellent cheese? Wisconsin, in fact.

Wisconsin is The us’s Dairyland, in order that is smart! How did you’re making your option to the cheesemaking facet of items?

I’ve [always been] very proud to be a dairy farmer right here in Wisconsin, however after a short while, I used to be lacking my excellent kaas from Holland. I’d cross to the shop right here and I’d in finding superb, stunning cheeses, however I could not in finding excellent Gouda. [I had a] loopy thought to start out making [it] as a result of we had excellent Wisconsin milk proper right here at the farm and it appeared like a perfect thought. The one drawback I had was once that I didn’t know the way to make cheese.

Ah, a minor element.

I had to return to university right here in Wisconsin to get my cheesemaker’s license, which I did in October 2006. However that didn’t imply that I knew the right way to make Gouda. So, I needed to [go] again to Holland [where I] labored with a woman who had 10 cows and a dairy farmer that had 200 cows and it was once in point of fact attention-grabbing to look what the variation between a smaller and a larger Gouda manufacturer was once.

What are crucial issues to believe while you’re making Gouda?

As a Gouda cheesemaker you’ll be able to play along with your cultures, in fact, however [you can also play with things like] your water—how a lot water do you upload? And [what’s] the temperature of it? How lengthy do you wash it? The ones are all essential components [that go] into developing your individual recipe. I made my first actual batch of Gouda in November of 2006.

What makes Marieke Gouda so distinctive?

Initially, I am very pleased with our cows. They produce an excessively top of the range of milk and [we are] a farmstead creamery, which means that that we’ve got cows proper right here at the farm. When the cows are being milked, that milk is going instantly thru a pipeline underneath the bottom into our cheese vat, so brisker than you’ll be able to get it [from elsewhere]. It’s the top of the range of milk and the in point of fact fast manner people with the ability to make it right into a scrumptious wheel of Gouda ([which happens] inside 5 hours) that makes our cheese in point of fact distinctive.

How does your Gouda evaluate to Dutch Gouda?

We do import one of the vital cheese apparatus from the Netherlands simply to return as intently as conceivable to the Dutch manner of creating it. A few of our components come from the Netherlands, like our cultures and a few of our herbs, however we don’t seem to be as adventurous within the Netherlands as we’re right here in the US. [At Marieke Gouda], we’re a little bit extra extravagant with our flavors.

That strikes a chord in my memory of your Foenegreek Gouda—the place did the speculation for this taste combo come from?

The primary time that I used to be cooking the [with this] herb it made my entire kitchen scent terrible, to be fair. It smelled a little bit bit sour and I used to be now not positive if I sought after so as to add it to it, however we did not wish to waste it both, so we added it to our first actual batch of Foenegreek Gouda. [This cheese] makes use of a seed that tastes a little bit bit nutty, however smells like maple syrup. It’s very expensive to me as a result of it is certainly one of our signature cheeses.

Since making that first wheel in 2006, your cheeses have gained fairly a couple of awards! Are you able to inform me about a few of the ones accolades?

We gained a golden award straight away with our Foenegreek Gouda, which was once tremendous thrilling. At the moment we had been simply with 3 other people, and now we are [a] staff of fifty other people…a staff coming in combination [and] undertaking good stuff [in order] to make the best of good Gouda. We simply gained extra awards and that will put us [at] round 250 [awards]. In 2013 we had been nominated [as] the most productive cheese in the US. I additionally name it my inexperienced card as a result of at that time my immigration legal professional stated, “Let’s qualify you for the strange skill path,” which they authorized.

What an awesome inexperienced card tale!

I am if truth be told the primary cheesemaker that were given her a inexperienced card that manner.

I consider it.

In 2011, I used to be nominated because the Grand Grasp Cheesemaker within the Wisconsin State Honest. [I was] the primary girl to have ever completed that, so it was once in point of fact an honor. And I more or less like successful.

It sort of feels like there’s fairly a little bit of successful happening for you. What’s it love to be a part of the Wisconsin cheesemaking group amongst such a lot of different winners?

I began my profession as a result of I used to be lacking Gouda from my house nation and I sought after to start out a trade prior to I grew to become 30. I stumbled into this trade [filled with] camaraderie and I fell in love with the folks. I am an excessively proud cheesemaker, particularly [in] Wisconsin, for the reason that individuals are superb. They percentage their pastime, and I believe that is one thing that bonds us generally on this trade. Wisconsin is chilly, however the other people within the trade are particularly warm and passionate.

I pay attention you’re running to your Grasp Cheesemaker Certification. What’s the method like?

Sure, I am very proud to mention that they accredited me within the Grasp Cheesemaker program. Ten years after getting your cheesemakers license, you’ll be able to follow for the Grasp Cheesemaker program, which is a difficult approval procedure. I more or less [wanted to] delay it as a result of I used to be a little bit bit anxious and after I in the end went thru the entire procedure and so they authorized me, I used to be more than happy.

I’ve discovered such a lot and it presentations how a lot Wisconsin cares and the extent of information this is required to make in point of fact excellent cheese. If the whole lot is going neatly, then I am hoping with the intention to get my certification in 2025, which might make me the fourth girl Qualified Grasp Cheesemaker in the US.

That may be in point of fact improbable! I’m positive you’ll make it to that degree. What else does the long run hang for Marieke Gouda?

Numerous thrilling issues. We began mainly with not anything 17 years in the past, and I can’t wait to look what we will be able to do in 5 years, ten years, and even 15 years down the street. Something that’s evidently [is that] we wish to make the most productive Gouda in the entire broad global.

Our buddies at Wisconsin Cheese are dedicated to showcasing the entire wonderful cheeses the state has to supply—and there is numerous them. Wisconsin has extra flavors, sorts, and types of cheese than any place else on the earth. From Italian classics like Parmesan and ricotta to Wisconsin Originals like Colby and Brick, this cheese-obsessed state has a little bit one thing for everybody. In finding out extra about Wisconsin Cheese by means of visiting their website.