The village of Theresa, Wisconsin (pop. 1200+), on the Rock River south of Fond du Lac, is home to a cheese factory run by one family for more than 100 years. Formerly the Riverside Cheese Factory, the small-two story building decorated with the crests of Switzerland’s 20-plus cantons houses an operation that relies on traditional recipes and, in one case, antique equipment. Widmer’s Cheese Cellars has been located in Theresa since 1922. On the walls in the office are life-size posters of its first two generations of cheesemakers. Joe Widmer, Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, and his son, Joey, ar ..read more

Fromagination’s catering expert, Greg Upward, has been with the shop since it opened in 2007 –  the only employee who remains with owner Ken Monteleone since the shop opened. He answered an ad, and then got a referral from a friend to meet the new cheese shop owner. “Ken needed someone who could ‘speak cheese,’ and I’m from Wisconsin,” Greg said.  “And I had a food background and knew a lot of the cheesemakers, too.” Greg serves as a kitchen lead for Fromagination, but plans to retire in the next few months.  He has been the force behind the beautiful cheese and charcuteries tra ..read more

Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese is a family-run business that has created great cheese – and  employment for many local residents – near Waterloo, Wisconsin, over many years. Fromagination recently spoke with George and Debbie Crave – one of the brothers, and his wife and work partner –  who led a brief tour of the Crave Brothers operation.  At the outset, visitors saw a display of many Crave Brothers’ awards, including the 2019 Best in Class Award for mozzarella cheese at the U.S. Cheese Championships. On this Monday morning, they led visitors past windows to a production area ..read more

Willi Lehner is a semi-legend in the constellation of Wisconsin cheesemakers – a guy who innovates and takes chances to see what he can create.  His operation near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, is well-known for a particular cheese that has grabbed national attention, Bleu Mont Dairy’s Bandaged Cheddar. He is also easily recognized at the large Dane County Farmers Market in Madison, where he sells his wares in person, along with several other cheesemakers among the produce vendors, bakers and others. Bleu Mont Dairy’s Bandaged Cheddar Cheese The Bandaged Cheddar creates considerably more wholes ..read more

Food Roots Stuart Mammel was a “foodie” before the term became popular, paying close attention to cooking during his childhood and specialty food stores during his days as a young adult.  Now he works at Fromagination, where he helps satisfy the needs of “foodies” in search of artisan cheese. Stuart arrived in Madison long before Fromagination did.  He originally attended NYU for undergraduate studies. Then in 1984 he applied to UW-Madison.  He stayed in Madison after school, and worked in well-known food-related businesses across the city as a baker, a deli manager, a chocolati ..read more

Brenda Jensen lives in the rolling hills of western Wisconsin near Westby, where she, her husband, three employees, a dog and occasional visiting grandchildren share the landscape with 700 dairy sheep. Those “girls” – the ones who are not producing lambs or currently dry – are milked twice a day and that milk produces award-winning cheese. Fast forward to 2019, and now she has accumulated something else: cheese awards, They sit, stacked in two windows of her production facility – plaques, ribbons, certificates – gather dust and probably unnoticed by most visitors. One gets the feeling there’s ..read more

Shannon Berry has been at Fromagination almost three years, now its Floor & Kitchen Manager.  She traveled to the West Coast, East Coast, and back to Wisconsin before becoming a cheesemonger, and settling into training other cheesemongers to showcase the Badger State’s most famous product. “I work here because I like food, I like people and I like a job where I can move around all day and work with my hands,” Shannon said.  “…it seems to be a perfect fit right now. I think I would have a very hard time in an office.” Turns out, Shannon got a job a Fromagination the second time sh ..read more

This month’s featured cheese maker is Marieke Peterman of Holland’s Family Cheese, the business name for a very successful Wisconsin cheese brand and her namesake, Marieke Gouda. The busy staff and many visitors at the small complex she has established in Thorp, Wisconsin, 45 minutes east of Eau Claire, show the results of a very busy woman who has turned a childhood interest in cheese into an impressive venture. The Marieke Gouda store is located on State Highway 29, which runs between Chippewa Falls and Green Bay and for some is the line between “northern” and “southern” Wisconsin. Outside s ..read more

Jeff is a Fromagination cheesemonger as well as purchasing and inventory manager. He has extensive background in farming, food and cheesemaking. He has deep knowledge and passion about all things cheese, meats and companions. After working for a cheese making company in Milwaukee, Jeff started working at Fromagination cutting cheese in the back of the house during the holidays. Before long Jeff was working the front of house sharing his passion and knowledge with Fromagination customers as well as helping educate his fellow cheesemongers wherever he could. We sat down with Jeff to discuss his ..read more

After the huge success of our Winter Cheese Classes, we have put together a brand new series of classes based around the theme of Spring.  Starting May 9th for 10 weeks, our new Spring Cheese Classes will take you on a culinary journey around the world, where you will learn all about the various cheese delicacies and ancient cheese making methods as well as a whole new collection of Cheese pairing experiences!  What are Fromagination Cheese Classes? Fromagination Cheese Classes are exclusive learning experiences that take place “After Hours”, once the shop is closed. During these cla ..read more