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Featured Farm - Rogue Creamery
The
Men of Rogue - David Gremmels and Cary Bryant
Michelle and Barack would cheer them if they
knew of the personal commitment and generous contributions
that David Gremmels and Cary Bryant have made in their
community. They are tireless community organizers and
skilled cheesemakers, working in an historic creamery in a
lush farming region in southern Oregon.
Cary and David have created a cooperative
distribution depot near their facilities that provides
storage and logistics for local farmers and cheesemakers who
would otherwise struggle to get their goods to
market.
They are co-founders of the Oregon Cheese
Guild, an organization that provides networking
opportunities and marketing support to cheesemakers in the
region. And, to illustrate a commitment to sustainable
agriculture,
Rogue Creamery, is third
party certified by Food Alliance and Oregon Tilth.
These agricultural
certifications guarantee that the company provides good
working conditions, humane treatment of animals, healthy
farm practices and protection of wildlife habitat.
Attention to the health of the community is a
legacy of Tom Vella, Rogue Creamery's founder. Vella opened
the creamery in the 1930s, providing much needed jobs during
the depression, while creating some of the best cheeses west
of the Mississippi. When World War II started, the men were
called to the army and their wives and daughters made the
cheese, providing great cheddar for the men on the front
line while keeping the rural economy afloat.
Gremels and Bryant bought the creamery from
Tom's son, Ig Vella, in 2002. Under the tutelage of master
cheesemaker, Ig Vella, Cary and David have consistently
garnered awards for their cheeses. This month at Cowgirl
Creamery, we have included Rogue Creamery's Smokey Blue in
our
Red, White & Blue Collection. A raw milk, hand milled
cheese, Smokey Blue is cold-smoked for sixteen hours over
smoldering Northwest-grown hazelnut shells and then aged for
a minimum of two months.
Crumble on top of a grilled burger or simply
layer slices on rustic white bread. It pairs well with a
Cabernet Franc or Zinfandel wine. |
