Only three years after its breakthrough onto the American artisanal stage, Great Hill Dairy's raw cow’s milk cheese from the foggy shores of Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts took a gold medal at the American Cheese Society competition!

Jasper Hill supports cheesemakers in the Northeast Kingdom by aging their cheeses for them and paying them upfront for their cheese; thus allowing these other small cheese producers to be successful.

The Von Trapp Farmstead was founded by brothers Sebastian and Dan Von Trapp in the small town of Waitsfield in central Vermont. Yes, they are related to those Von Trapps, but have one taste of their amazing cheese and you won’t need to make any cheeky The Sound of Music movie references.

TAmerican Cheese Month Logo Transparency 1024x862he Gourmet Retailer got the scoop on all of Pastoral's fun American Cheese Month events! Read the article online.

Laura Levy from Today's Chicago Woman joined Pastoral on our trip to Wisconsin and recorded our trip with a great photo slideshow on her blog. Read it here!

You could say that the Giacomini family, of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese company, has dairy in their blood. Their family has been in the dairy industry for over a hundred years, starting in Italy.

The Magic: In the case of this pairing I believe the cheese helps make the wine better rather than the traditional vice versa. For me, when the two meet the wine flip flops in order. In my mouth the cheese pops...

I’m a little bit country, but this cheese is all rock and roll. Try a synergistic pairing with Hop Ruiter.

Capriole Farm is a 90-acre farmstead that specializes in goat’s milk, and has been around for three decades. Judy Schad, Co-owner, and pioneer in the American artisan cheesemaking movement, started making cheese in her kitchen in the 1980’s.

This month I’ve witnessed some spectacular golden, red and orange hues burning against the blue skies, and with them the reality that our summer growing season is ending. Some plants in the garden, as they wilt and decay, beg to be relieved of their last fruits

My first experience with Gouda came from my Dutch friend who had some airmailed to her by her family during a study abroad. “Ummmm Ya.” She would say as she nibbled on her cheese and, “toast with chocolate sprinkles.”

ShadowBrook farms has been producing Grade A goat’s milk since 2006. ShadowBrook is a small, family owned farm with 34 acres. They are committed to sustainable practices on their farm.

Cypress Grove was founded by head cheese maker Mary Keen. She got her start in the business showing goats, where she came across the likes of Judy Schad (Capriole Farms) and Alison Cooper (Vermont Butter and Cheese Company). Many folks call them the "Great Ladies of Goat cheese".

If you stopped in during lunch at our Loop store yesterday, or came by our Lakeview shop in the evening, you probably met the masters behind this Illinois farmstead dairy! If you stopped into any of our stores, we hope you took us up on our offer to taste the weekly pairing!

This mother-son team makes 22 raw milk farmstead cheeses from their herd of 40 pasture-fed Jersey cows on 75 acres outside of Hartford, CT.