Wisconsin's Master Cheesemaker Ranks Grow
New Graduates Part of Multiple Masters Trend
Madison, Wis. - Three more Wisconsin cheesemakers have added their names to the list of craftsmen and women in the state who have earned the title of Master by completing advanced training through the three-year Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® program. They represent the 10th graduating Masters class, and join 44 others in the state who already have reached this professional milestone. In addition, three of the existing Masters have
graduated the program a second time, earning Master's certification for additional cheese varieties.
The new Masters are:
* Dave Buholzer, Klondike Cheese, Monroe, certified in Feta and Muenster
* Jim Demeter, Trega Foods, Weyauwega, certified in Feta
* Bruce Willis, Burnett Dairy Co-op, Grantsburg, certified in Cheddar and Colby
Buholzer is the third cheesemaker at Klondike, along with his brothers Ron and Steve, to earn Master Cheesemaker certification. Demeter becomes Trega's fourth Master, and Willis is the second Master at Burnett Dairy.
Returning Masters earning certification for additional varieties are:
* Randy LaGrander, LaGrander's Hillside Dairy, Stanley, for Cheddar
* Steve Stettler, Decatur Dairy, Brodhead, for Brick and Farmer's Cheese
* Carie Wagner, Foremost Farms USA Cooperative, Baraboo, for Cheddar and Monterey Jack
"The Masters are still a relatively small group in Wisconsin," says James Robson, CEO at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), one of the program's founding partners. "But as more of our cheesemakers have committed themselves to this doctorate-level training, we now have more Master Cheesemakers here than many other states have cheesemakers. We also have a growing number of cheesemakers who've graduated the program multiple times, and companies that now have multiple Masters on staff. That really speaks to the passion that these professionals have for their craft and to the commitment to quality that their companies have."
The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker® Program is the most formal, advanced training program in the country and the only Master program in the United States. Patterned after European standards, it is administered by the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and funded by Wisconsin dairy producers, through WMMB. Participants must be active, licensed Wisconsin cheesemakers with at least 10 years' experience. Cheesemakers can earn
certification in up to two cheese varieties each time they enroll in the three-year program and must have been making those varieties as a licensed cheesemaker for a minimum of five years prior to entering the program.
The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, a nonprofit organization funded by the state's dairy farmers, promotes the consumption of Wisconsin Cheese and other dairy products.
Chef2Chef News Desk