View a slideshow of the Santa Ynez Valley Cheese Co.
We have our slogan, ‘If you’re not a cheese lover yet, we’ll make you one,’” Kristin Collins declared.
That fondness of cheese started as a passion and is now a business for Kristin and her husband, Russ. The Santa Ynez couple loved eating cheese so much that they bought a few sheep to make it themselves.
The sheep multiplied, like sheep do, and now they have 18 sheep— East Friesian dairy sheep, which they crossbreed with hardier Icelandic sheep. The couple visited dairies and cheese makers and then took classes.
And now, they are waiting for approval from state and county dairy inspectors—which will come, hopefully, by the end of the year—to start selling their locally made cheese.
In May of 2014, they opened the valley’s only gourmet, cut-to-order cheese shop, the Santa Ynez Valley Cheese Company, located in Santa Ynez at 1095 Meadowvale Rd., on the edge of downtown.
“We have cheeses from everywhere,” Kristin said. “We have an array of soft cheeses, medium, semi-hard to hard, and bleu cheeses.”
She has wheels of cheese from California, France, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, and beyond.
“It seems like the valley likes brie-style cheeses, like triple creams and double creams, and sheep milk and goat Goudas, and aged cow’s milk Goudas,” she said.
Drop by the shop and you will discover that the Santa Ynez Valley Cheese Co. is like a wine tasting room experience, but with cheese.
During my recent visit, Kristin sliced samples from several cheese wheels, and then, she started my cheese education. She began with a popular goat’s milk Gouda made at Central Coast Creamery in Paso Robles.
“It’s fairly mild goat’s milk cheese. It’s just super tasty: kinda nutty, dry, but at the same time lots of flavor,” she said. “It’s one of our top selling cheeses.”
Next up, another top seller: a yummy young and creamy, naturally smoked Dutch Gouda reminiscent of a Santa Maria-style barbecue.
The shop is also known for its unique sea salt baguettes.
“They’re made by Baker’s Table in Santa Ynez,” she said. “They make them specifically for us. They taste really good with cheese.”
Kristin handed me a slice of the sea salt baguette topped with soft French double cream brie-style cheese, “It’s just delightful,” she exclaimed. “That saltiness with cheese.”
I then sampled basil-garlic cow’s milk Gouda, which tasted like—you guessed it—basil and garlic. Then, she thought that I might like a unique coconut Gouda from Holland. And boy, was she right!
“It’s made with coconut cream and cow’s milk,” Kristin explained. “It’s not artificially flavored.”
My favorite cheese that I tasted that morning was the Two Sisters “Isabella,” an aged Gouda made from cow’s milk—salty, nutty, so delicious!
“Isn’t it great? The coconut Gouda and the basil garlic are young Goudas, so they’re kind of soft and creamy, and then as you age them, they get harder and crunchier and the texture changes so much,” Kristin said. “The ‘Isabella’ is also a Gouda but it’s been aged a longer amount of time, which gives it a completely different texture.”
The shop also sells gourmet cheese accompaniments such as jams, chutney, honey, mustards, olives, bread, crackers, and salami to pair with cheese.
I suggest stopping here before heading out for a day of wine tasting in Santa Barbara County.
“We make cheese boxes that people can take with them wine tasting or to concerts in the park,” Kristin added. “And we do a delivery service to some of the wineries out here as well.”
Go ahead, let yourself get spoiled on really good cheese!
Cheese, glorious cheese!
The Santa Ynez Valley Cheese Company is a new cheese shop selling cut-to-order gourmet cheese, charcuterie, and fresh bread. The shop is located at 1095 Meadowvale Rd., Santa Ynez. Open Wednesday through Monday. Click on santaynezvalleycheesecompany.com. The phone is 691-9448.
Sun wine and food writer Wendy Thies Sell, a bona fide cheesehead, is a lifelong cheese lover. Contact her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2015.