Winchester Cheese Company is the only artisinal cheese manufacturer in Southern California that can commercially sell their cheese. They are located in Winchester just north of Temecula, 70 miles from my place in Pacific Beach (San Diego).

Jules Wesselink, owner of Winchester Cheese Company, was born and raised in Haarlem, Holland. He moved to the U.S., and then in the 1950s started a dairy farm in Los Angeles. Later he moved the dairy to Chico and now to Winchester. About 10 years ago, he started making gouda cheese from their milk and, over the years, he has won numeous awards for them. As I was waiting to talk to the manager, I watched a video of Wolfgang Puck visiting Winchester Cheese and then making french onion soup. Looks delicious!

I spoke with Jeff Smoot, general manager of the company. Jeff had become interested in cheese making and visited Winchester Cheese. His visit turned in to him running the company. The cheese is made using traditional recipes. They start with raw milk (not pasturized) from their cows (or purchased from neighboring farms) and a cheese culture shipped from Holland. When the two are mixed together, the increased acidity causes some of the milk proteins (the caseins) to tangle (curdle) into solid masses called curds. The liquid whey can be used in other kinds of cheeses such as ricotta or in other foods, or used to feed the cows. The curds are then put in to molds that make the thick disk-like shape of the cheese. Later, the cheese is removed from the molds and soaked in brine which is water saturated with salt. This gives flavor to the cheese and makes its rind. Below you see a Jalapeno Gouda.

The cheese is set on shelves and allowed to dry for a few days before it is coated with a very thin layer of edible vegetable fiber paste to prevent it from drying out. Although the coating is edible, people generally remove it before eating the cheese. As required by the USDA, the cheese must be aged for at least two months to make sure any pathogens in the raw milk are killed. Jeff would like to be able to sell younger cheese, but the USDA wants to play it extra safe with foods for commercial sale.

A large portion of their sales are around Southern California to individuals, stores, and restaurants. They also sell to a lot of tourists who come to their farm. Their internet sales also spike following awards they win and press reports about them. Some sales are in the northeast where a lady does sales for them.

Before eating the cheese, let it warm up to room temperature for about an hour. Peel off the micro-thin layer of vegetable fiber, which is edible, but not so appetizing. Store the remaining cheese in the refrigerator loosely wrapped in plastic or wax paper. If the cheese gets moldy, wash or cut off the mold.

You can order cheese on their website. A limited selection of Winchester Gouda is also available at Venissimo here in San Diego. Jeff and his wife Shawna also own a cheese shop in Temecula that sells Winchester Gouda and cheeses from around the world. Visit them at Temecula Valley Cheese Company.

Contact Info: Jeff Smoot, General Manager, jsmoot@winchestercheese.com, 951-926-4239, Susan Arviso, Office Manager, sarviso@winchestercheese.com.