The 'Road Warrior' of Tennessee Goat Cheese

Back in Tennessee? Wait a second. Weren't we here already? So wait Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee... Okay so this is definitely NOT the fastest way to drive to California. But there's a reason we came back through Tennessee again--because we knew we'd find a pot o' gold (AKA delicious aged crystalline goat cheese magic) at Bonnie Blue farm in Waynesboro.

Originally from Sacramento, California Gayle and Jim Tanner decided to move locations because they knew

that for making their cheese they wanted four seasons and terrain. The flew into Little Rock and drove 1,600 miles looking for the ideal location for their new farm. Finally, they settled on Waynesboro and began working closely with the state on all of the health and other regulatory details. After all, Tennessee has very few cheesemakers, so this was largely new territory for the state health agencies. Like many cheese makers we have met in states where cheesemaking is a relatively small or new industry, Jim and Gayle have largely taken it upon themselves to help educate and enlighten health officials for whom this is all very

uncharted territory.

It was 2004, they had their new farm and the goats were living large. Thinking back she laughs as she says, "At the time, we lived in a trailer and the goats had a nice big barn!" With the goats settled in, Jim, "the road warrior" continued his building so that he and his wife could be as comfortable as their Neubians and Saanens. And now they are taking things to the next level by building a real-deal cheese cave into the side of a hill. It is almost complete and looks great.

Right now they are milking 40 goats. The goats browse the land just about every day and are also fed a lot of hay. Most of their cheesemaking equipment is imported from Brazil and the Netherlands. With intentions to expand production, they make all of their cheese with super-fresh milk and are really producing some absolutely incredible stuff.

Just a few weeks ago their Tanasi Tomme won Best in Show at the 2009 ADGA competition in Buffalo. It is a tangy aged delicious masterpiece that we were lucky enough to try during our visit. They also make a Gouda style cheese called Parker named after Robert Dru Parker who was born in a pre-civil war cabin that used to stand on their property. This cheese won Best in Show last year in San Francisco. Here's a funny tidbit: When Gayle and Jim first moved to their new farm they were payed a visit by Mr. Robert Dru Parker himself and he told them the story of his birth. Funny enough, when he left Tennessee all those years ago he moved to a city an hour north of Sacramento, where Jim and Gayle moved FROM. Funny coincidence. Anyway, they decided to name one of their favorite cheeses after this man.

Aside from the Parker and Tanasi Tomme, Bonnie Blue also makes some nice bloomies and some absolutely outrageous aged goat cheddar. We sat down with her for a proper tasting and "cheese-chat" which was really nice. She sliced off a bit of cheddar from this two year aged wheel and WOW! Crystals, depth, brightness, and nuance. Overall very impressive. And this is cheese aged in a perfectly acceptable but possibly not totally perfect cave. With their new cave, I really believe that the already extraordinary cheese they are now producing will really raise the bar in a big way when it comes to aged American goat cheddar. Quicke's has nothing on you Bonnie Blue!

As we were leaving, 'Road Warrior" Jim returned from the market. He is a one-of-a-kind person with a sense of humor that is joyful and relentless. Together Gayle and Jim are a magical team of Tennessee cheesemaking pioneers and we look forward to tracking their progress and tasting more of their cheese. Congratulations on the Tanasi Tomme!!!