If you’ve had Upper Canada Company's cheeses before, you’ll know that they’re some of the best around. Chefs, home cooks and food lovers all over enjoy their Comfort Cream, Niagara Gold and Guernsey Gold Ricotta that the company has successfully crafted using local Guernsey cow milk. Food Trends speaks with the company’s head cheesemaker, Lauren Arsenault, about the whey of the cheese.
Food Trends (FT): How did you get into cheesemaking?
Lauren Arsenault (LA): Ruth Klahsen (Monforte Dairy) found me working in a fabric store and asked me what I was doing with my life. I apprenticed under her, and also took courses in Vermont at the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese.
(FT): Why did you decide to go with Ruth? What was it about her suggestion that appealed to you?
(LA): I had never actually met anyone who made cheese prior to that, it seemed like a dying art. I couldn't refuse the opportunity to at least check out the whole process. It was also the first time I had ever heard of sheep's milk cheese, and the idea of it intrigued me. After the first day of cheesemaking, I was hooked.
(FT): What it is about the craft you love so much?
(LA): Definitely the combination of Science and Art that is involved in the process.
(FT): How long have you been with UCC?
(LA): Since March 2009
(FT): Where were you before/what where you doing?
(LA): Working at Fabricland, having studied Fashion Design.
(FT): Did you feel stuck in a rut at Fabric Land?
(LA): A little bit. I love sewing and fabric and textiles, but it wasn't much of a challenge. I needed to do something more rewarding.
(FT): Do you miss the fashion world?
(LA): I do miss it, but I still do a lot of sewing, and keep up on new collections coming out. I actually think it makes a better hobby than profession for me.
(FT): Which cheese are you most proud of?
(LA): The Comfort Cream. Since I have been with UCCC, we tweaked the recipe a little. The cheese now ripens beautifully, and is consistent from batch to batch - which is one of my main challenges.
(FT): Tell us a bit more about the award-winning Comfort Cream.
(LA): It's a beautiful, creamy bloomy rind cheese. It has a buttery, rich flavour with a tangy finish. We make them all by hand - stirring, ladling the curd, salting, turning and wrapping.
(FT): What cheese have you created from start to finish? Describe it for us and why you love it??
(LA): Upper Canada Cheese has given me a great opportunity to experiment and develop new cheeses. I wouldn't call any of them 'finished' yet, though. I am working on a unique recipe for cheese curds; a fresh Guernsey grilling cheese, and a couple of different types of goat cheeses. It's pretty exciting, and won't be long before we release for sale.
(FT): What kind of cook are you?
(LA): I am not a good cook at all. It's not like I burn a lot of things, I just don't cook them well. I just have no sense of amounts when it comes to seasoning - so I tend to have way too much garlic in something, to the point where it’s inedible- or too little salt, so the dish is revoltingly bland.
(FT): You say you can't cook, but you can make cheese. How is that possible?
(LA): There is a lot of science involved in cheesemaking. Certain actions will give you (mostly) predictable results. There is still some intuition involved. In cooking, it seems like it is all guess work - I have no idea where to start.
(FT): What's your favourite way to enjoy cheese?
(LA): I will melt almost any type of cheese onto almost any type of food.
(FT): Top tips for choosing a cheese?
(LA): If I was choosing a cheese for myself, I would pick something with a strong flavour and creamy texture - like a beautiful blue cheese. If I was entertaining, I would choose something that suited the menu, and that I thought my guests would enjoy in terms of flavour, intensity and texture. It would also have to be pretty. I like pretty cheeses.
(FT): If you could have only 1 with you on a desert isle- which would it be?
(LA): I would take Ricotta because of its versatility- it can be used as a breakfast food, in entrees, and as a dessert. Goes great with tropical island fruit...
(FT): Thanks Lauren for your time.
(LA): You're welcome!
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