You've just gotta go

Story by Mary Bailey
illustration by Scot Ritchie

Take a journey to the heart of the province to visit some of Alberta’s artisan cheese makers.

You don’t have to take an expensive European vacation to discover great-tasting artisan cheese. In fact, a simple day trip to central Alberta will bring you to the farms and dairies of talented local artisan cheese makers, crafting flavourful cheeses the traditional way. The best cheeses have a distinct connection to where they are from – the air, the water, the grasses the cattle graze on – and sampling cheeses in the environment where they were created makes this day trip a unique adventure. 

If you are looking for something fun and tasteful to do this spring or summer, pack a cooler and head out for the day on Alberta’s Cheese Trail.

Leoni Grana Parmesan Cheese

Heading east towards Camrose, through limitless fields of grasses and grain, is a small rise called Round Hill. Just over the hill and past the village of the same name is a small processing plant, home of Leoni Grana Parmesan cheese. Inside, owner Emanuela Leoni is turning the massive wheels of grana, an aged, hard cheese originating from the Po Valley in Italy.

Impressed with the quality of Alberta milk, Emanuela began making cheese in 1999 using a traditional method. Production of the handmade 15 kilogram wheels starts in the spring, when she believes the milk, which she gets from the neighbouring dairy, is of best quality. The cheeses then age for up to two years to develop the full, grainy textures and flavours that identify them as grana cheeses.

The tour starts in the dim light of the aging room and ends in the sampling area (food safety regulations do not allow visitors into the dairy during production time). Emanuela is hospitable and eager to show off towering stacks of giant straw-coloured wheels of cheese, aging patiently, each stamped with a maple leaf that is Leoni Grana’s symbol. While you sample the cheese, Emanuela answers questions and describes what it’s like to make northern Italian handmade cheese in central Alberta. Cheese can be purchased on site, grated or in pieces.

Sylvan Star Cheese

The next stop on the Cheese Trail is Sylvan Star Cheese near Sylvan Lake. When you arrive, cheese makers John and Janny Shalkwyk greet you at their on-farm store.

At their facilities, there is a small tasting room with a window that looks onto their aging room. Peering in, you can see row upon row of golden orbs, basking in the warm, slightly humid air, aging patiently. Every few days John turns and cleans the rounds to promote even ripening and to prevent mold growth on the waxed outer rinds.

The Shalkwyks are happy to answer questions and provide samples of their handmade Gouda cheeses in medium, old and extra-old varieties, flavoured with seeds or herbs. The hands-down favourite is the extra-old Gouda, a 14-month-old award-winning cheese.

You can purchase all of the varieties of cheese, including baby rounds which are great for gifts, young cheese that can be sliced for sandwiches and extra old for your cheese plate.

Crystal Springs Cheese

The final stop on the Cheese Trail is the Crystal Springs Cheese Farm near Bluffton. On the farm is the Renegade Milk Maid store, which carries Crystal Springs Gouda and feta cheeses and a smattering of imported cheeses such as Gouda, blue and Italian cheese (the selection varies).

Johan and brother Pieter Broere started dairy farming near Bluffton in 1984 after emigrating from Holland. “All you could buy then was cheddar and mozzarella,” says Johan, trained in Holland as a cheese maker. They now make 3,000 pounds of feta and 350 pounds of Gouda daily, most of which is sold under private label or wholesale.

For Cheese Trail contact details, check out Web Wise on Page 6. •

If you go

•    Always call ahead at least a day or two to make sure these cheese makers will be there to greet you.

•    Pack a cooler with some ice to safely transport home the cheeses you buy.

•    Bring cash for any cheese purchases.