CATO CORNER FARM CT

Cato Corner Farm- Connecticut

At Cato Corner Farm we make raw farmstead cheese by hand from the delicious milk of our 45 Jersey cows. The cows are humanely raised on a pasture-based diet without growth hormones or subtherapeutic antibiotics. We feed a small amount of grain to complement the nutrition in the grass and hay. Our cheeses are our own unique recipes, based on traditional cheese making styles and highlighting the flavor and terroir of our pastures and our farm. Cato Corner Farm is owned and managed by the mother-son team of Elizabeth MacAlister and Mark Gillman. Here’s a bit of their story: Liz MacAlister on Maintaining the Herd and Preserving the Land I began making cheese in 1997. After raising goats and sheep since the 1970s, along with a few cows and chickens, the farm was not self-supporting. I saw cheese as a value-added product that would allow me to keep farming and earn a living. I started with 13 cows, selling cheese at farmers’ markets and a few area stores. We’ve come a long way since then! Since Mark took over the cheese making, I am now in charge of the farm and the herd, as well as managing our NYC farmers’ markets. We are milking 45 cows twice a day, and we have another 40-50 heifers and calves. Our cows are mostly Jerseys, but we have one Brown Swiss and we’ve just started to breed with Normande bulls from France. We have a closed herd, which means we don’t buy cows from other farms –we keep the best of our heifers and sell the rest to other dairies.

Mark Gillman on the Milk that Makes Great Cheese I have been back on the farm since 1999. I was teaching 7th grade English in Baltimore when my mom started making cheese. After three years in the classroom, I put my books in the attic and started helping out on the farm and in the cheese room. Now I make cheese and supervise the cheese making and aging processes, I manage the wholesale business, and I take care of the finances.

Our cheese starts with our cows and the pastures they graze. If you taste our cheeses throughout the year, you will be able to appreciate the changes that come from changes in the cows’ diet. I love the sweet, grassy flavors and the gorgeous yellow color that the pasture milk brings to our aged cheeses in particular. In the winter we feed local hay, and the cows produce a lower volume of a much richer milk –this makes for a super creamy texture that’s ideal for Hooligan and our other semi-soft cheeses. Cheese making produces a lot of whey –for every 100 pounds of milk, we get only 10-15 pounds of cheese and the remaining 85-90 pounds is whey. We feed our whey back to our milk cows, since it contains protein and many nutrients and is an excellent way to recycle a waste product. The cows love it! Special thanks to our staff for your work! And thank you to our customers for supporting us. We couldn’t make cheese or run our farm without all of you.

Hooligan

AWARD WINNER! Hooligan is our signature stinky cheese that many food lovers consider to be our most

exciting variety. Hooligan was awarded the top prize in the Outstanding Dairy category from Gallo Family

Vineyards Gold Medal Awards (April 2006), and it was selected by both Saveur magazine and Slow Food

USA as one of the top American cheeses. Made in 1.3-1.5 lb wheels and aged for 60-75 days, Hooligan is a

ripe washed-rind cheese with a soft creamy paste, slightly firmer center, and a gorgeous orange rind -with a

flavor reminiscent of French Muenster. Hooligans are bathed twice a week in brine to encourage the growth of

pungent, surface-ripening bacteria and yeasts. The Hooligan melts beautifully for a fabulously stinky toasted

cheese. Pairs well with cranberry walnut bread, Belgian style ales, Zinfandel, sweet white wines, hot pepper

jelly, honey, and caramelized pecans.

Womanchego

Inspired by the classic Spanish sheep milk cheese Manchego, our cows milk Womanchego is aged 3 to 5

months, making it more similar to a young Manchego than the aged version most commonly found in cheese

shops. The flavor is medium mild and a touch sweet with hints of fruit and nut. Moister than its Spanish

cousin, our Womanchego is a versatile partner that is delicious on sandwiches or melted -it is our favorite

cheese for tortillas! Womanchego pairs with medium red or white wines and honey-brewed ales andis

delicious on a water cracker with a cranberry chutnet. On limited occasions we will offer our Mrs. Robinson,

aged at least 7 months, or Wise Womanchego, aged for at least one year.

Dutch Farmstead

Creamy and mild with a slight nutty undertone and a rich, round, well-balanced flavor, the Dutch Farmstead is

our variation on Gouda. Consistently a customer favorite, the Dutch was recognized by both Saveur magazine

and Slow Food USA as one of the best American raw milk farmstead cheeses. Ideal for sandwiches or on a

water cracker with cherry jam, Dutch Farmstead also pairs well with white wines like Sauvignon Blanc and

non-tannic reds like an inky Cabernet. For beer, we recommend the effervescence of Two Roads Brewerys

Workers Compensation saison for a perfect match. Aged 2 -4 months. Occasionally served at 6-8 months as

Aged Dutch Farmstead, watch for a limited release of Blocks Landing(the Dutch Farmstead aged 12-15

months) every year around Thanksgiving.

Dairyere Reserve

ACS AWARD WINNER! Second Place Winner at the 2014 American Cheese Society Competition in the Farmstead category, Third Place in 2011 and 2010. Dairyere Reserve is aged 12 months or more for a drier, more granular consistency than our Dairyere. With a nutty flavor, medium bite, and sweet caramel-like after taste, it is hard to put down! Made with vegetarian marzyme rennet. Limited availability throughout the year.

Aged Bloomsbay

As Featured in Yankee Magazine! Our Aged Bloomsbay is 11-12 months old for a sharper and more intense finishthink cheddary bite that’s balanced by a touch of sweetness. This is a classic aged cheese that is a fine addition to any cheese plate, Aged Bloomsday can take the place of cheddar or aged manchego. Melts beautifully on top of a burger or grilled cheese and makes a a perfect partner for full flavored wines like a California Petit Syrah. Also pairs well with fig jam, honey, stout and Double IPA.