The Chef Turned Cheesemaker

Gail Hobbs-Page, Caromont Farm
What She Does: Makes artisanal goat cheese for restaurants and consumers
Where You’ll Find Her: In Esmont, about 40 minutes south of Charlottesville; www.caromontfarm.com
Specialty: Excellent goat cheeses, including a variety soaked in Sancerre
Where To Get It: Charlottesville-area markets such as Feast! and Greenwood Gourmet Grocery. She also sells her cheese at the Nelson Farmers Market in Nellysford on Saturday mornings.
How She Got Started: “I’d been a chef for 26 years, and I thought, ‘Well, I can make cheese, and I love goats because I had them when I was growing up on a peanut farm in North Carolina.’ I went to the people at Best of What’s Around, musician Dave Matthews’s farm, and they decided they didn’t want to deal with goats anymore. So they gave them to me with their blessing.”
Why She Loves It: “I grew up on a farm, and now I’ve got my own--plus what I call our ‘goatel’ and 55 kids!”

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