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HOOK'S CHEESE |
In 1970 Tony Hook began apprenticing at a small cheese factory in Barneveld and got his cheesemakers license in 1972. Tony and Julie formed Hook's Cheese Company and began producing cheese in 1976. At that time we only produced Cheddar and some Swiss. In 1980 we expanded into making Colby, Monterey Jack, some flavored Jacks, and Marble Jack.
In 1982 our entry of Colby won the "Best of Class" award in the World Cheese Championship. It was then judged against the winners of all the other classes and it was judged the "Finest Cheese in the World" out of 482 entries. There were entries from fourteen states and sixteen countries. Julie Hook was, and still is, the only woman to win the World Championship! We then founded Hook's Cheese Company, Inc. to market our cheeses.
We age our cheese in curing caves at just the right temperature and humidity for a slow curing process that allows our cheeses to age to perfection. Every few months each batch is taste tested to insure that only the cheeses of the highest quality are saved to age. This is evident in our aged cheddars, such as the Two Year, Three Year, Four Year, Five Year, Six Year, Seven Year, and especially in our highly acclaimed Ten Year Sharp Cheddar, which won an American Cheese Society first place in 2006.
In 1997 we also began producing Blue Cheese. The cave to cure the blue is kept at a higher temperature and a very high humidity to allow the blue mold to develop. In 2001 we started making Gorgonzola. In 2004 we developed two new blue-veined cheeses. Tilston Point is a drier, washed-rind blue, and Blue Paradise is a double-cream blue. We also made a whole milk cheese called Sweet Constantine based on a Parmesan recipe.
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©2009 Something Special from Wisconsin™ |
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