Due North…

Hello Fellow Cheese Travelers!

“A Journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step”…or in this case, 1,412 miles North as I boarded my flight for Calgary, Canada.

Alberta is a beautiful province in Western Canada. Its landscape encompasses mountains, prairies, and vast forests. It is home to 4.2 million people…most live in Calgary, or Edmonton, the Capital of Alberta. Lastly, six UNESCO World Heritage sites can be found in Alberta.

While I have traveled to many Canadian cities before, Calgary had a certain familiarity…Was it the great Northern expanse of the Rocky Mountain Range? (much like my view of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range), Was it the fact that they refer to Calgary as a “Cow Town”? – A throwback to the Calgary Stampede Rodeo (just as my town of Sacramento has been referred to as “Cow Town” – Just attend a Sacramento Kings Basketball game to find out why)…No, it really felt like home due to all of the local cheeses that I found at the supermarkets and specialty cheese stores.

Springbank Cheese Company has six locations…five of which are in Calgary. They have a great selection of cheeses…Many of which were cut from wheels/blocks and wrapped on premises. Here are two cheeses that I enjoyed:

Buffalo Bliss (by Hope Artisan Dairy Co-op - Aylmer, Ontario, Canada) – I simply adore Buffalo Milk cheeses, and this small, 220-gram wheel of Brie has a thin skin and creamy interior. Made from milk of Water Buffalo that enjoy a grassfed diet that it Non-GMO.

Wildwood (by Stonetown Artisan Cheese - St. Marys, Ontario, Canada) – I reviewed this cheese before in 2019, but since this raw-milk, farmstead cheese has since won Overall Grand Champion from the International Cheese Competition, SIAL 2023, I felt that it was time to take another taste.

Stonetown owner Hans and Jolanda Weber explain what makes this cheese so unique: “Wildwood is unique in that the curds are washed in the make process, which results in a creamier cheese, and the rind is carefully nurtured just over a year, by washing and brushing it with wine yeasts. Wildwood not only has an impressive flavour, but also has a very rustic and appealing appearance. The aromatic rind gives the cheese a contrasting texture to the interior and typical aromas associated with washed rind cheeses.”

Calgary Co-op has twenty-two locations with very good cheese counters. Their cases are filled with many local cheeses as well as imports from Europe and a few from the U.S. I had the pleasure of meeting with their deli managers, tours their stores, and even speaking to their Wine Club members at a wine and cheese pairing event with winemaker Reenen Boorman from Boschkloof Wines from South Africa.

One of the special treats while visiting was to congratulate Leonard Conlin, Deli Cheese Merchandiser for Calgary Co-op, who mastered the American Cheese Society’s, Certified Cheese Professional® Exam in 2024. He is now only one of two in the province of Alberta, Canada! – Well done Leonard!!

Here are two of the cheeses that I picked up while in their stores:

Photo courtesy of Dobbernationloves 

Grizzly Gouda (by Sylvan Star Cheese, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada) – Cheesemaker Jan Schalkwijk emigrated from Holland in the 1990’s…but when he couldn’t find any local Gouda to his liking, he decided to make his own. Sylvan Star Cheese was born in 1999. Now the family is on the 6th generation of cheese makers that produce a wide variety of flavored Goudas, as well as Cheddar, Edam, Feta, Curds, and Havarti.

Their famous Grizzly is named for its “Bite & Strength”, made with raw milk and is sold in several vintages Grizzly (aged 1 year), Old Grizzly (aged 2 years) , and Extra Old Grizzly (aged 3+ years)….Makes my stomach just “growl” thinking about it.

Avonlea (by Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island) – The name Avonlea may have brought back memories of the fictional township where “Anne of Green Gables” (the 1908 book by Lucy Maud Montgomery) took place, but it was the flavor of this ancient-styled cheddar that really made me appreciate this cheesemaker’s dedication towards their craft…An old-style recipe from the Orkney Islands (just off of mainland of Scotland) that uses raw Holstein cow’s milk, produced in 10kg (22 lb.) wheels, and bandaged in cloth cheddar (which allows this cheese to age beautifully). It is aged for 12 to 18 months.  

I thought it had a wonderful flavor…Apparently, the judges agree, as it’s won 10 major awards within the last 9 years – Most notably, World’s Best Vintage Cheddar from the World Cheese Awards, and Best Vintage Cheddar from the American Cheese Society’s Judging & Competition awards.

Say Cheese Fromagerie within the Crossroads Market. Since 1987, the Crossroads Market has been part Food Hall/part treasure hunt to the delight of its patrons. Within this maze built to tempt your senses, lies Say Cheese Fromagerie – A cheese shop that has been serving the community for the last 20 years…it is owned by Isaac Bignell – Part Houdini/Part Master-of-Ceremonies, ALL cheese enthusiast extraordinaire!!

Do not let the limited hours of The Crossroads Market, or the square footage of Say Cheese Fromagerie fool you….This cheese shop is truly the “diamond” of this treasure hunt known as The Crossroads Market. The cheese offerings from Say Cheese (as well as the cheese events that he puts on) are unlike anything I have ever seen before.

Here is the cheese that I purchased there that I wanted to share with you…

Adoray (by Fromagerie Montebello, Québec, Canada) – Cheesemaker, Alain Boyer made cheese for several years at the Fromagerie de Plaisance before opening Fromagerie Montebello in June of 2011.

You may not be able to tell from the packaging, but Adoray is strapped with spruce bark (similar to a Vacherin Mont d’Or – Learn more here) which has an slightly orange rind and an ivory-colored and supple creamy paste. It has a woodsy aromas and slight flavors of butter, wood and straw. It was introduced in 2016, the cheese is named for the cheesemaker’s  grandfather and father, Adorice and Raymond, whose images adorn the label.

Made from Pasteurized cow's milk and matured 21 days.

My Calgary visit will stay with me for some time, as I feel that this is a place that I will need/want to return to within the near future…So much more to see and explore.

Until next time,

Trevor, your Cheese Traveler

P.S. – My small Axe knife/cheese board was also purchased in Calgary at a retailer called Italian Centre Shop…but that visit is a whole other story!

My thanks to John St. Jean of Lactalis Canada for being my tour guide through Calgary and for making me an honorary Canadian!