Cheese BarrelArtisan Cheeses on a rackCalifornia Artisan Cheese Guild
goats in field
cheeses
family
curing cheese

calf with bottle

wrapping artisan cheese
cow
sheep

baby goats
hooping
goat
feeding a calf

History of Excellence Awards

Several History of Excellence awards were presented to mark the launch of the California Artisan Cheese Guild.

These awards were presented at a reception on Saturday, January 21, 2006 in San Francisco at the Ferry Building to celebrate the high level of talent, taste, quality and benchmark personal commitment represented by the inaugural honorees who included:

Ignacio Vella, Vella Cheese Company

Ignacio Vella of Vella Cheese Company, who is best known for his family’s Dry Jack, a host of other cheeses and his years of talented work and boundless generosity to young cheesemakers and others.

Ignacio Vella

Franklin Peluso, Peluso Cheese

Franklin Peluso of Peluso Cheese, who is best known for making and preserving the practice of rice flour rubbed Teleme and other cheeses.

Teleme Cheese

Laura Chenel, Laura Chenel's California Chevre

Laura Chenel of Laura Chenel’s California Chevre for her pioneering efforts in fresh and other goat cheeses, which have had a unique and extraordinary influence on the American table for the last 26 years.

Laura and one of her Goats

"I deeply appreciate the honor of this special recognition from my industry. It is a sign of generosity and wisdom for our guild to mark its inception with a tribute to three dedicated early practitioners of specialty cheese making in California" said Laura Chenel from her cheesemaking facility at Stornetta Farm in Sonoma County.