Rare Breed Cheese

by Nicole Zappone @TheChronicleCT

LEBANON — At Graywall Farms in Lebanon is a cheesemaker working on the land her grandfather and father worked hard to maintain. Willow Chesmer, who has been making cheese for a few years, said her family didn’t expect her to continue the family’s farm legacy at first. When Chesmer graduated from college, she studied how to make cheese and is in her second year of production.

Willow Chesmer, owner of Rare Breed Cheese, stands in a barn with her cows.

Chesmer’s grandfather, Robin Chesmer, started Graywall Farms in 1989, and his son, Lincoln Chesmer, continued with the dairy farm. “He (Robin) really wanted to be a farmer, so he found this dairy farm and found it to be fascinating,” Chesmer said. “He started off not knowing too much about farming and learned as he went.”

Robin is semi-retired, and Lincoln has taken over the farm. The father and son started the business in 1989, when they leased an 185-acre dairy farm and purchased 80 milk cows and farm equipment. Today, Robin’s son-in-law, David Hevner, manages the young stock facility on the family farm. In 1992, the dairy farm real estate was purchased after the owners sold the development rights to the state of Connecticut, which made the land more affordable for farming. The farm has 700 milking cows on the property and has grown to include 900 acres of owned land, with 725 acres protected from development by Connecticut’s Farmland Preservation Program.

“We have rotations on milking,” Chesmer said. “I think my family would tell you I was the least likely child to come back to the farm.” Chesmer said she had a wandering spirit and had no idea what she wanted to do. “When I was growing up, I kind of wanted to be a veterinarian or an artist,” Chesmer said. “I think that was my highest interest. I went to UConn and I studied animal science with a minor in food science.” Chesmer originally went to UConn undecided but found the most interesting classes were related to animals, food and agriculture. “You just have to follow what your interests and your passions are,” Chesmer said. “In college, I took this course in cheese making, and it just kind of clicked.”

Cheesemaking, according to Chesmer, is a mix between chemistry and cooking. “I love cooking, so at the same time in college, I was working a catering job, which I found to be fascinating,” Chesmer said. “I got to go to a bunch of different events and that was like my artist side.” Following the recipe has to be very precise, and Chesmer said the only differences between the types of cheese are moisture, time and the cultures added.

Chesmer produces a variety of cheeses, including the Farmers Wedge, the Lazy Bloom and the Milk Moon (a spreadable cheese). Some other cheeses she makes include a feta-type cheese. The Farmers Wedge is a sliceable, melty cheese aged for about a week, making it fresh, mellow and milky. It pairs well with fig or apricot jam, honey, pears, fresh bread and crisp white wines. The Lazy Bloom is a soft cheese modeled after Camembert. As the cheese ages, it transitions from firm and mild to runny and ripe. It can be paired with strawberries, honey and other similar foods. “They are harder to get ripe, and it’s hard to predict when it’s perfect to sell and for people to eat and enjoy,” Chesmer said. “I’ve had a few batches where it was like, ‘what happened to you?’ Others were like, ‘What did I do?” You are beautiful.’”

It’s about trying to recreate that process every single time, Chesmer said, so it’s a consistent product for the consumer. “Feta is one of my more recent cheeses that I feel like I’ve gotten well, and I really enjoy making it,” Chesmer said. “I really enjoy eating it, too. I have to sample it all the time.”

A number of factors, such as the room’s temperature and humidity, weight pressure and other factors, can drastically affect the cheese’s taste, which can be frustrating at times for Chesmer. “My next goal for this winter is to focus on aging cheeses, which is something I haven’t really gotten to do a lot of time, because it takes up a lot of space, which is something I kind of lack in my container,” Chesmer said.

Chesmer operates out of a small container on the farm just beside a barn of milking cows.

“I’m going to try and make do,” Chesmer said. “As a single cheesemaker, (aged cheeses) need daily care, you need to flip them, wash them, brush them and so I will work that into my routine, which is my next big step.” Chesmer is hoping to have a line of aged cheeses by next spring.

Rare Breed Cheese is operated at Graywall Farm, located at 49 Chappel Road in Lebanon. Their cheese can be found at several locations, including The Hoot in Mansfield, local holiday markets and others.