Welcome Eric! I was born in France and spent summers with my maternal grandparents in the Franche-Comté (Jura). I was introduced to fresh local cheeses, wines, amazing bread, and good coffee at an early age. Freshly grown food was celebrated at every meal no matter how modest the table. Every morning and early evening, a farmer paraded his herd of cows to pasture on the street past my grandparents house. I could hear the cow plops hit the pavement and the bells sounding around their necks. The smell in the hot sun was pretty odiferous (as a boy it was smelly, yucky for my bike, humorous, but also a daily reminder of our dependence on animals for our subsistence). Being able to present Shelburne Farms Cheddar on our dinner table every evening, paired with Brie, and Comté, is a gift to my family, especially to our daughters Claire and Hannah who will always know good nourishing food and its source. For me, Shelburne Farms Cheddar stands with the best cheeses from around the world. I am partial to the variable but always sensational Tractor Cheddar. I proudly send Shelburne Farms Cheddar to friends out-of-state.
When I am at the farm, my eyes search the pastures for the Brown Swiss. For they are the providers, the champions of the milk, and your cheese team turns their milk into the essence of the land from which they graze. You could say I pay them homage. Thank you for bringing your incredible passion and expertise to Shelburne Farms. Welcome to Vermont. You will love this state.
Sincerely,
Jacques-Paul Marton
New Cheese & Catalog Manager Eric Patterson
Shelburne Farms is pleased to announce that Eric Patterson, former Plant Manager with Marin French Cheese in Petaluma, CA, has joined the organization as its Cheese & Catalog Manager. He will help craft the nonprofit’s signature cheddar cheese, oversee the full cheesemaking team, and manage all cheese and mail order operations.
Patterson has over 20 years of experience in the cheesemaking industry. After college and spending time on organic farms in California, he dreamed of growing…hay. That dream led to acquiring a herd of goats, with a subsequent refrigerator full of goat’s milk, and it inspired Eric to learn to make feta and chevre at home. To further study the cheesemaking art, he joined the renowned Cowgirl Creamery, in Pt. Reyes, California. “Getting your hands in a vat of curds is pretty addictive,” Eric admits, and he spent the next 20 years at Cowgirl Creamery making cheese there, before moving to Marin French Cheese, the oldest continuously operated creamery in the United States.
“We are really pleased to welcome Eric to our farm and community,” says Shelburne Farms President Alec Webb. “He has such deep roots in cheesemaking, a great understanding of the artisan cheese world, and a true passion for the educational mission of Shelburne Farms.”
“It’s great to be working for a small-ish cheesemaker with a big, mission-driven heart,” says Eric, “because it’s not just about making delicious cheese, but also how this cheddar connects people to sustainable food production and a working farm.” The new position drew Eric from his native California, but he says, “Both Vermont and California are hubs for the American artisan cheese industry, so I tricked myself into thinking that they’re close geographically." And, he adds, “I’m also very excited to be a part of Shelburne Farms.”