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| Georgia's Sweet Grass by Doc Lawrence Thomasville, the lovely South Georgia town known as the “City of Roses,” seems to be part Florida. Nearby is the Florida border with the Sunshine State’s capitol Tallahassee next door. They share a common culture in many ways, but Thomasville now has a new and exciting identity. Just a few miles north of town is the dairy farm called Sweet Grass, and it is as different and distinctive as any place in the South. For those who love gourmet cheeses, it’s nearly paradise. Gourmet magazine’s fabulous Michael Green and a superbly talented local professional Raymond Hook guided my first introduction to the cheeses produced by Sweet Grass owners Desiree and Al Wehner during a wine and cheese pairing hosted by the High Museum Wine Auction. Green, a globally recognized wine commentator introduced each wine and Hooks, representing Sweet Grass, led us through the cheeses, both explaining the logic of each pairing. What caught my eye and later my palate were the unique names of each delicious cheese: Georgia Pecan Chevre; Holly Springs; Georgia Gouda; Thomasville Tomme and others, all either goat or cow’s milk-based. After a chat with Hooks, I was on my way to Sweet Grass. Refreshingly off the beaten path, Sweet Grass is a true family farm. Desiree and Al combine their energies and cheese-making experience with the youth, vitality and imagination of daughter Jessica and her husband, Jeremy, along with the spiritual assistance of two-month-old Aidan (who has courageously posed in an FSU jersey — his dad’s alma mater — in a hotbed of unwavering Georgia Bulldogs). There are two goatherds at Sweet Grass, the adults who give milk and the young ones who soon will. “They’re 96 goats here along with sheep, lamb, cows and chickens,” Desiree revealed, adding, “Our milk cows are kept in a separate farm in another nearby county.” She explained that while Sweet Grass wasn’t technically organic (“we rarely use insecticides only to prevent health hazards to our animals”), it‘s as near as you will find to a farm that eschews processed food, additives, preservatives and genetically modified food. Jessica observed, “Cheese making is one of the last true artisan processes in this country.” Some prestigious restaurants and gourmet stores have heard about what’s happening in Thomasville. Park 75, the acclaimed restaurant in Atlanta’s Four Seasons Hotel, hosted a chef’s table recently for a group of veteran wine and food writers and the cheese served with wine by Executive Chef Kevin Hickey was from Sweet Grass. Whole Foods and Star Provisions are now carrying it. The Epicurean, the gourmet food and wine store near Emory University, offers these incredible cheeses. Restaurants include respected locals like Seeger’s, Bacchanalia, The Dining Room, City Grill and Joel plus Norman’s, the world-famous restaurant in Coral Gables, Fla. and 11 Madison Avenue in New York City. The Wehner family set out on their mission in 1993. After 25 years of traditional dairy farming, they found a better way to farm. Their cows live outdoors, get exercise and enjoy grazing lush pastures year round. The goats happily browse woods, fields and pasture. They maintain sustainable, biological farming practices that nourish the soil life. “Our aim,” said Desiree, “is to handcraft fresh, semi-ripened and naturally aged goat and cow cheese that is unique and delicious. Happy animals produce happy milk and happy milk makes the best cheese.” At Sweet Grass, I learned that the average life expectancy of a dairy cow in a conventional system is about two years after entering the milk cycle. Milk-producing cows at Sweet Grass, enjoying lives free of sickness and the cruel stress of barn confinement, have an average life expectancy of about ten to 12 years. Desiree reminded me that “It’s impossible to make good cheese from bad milk. We choose to have the highest-quality milk. Happy cows and goats make the best milk.” The dairy farm and buildings are nestled in a bucolic paradise. Rye grass and red clover cover peaceful pastures. Muscadine vines are omnipresent, and the leaves are delicacies for the goats (look for some Georgia Muscadine Cheese on a menu someday), and the goats follow you around, lovingly rub up against you and can find their way into your pocket and will nibble away at a dollar bill if you’ve got one loose. There is an overwhelming feeling of joy everywhere. I left Sweet Grass after observing Jessica, holding newborn Aidan, stirring one of the vats of raw milk at the inception of the cheese-making process. It provided a brief and unforgettable glimpse back into an ancient industry where, when done correctly, requires personal care if the product we consume is to have taste and genuine value. That’s precisely what Sweet Grass gives the world. I left, vowing to return. That night, I paired Georgia Pecan Chevre — every bite is an out-of-body experience — with a bottle of Jim Sanders’ Pulgny Montrachet. A marriage made in heaven. The meaning wasn’t lost. Two Georgia-inspired or produced products combining the best traditions of the old world with today’s taste preferences. I slept peacefully that night in Thomasville. EDITOR’S NOTE: Sweet Grass Dairy is visitor friendly and, according to Doc, “It’s like a fairy tale in so many ways. I felt like a child with no cares whatever while I was there.” Doc welcomes your comments. Contact him at: doclawrence@mindspring.com. |
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| Happy times at Sweet Grass. Desiree Wehner enjoys playing with a few of the 96 friendly goats that roam the fields and woods of the heralded cheese making operation outside Thomasville, Georgia. Photo by Doc Lawrence |
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