Hop on the
Cheese Trail
Views, Moos, and One Cheesy Scandal
Episode Description
Brie for breakfast? Yes, please! Nibble fromage from dawn to dusk on the West Coast’s Cheese Trail. We’ll cuddle baby goats, sample hand-stretched Oaxacan-style cheese, and unwrap Monterey Jack’s unscrupulous history on the region’s tastiest route.
Along the “whey,” the trail’s founder, Vivien Straus, will share her family’s deep dairy roots, the joys of cheese-fueled road trips, and why the West Coast churns out the country’s most creative curds. You’ll hear about old-school creameries in Northern California, an innovative “cowcohol” vodka made in Oregon, and Washington’s award-winning canned cheddar. Whether you’re a casual snacker or a hardcore curd nerd, this one’s worth savoring.
A sampling of the cheese spread ahead:
- Marin French Cheese Co., Petaluma, California: The oldest cheese company in the U.S.; famous for “breakfast cheese.”
- Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, Point Reyes Station, California: Makers of the state’s first blue cheese; offers tours, tastings, and spectacular views of Tomales Bay.
- Spenker Family Farm, Lodi, California: Try goat yoga, goat cuddling, and creamy farmstead cheeses here.
- TMK Creamery, Canby, Oregon: Family-run creamery offering cow-milking experiences, baby calf visits, and a vodka made from whey.
- Don Froylan Creamery, Salem, Oregon: Mexican American creamery known for Oaxacan-style string cheese, made fresh on site and braided by hand.
Guest
Vivien Straus is the founder of the Cheese Trail, a travel and tasting guide to the West Coast’s artisan cheesemakers. A lifelong dairy geek and storyteller, she grew up on her family’s 166-acre homestead in Marshall, California, where she now manages Straus Home Ranch and hosts visiting cheese lovers from around the world. Previously, she helped launch Straus Family Creamery and later worked at Cowgirl Creamery—two cornerstones of the West Coast’s organic dairy movement.
When she’s not dishing on Brie or blue, Vivien writes and performs comedic one-woman shows inspired by her delightfully quirky life on and off the farm, including After I’m Dead, You’ll Have to Feed Everyone, a love letter to her mother, a pioneering agricultural activist. Vivien’s mission? To spread the gospel of good cheese and celebrate the people, animals, and places behind it.
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