California Farmstead Producer Showcased on Wolfgang Puck Show
(Feb. 4, 2003) This February, celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is featuring Winchester, Calif., cheesemaker Jules Wesselink in an episode of his nationally televised Food Network program.
The episode, scheduled to air Feb. 26, includes highlights from Puck's recent visit to Wesselink's Winchester Cheese Company, during which he observed the cheesemaking process and milked one of the dairy's several hundred Holstein cows. The episode also features Puck and Wesselink preparing recipes such as French onion soup and fondue using Winchester's award-winning Gouda. The 74-year-old Wesselink, a native of Holland, has operated his own dairies in Southern California since the 1950s. In 1996, following a trip to Holland during which he learned the art of making traditional farm-style Gouda ("Boere Kaas") from relatives, Wesselink opened Winchester Cheese Company in Winchester, Calif., to make the traditional and flavored Gouda varieties he remembered from his youth.
Wesselink's farmstead Gouda varieties have won top awards from such prestigious organizations as the American Cheese Society, including first-place wins in 1998 and 2000. The company's cheeses are featured on restaurant menus across the country and have been featured in national publications such as the Los Angeles Times and Saveur magazine.
Winchester Cheese Company is one of a number of farmstead cheese producers in California. The nation's leading dairy state, California is home to a rapidly growing farmstead cheese industry. In recent years, the state's number of farmstead cheesemakers has risen dramatically, from just three in 1997 to eight today.
The Wolfgang Puck program episode featuring Jules Wesselink and Winchester Cheese Company will air Feb. 26 at 2:30 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. on the Food Network, with repeat episodes airing Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. and March 2 at 6:30 a.m. All airtimes are Pacific Standard Time. Visit www.foodnetwork.com for details.