First food-related job? My first paid job, at age 12, was picking berries at the local berry farm.

Where did you learn to make cheese?Doing experiments in the kitchen first, but ultimately took short courses at Cal Poly, California, and the University of Vermont.

Favorite way to eat cheese? Any way. But on a cheeseboard is really best, so that you can taste the fine nuances and flavors.

What should the public know about cheese? That in the beginning, cheese is milk’s leap to immortality, and the reason for making cheese is to preserve milk for future meals.

Who is your cheese idol? My cheese idol is Debra Dickerson, now of Cowgirl Creamery, Petaluma, Calif.

What is your first memory of cheese? Velveeta blocks. And, orange cheese always, that is, until we had goats.

What would you be doing if you weren’t a cheesemaker? Well, a goat milker, of course. That is where I started, and that is what got me to where I am today.

What is the best book about cheese you’ve read?For pure story-telling pleasure, my favorite is “The Cheese Chronicles” by Liz Thorpe.