Jill's Journal: Petaluma is probably the most charming of any of the towns we’ve been through in this area. And with streets like these is it any wonder the iconic cruise scenes from “American Graffiti” were filmed here? (“Peggy Sue Got Married,” “Basic Instinct,” and a long list of others also filmed scenes in Petaluma).
But our favorite find in Petaluma, by far, is the Marin French Cheese Factory. Rob and I have long been fans of their signature Rouge et Noir brie and camembert soft-ripened cheeses. We were so excited to find they offered factory tours – and very surprised to learn they are the oldest continuously-operating cheese factory in the U.S.
Unfortunately, even though we’d called ahead, they were understaffed at the time of our tour and could only give us the quick, five-minute version. But, the staff that was there couldn’t have been nicer and we still got a peek at the cheese-making process. It was fascinating. They still do everything the exact same way they did when they started in 1865 in this same location. It’s all small batches by hand; no machines here. (The ground is so wet from the whey being pressed out of the cheeses. The drains go to tanks that collect the whey and sell it back to local farmers to feed livestock).
These people, along with several others, make 37 different cheeses; 34 are brie and three are camembert. The cheese is still aged in the original hand-dug cellar and each is still weighed and packaged by hand. Only neighboring Jersey dairy herds are used for cheese production (with the exception of one goat herd for their artisan goat cheese). The factory originally had its own dairy herd, but phased it out during the Depression in order to help support its neighbors.
Erika loved sampling the cheeses in the tasting and sales room. We have a new French cheese fan on our hands.
This is the entire factory and tasting room. It was amazing to learn this small facility produces two million pounds of cheese each year.
The cheese we came home with, for a surprisingly affordable price – all we need is some French bread and some oysters to go with it. :)
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