When Andy and Mateo Kehler bought a rocky hillside farm in a tiny town in Vermont, they not only wanted to revitalize the land and make great cheese, they also wanted to enliven the town’s economy. Accomplishing any of these goals is a huge undertaking, but working on all of them, one might call that insane. Nonetheless, Andy and Mateo were determined. They started in one house, living on the top floor, making cheese on the ground floor and aging it in the underground cellar. Even though their operation was small, it was mighty, and they quickly gained a following. They added to their own cowherd and bought milk from small family farms scattered around Greensboro whose farming techniques ensured top quality milk. This helped farmers afford to keep their land because the Kehlers were willing to pay a higher price than the commodity market for excellent milk. Excellent milk means excellent cheese, and that is what the brothers were after. Soon, they outgrew the house and now fill an aging facility built into a hillside on their farm that includes seven cellars, each calibrated to age a specific type of cheese. 

One of those cheeses is Bayley Hazen Blue, a blue cheese made from raw cow’s milk and aged for three to four months. While it is firm and flaky, it is also fudgy in texture, with flavors of hay, earth, stones, and brine. This blue can stand up for itself, so add it to a burger, steak, mac and cheese, or grilled mushrooms for a zippy finish.