Big Cheese happenings in Little Rhody

Winds rolled through the streets of downtown. But inside Eno last night it was nice and toasty and reeked of cheese. The smell – and a tasting or two – of Rhode Island’s first artisan cheese drew a crowd of 60 into the cozy wine shop, with Mayor Cicilline and Secretary of State Mollis on hand to cut an inaugural wheel of Divine Providence.

Each of the 5 varieties – a ricotta, a feta, a queso blanco, a gouda, an asiago – was made in a small batch with milk from cows no more than 50 miles away. Providence Specialty Producers, which has been making cheese in the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence for 60 years, is meeting with local dairies to cut that distance even farther, with a goal to source solely from Rhode Island farms.

You probably didn’t know that Providence Specialty’s feta recipe placed first in the 2007 national competition. Few Rhode Islanders have been able to taste the award-winning cheese being made in their own backyards, since in the past 10 years all of the cheeses have been sold out-of-state.

The Narragansett Creamery label changes that. The cheese cutting marks a proud moment when Rhode Island cheese will be enjoyed by Rhode Island eaters. You’ll find the tasty cheeses at the Wintertime Farmers’ Market, Farmstead Cheese and on restaurant menus across the state. Kudos to Mark Federico, Louella Hill and the rest of the folks at Narragansett Creamery!

www.flickr.com