Southern Cheese, Please

Anyone who thinks quality cheese hails only from France or Italy obviously hasn’t tasted the Green Hill, a Camembert-style cow’s milk cheese from Georgia’s Sweet Grass Dairy. Or the Brebis, a fresh sheep’s milk cheese from Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. Cheesemakers across the South these days are creating outstanding varieties that can go wheel to wheel with any of the fancy European stuff.

Kathleen Cotter, owner of the Bloomy Rind, an artisan cheese stand in Nashville, Tennessee, knows her curds. And, as you may have guessed, she’s partial to Southern ones. “Artisan cheese from the South is about capturing a moment,” she says. “The season, the style, who is making the cheese, and even what local vegetation the animal eats--each element contributes to creating a cheese unique to that place and time.”

Best of all, getting your hands on this creamy, Southern-made goodness is easier than ever, whether you’re visiting a local farmers’ market or ordering online. Where to start? Cotter has selected her current ten favorite Southern cheeses, from pungent and sassy to “little rounds o’ buttery heaven.” Check out these picks to create the ultimate Southern cheese plate.