Giddy for goat cheese in Shasta County
Story by Tracy Sellers
Photos by Paolo Vescia
Handcrafted cheeses from North Valley Farms attract fans near and far.
At the North Valley Farms in Cottonwood, Deneane and Mark Ashcraft are committed to handcrafting farmstead cheeses that are not only pleasing to the eye and the palate, but more importantly are "farmed and made with integrity."
For the Ashcrafts, the care and stewardship of their farm—the animals as well as the people—comes first. And last year their efforts were recognized by the Animal Welfare Approved program, which promotes family farms that raise their animals with the highest welfare standards. Deneane and Mark say that attaining the seal of approval was important to the small family farm, as it continues to be a source of quality assurance for customers who aren’t able to make it out to the farm but are interested in the animals and enjoy a good bite of goat cheese.
Thanks to their growing fan base, North Valley Farms cheeses have earned some pretty prestigious awards. They’ve taken home gold medals not only in the California State Fair Cheese Competition but also in the United States Championship Cheese Competition, beating out such heavyweights as Kraft.
Such national attention hasn’t gone unnoticed locally, as North Valley Farms cheeses are catching the eyes of chefs like Michael Tuohy of the Grange Restaurant in Sacramento. He stumbled upon the product at a local farmers market a couple of years ago and today uses nearly 30 pounds of it a week.
Chef Michael says that he is inspired by the many farmers, ranchers and artisans like the Ashcrafts that produce world-class food while keeping true to their small family farming roots. And this special union between foodies, farmers and four-legged friends continues to invigorate all as they gallop into the future.
For more information about North Valley Farms, visit www.northvalleyfarms.com.
For more information about Grange Restaurant, visit www.grangesacramento.com.
