Editor’s Note: Fifty Years of the Food Revolution
Over the past fifty years, the way Americans think about food has quietly transformed. What was once dominated by industrial production has given way to a renewed appreciation for foods made with skill, care, and a connection to the land.
Farmers markets have played an important role in that transformation. They have created a place where farmers, bakers, cheesemakers, and cooks can bring their craft directly to the community—and where shoppers can meet the people behind the food on their tables.
As the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets celebrate their 50th anniversary, Edible Paradise will explore these changes through a new series called Fifty Years of the Food Revolution. Throughout the year we’ll look at the foods, traditions, and local producers who have helped reshape our food culture—from artisan cheese and sourdough bread to organic farming and fermented foods.
Our first story begins with a quiet but remarkable transformation: the rise of artisan cheese.
The Rise of Artisan Cheese
Two farmstead creameries at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets reflect the spirit of America’s artisan cheese revival.
Not long ago, the phrase American cheese meant something very different than it does today.
For much of the twentieth century, the U.S. dairy industry focused on efficiency and scale. Milk from many farms was pooled together and transformed into standardized cheeses—dependable and affordable, but often anonymous. While these products fed the nation, they left little room for the individuality and regional character that define traditional cheesemaking.
That began to change in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a small group of pioneering cheesemakers began experimenting with small-scale farmstead production. Many were women raising goats and crafting fresh chèvre, introducing Americans to handmade cheeses that were expressive, seasonal, and rooted in place.
Over the next four decades, that small movement blossomed into a thriving artisan cheese culture. Today, hundreds of farmstead and small-batch cheesemakers across the country are crafting cheeses that reflect their landscapes, animals, and traditions.
And some of them are right here in our own backyard.
At the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets, two producers embody the spirit of this artisan revival: Schoch Family Farmstead and Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery. Each crafts cheese exclusively from the milk of animals they raise themselves, bringing the farmstead tradition directly from pasture to market.
Schoch Family Farmstead: A Dairy Tradition Reimagined
Along the historic El Camino Real, where coastal fog drifts inland from Monterey Bay and settles over the Salinas Valley, Schoch Family Farmstead continues a dairy tradition that began more than 80 years ago.
Founded in 1944 by Swiss brothers Adolph and Ernest Schoch, the farm remains one of the last family-run dairies in Monterey County. Today fewer than 80 purebred Holstein cows graze pastures beneath the Gabilan Mountains, producing the rich raw milk that forms the foundation of the farm’s cheeses.
That milk is transformed into cheese by Beau Schoch, whose curiosity about cheesemaking eventually became a full-time craft. After attending a course at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Beau began experimenting with small stovetop batches in his parents’ kitchen. Those early experiments grew into a farmstead creamery producing a remarkable range of handmade cheeses.
Today Schoch Family Farmstead crafts naturally rinded and cave-aged cheeses inspired by European traditions as well as California’s own cheesemaking heritage. From Alpine-style tommes and washed-rind cheeses to a true farmstead Monterey Jack, each wheel reflects both Old World craftsmanship and the distinctive landscape of Monterey County.
Behind the scenes, the entire Schoch family contributes—from herd management to affinage and farmers market sales—continuing a dairy tradition rooted in stewardship and the belief that great cheese begins with great milk.
Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery: Crafting Goat Cheese with Care
While Schoch Family Farmstead carries forward decades of dairy history, Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery represents a newer chapter in California artisan cheesemaking.
Founded in 2018 by Margie and Joel Weber, Rocky Oaks began with a vision: to produce exceptional goat cheeses entirely from the milk of their own Nubian goat herd. The result is the Central Valley’s first farmstead artisanal goat creamery.
At Rocky Oaks, cheesemaking begins with careful animal husbandry. Healthy, well-cared-for goats produce clean, flavorful milk—an essential ingredient in cheeses known for their creamy textures and balanced flavors.
The creamery’s cheeses range from bright, fresh styles to gently aged wheels. Classic chèvre and crumble-style cheeses highlight the lively character of goat milk, while bloomy-rind cheeses soften and deepen with time. Aged cheeses—including a Gouda-style wheel and a Manchego-inspired cheese infused with red wine—showcase the versatility of goat milk in skilled hands.
Each cheese is made in small batches on the farm, allowing the character of the milk—and the care behind it—to shine through.
World-Class Cheese, Close to Home
The American artisan cheese movement has transformed the country’s dairy landscape. What began as a small group of experimental producers has grown into a vibrant network of farmstead cheesemakers dedicated to craftsmanship and flavor.
At the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets, that larger story becomes personal.
For the Schoch family, cheesemaking is both innovation and revival. Their farm sits in the region where one of America’s original cheeses—Monterey Jack—was first produced in the nineteenth century. By crafting their own farmstead version, the Schochs are helping reconnect modern cheesemaking with the agricultural heritage of the Monterey Bay area.
At Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery, the story begins with curiosity and passion. What started as Margie and Joel Weber’s dream of raising Nubian goats and crafting exceptional goat cheeses has grown into a thriving farmstead creamery producing a wide range of fresh and aged cheeses.
Both producers share a simple belief: great cheese begins with great milk, and the best way to honor that milk is to craft it carefully, close to the land where it was produced.
For fifty years, the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets have created a place where farmers, cheesemakers, bakers, and cooks can bring the results of their craft directly to the community. It’s where food traditions are preserved, new ideas take root, and shoppers can meet the people behind the foods on their table.
The American cheese revolution may stretch across the country—but here in Monterey Bay, you can taste cheeses that rival European cheeses every week at the farmers market.
