Cheesemaker learned craft from monk
Kevin Petty may be relatively unknown, but his cheesemaking knowledge comes from a centuries-old technique honed by European monks.
Petty launched Saskatoon Spruce in December. His cheesemaking journey started four years earlier when he attended a friend’s wedding in the Swiss Alps.
After the wedding, a group toured the Alps together and visited a traditional cheesemaker at the top of a mountain. They toured the cheesemaking shop and tasted slices carved off large wheels.
That image of the wheels aging on wooden shelves stayed with Petty. It got him thinking about Saskatchewan and its current lack of handmade traditional cheese.
“I thought there was an opportunity there.”
Petty began experimenting, trying to make cheese at home but without much success. He went on a Saskatchewan cheese quest, visiting and learning from those who failed before him.
Then, he heard about Brother Albéric, an 84-year-old French monk at the Notre Dames des Prairies monastery near Holland, Man., who made Fromage de la Trappe cheese with unpasteurized milk for 60 years.
Brother Albéric is now retired and he was the last person in Canada making cheese using traditional Trappist techniques. He joined a monastery in Quebec as a teen and learned how to make cheese.
He was allowed to bring the recipe with him when he moved to the Manitoba monastery in 1967 and established a new artisanal cheese shop.
Petty spent time with Brother Albéric last summer. He toured the cave the monk used for aging cheese and learned about the traditional process Brother Albéric wanted to pass on.
Petty’s Welsh Caerphilly is a different cheese, but he uses Brother Albéric’s methods.
“His process was simple and efficient. He handmade everything and used raw milk. He aged his wheels on wooden shelves,” said Petty.
Armed with new knowledge, gleaned from centuries-old traditions, the 32-year-old father of a newborn girl got to work. Motivated by a career promising autonomy, Petty moved the cheesemaking out of his home and rented a commercial space in Osler.
“Ultimately, the goal is to make a little bit of money and love what I do … choose where I sell the cheese and what kind I make.”
His Welsh Caerphilly is a dry, hard cheese that crumbles easily. It delivers a flavour that becomes more robust when it’s served at room temperature (all the better if you’ve got a nice chutney or marmalade to serve alongside).
He chose to make raw milk cheese because it provides ample bacteria varieties.
“You get more diversity of flavours and it’s the traditional way to make cheese.”
His raw milk, bought through Sask Milk, always comes from the same dairy and is triple-tested before Petty uses it for cheese.
To meet Canadian food-safety regulations, Petty ages his cheese for at least 60 days and has it tested regularly.
He uses spruce boards for aging, cut from trees in northern Saskatchewan near Big River.
“Cheese ages so well on spruce. That was the whole drive — the relationship between the cheese and the wood and the humidity exchange.”
The spruce-aged cheese gives a taste of Saskatchewan terroir in every bite.
You can find Petty’s Saskatoon Spruce raw milk cheese at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market, Bulk Cheese Warehouse and The Cure. In addition, Takeaway Gourmet will soon be carrying the cheese in Regina.