THE ROUTE
1 Fuel up for the drive: Start at Della Fattoria, downtown Petaluma’s acclaimed bakery-cafe. Fortunately, the chef knows it’s never too early for cheese. Order Della toast topped with Bellwether Farms ricotta, bananas, toasted pecans, honey and fleur de sel to earn locavore points. 141 Petaluma Blvd. N., Petaluma. (707) 763-0161, www.dellafattoria.com
2 Tour a creamery: After breakfast, follow Bodega Avenue out of town to the DeBernardi Dairy, home of Two Rock Valley Cheese. Don and Bonnie DeBernardi supply cow’s milk to an organic cooperative, but that’s for income. For fun, Don transforms the milk into cheese in what could be Northern California’s smallest creamery, a 100-square-foot storage container. His specialty is an aged goat tomme that he sells at a range of ages, from 2 months to a year. The more mature wheels are nutty and sweet, with hints of caramel and smoke. The DeBernardis don’t charge for a visit, which starts with Bonnie and the goats and concludes with a creamery tour and tasting with Don. Tours by appointment. 7955 Valley Ford Road, Petaluma. (707) 762-6182. www.tworockgoatcheese.com.
3 Visit a goat farm: Less than 10 minutes from the DeBernardis, Anna Hancock oversees a goat farm so pristine and orderly that you have to wonder if the goats actually live there. A San Francisco native who fantasized about country life, Hancock came perilously close to a legal career. She and her mother bought their 80-acre parcel 10 years ago. White Whale Farm, her enterprise, supports about 80 milking goats and, in spring, a growing cadre of cuddly newborns. Beware of the baby barn or you may end up with a goat farm, too. Five times a week, Hancock turns the milk into a fresh goat cheese called Cosette, as delicate, fluffy and clean-tasting as chevre gets. Pick up a tub to slather on garlic-rubbed toast with olive oil and cracked black pepper. Tours by appointment. 5880 Carroll Road, Petaluma. (707) 876-3300. www.white whalefarm.com
4 Break for lunch: For lunch, follow the Freestone Valley Ford Road to the improbable food lover’s mecca of Freestone. Between the wood-fired seeded loaves at Wild Flour Bread and the well-curated collection at neighboring Freestone Artisan Cheese shop, lunch is a no-brainer. Picnic next to the shop at tables set in a shady grove. Wild Flour Bakery, 140 Bohemian Hwy., Freestone. (707) 874-2938. Open Friday-Monday. Freestone Artisan Cheese, 380 Bohemian Hwy., Freestone. (707) 874-1030. www.freestoneartisan.com. Open ThursdayMonday.
5 More cheese? You can do it: From Freestone, head for Sebastopol via Bodega Highway. About a mile north of town, Bohemian Creamery offers tours on weekends, with proprietor Lisa Gottreich as guide. Gottreich makes more than a dozen cheeses from a variety of milk types, but the goat milk is hers. Rare among local cheese makers, she takes visitors into her aging rooms, where they can see the funky, furry rinds before wheels are cleaned up for sale. If there’s room in your cooler, check out the creamery’s retail case. Gottreich’s creative spirit can lead her to places others don’t go. Cowabunga, a soft cow’s milk cheese layered with cajeta (goat caramel), is one such novelty with a big fan club. Tours by appointment. 7380 Occidental Road, Sebastopol. www.bohemiancreamery.com