Cheesemaker and owner of Epicurean Sonoma, Sheana Davis, traveled to Walland, Tennessee, to work with Blackberry Farm Cheesemaker Chris Osborne on a cheese collaboration—Mycophilia. The name describes a person with an appreciation for mushrooms, a fitting description for this partnership.
“We wanted to connect Tennessee and the Sonoma Valley,” said Osborne. “Mushrooms are prevalent in both areas. So we each foraged from our regions and brought the flavors together. Sheana is a great friend and a wonderful cheesemaker. We were excited to create an opportunity to work together.”
Davis foraged Black Trumpet mushrooms and Candy Cap mushrooms from the Mayacamas Ridge area, and Osborne gathered Shiitake mushrooms from Blackberry Farm. The three varieties were ground to a fine powder and mixed together to be infused in the cheese. The sheep’s milk, surface ripened cheese was handmade in Blackberry Farm’s Larder.
“Like Blackberry Farm, it’s important to us to be part of the entire process of our cheeses,” said Davis. “Cheese collaborations are uncommon, and we’re really excited to share this creation with our audiences.”
Following the two-week aging process, Mycophilia will be used in Blackberry Farm’s on-property restaurants, sold in their retail space and distributed by Epicurean Sonoma to their clientele.
