| CHEESE & WINE PAIRINGS |
In 1970 Tony Hook began apprenticing at a small cheese factory in
Barneveld and got his cheesemakers license in 1972. Tony and Julie formed
Hook's Cheese Company and began producing cheese in 1976. At that time we
only produced Cheddar and some Swiss. In 1980 we expanded into making
Colby, Monterey Jack, some flavored Jacks, and Marble Jack.In 1982 our entry of Colby won the "Best of Class" award in the World Cheese Championship. It was then judged against the winners of all the other classes and it was judged the "Finest Cheese in the World" out of 482 entries. There were entries from fourteen states and sixteen countries. Julie Hook was, and still is, the only woman to win the World Championship (see the list of world champions)! We then founded Hook's Cheese Company, Inc. to market our cheeses. By 1987 Hook's Cheese Company, Inc. had outgrown our rural Mineral Point cheese factory and we purchased a larger facility in the city of Mineral Point. This gave us the ability to store and cure larger quantities of cheese. At Hook's Cheese Company, Inc. we age our cheese in curing caves at just the right temperature and humidity for a slow curing process that allows our cheeses to age to perfection. Every few months each batch is taste tested to insure that only the cheeses of the highest quality are saved to age. This is evident in our aged cheddars, such as the Two Year, Three Year, Four Year, Five Year, Six Year, Seven Year, and especially in our highly acclaimed Ten Year Sharp Cheddar, which won an American Cheese Society first place in 2006! The only Ten Year Cheddar to win this award! In 1997 we also began producing Blue Cheese. The cave to cure the blue is kept at a higher temperature and a very high humidity to allow the blue mold to develop. We invite you to try it and see if you don't agree that this is also a cheese connoisseur's delight! In 2001 we started making Gorgonzola. In 2004 we developed two new blue-veined cheeses. Tilston Point is a drier, washed-rind blue, and Blue Paradise is a double-cream blue. We also made a whole milk cheese called Sweet Constantine based on a Parmesan recipe. We were college sweethearts and have been making cheeses our customers love for over 35 years. We make cheese in a facility that was built into the hills of Mineral Point over 150 years ago during the areas mining era. Over 70 years of cheesemaking experience show through since our cheeses have won numerous grand champion awards at the county, state, American Cheese Society, and world championship levels. You are welcome to come and visit us at our plant in historic Mineral Point located at 320 Commerce Street. We also have a booth at the Dane County Farmer's Market on the Capitol Square in Madison, WI. Our booth is located on Pinckney Street. We are there every Saturday from the end of April until the beginning of November. Stop by and sample our entire range of cheeses and see if our cheeses are the best you have ever tasted. Tony and Julie Hook HOOK'S CHEESE COMPANY, INC. 320 Commerce Street Mineral Point, WI 53565 (608) 987-3259 hookscheese@yahoo.com |
Our cheeses are made from milk from Wisconsin Cows |
