Oser Communications Group

12 The Cheese Guide 12 The Cheese Guide operation with a solar array that stands outside next to a half- acre or so that's dedicated to flowers to provide pollen for bees. The solar array is part of the environmental commitment that propelled Glustoff as he was considering leaving behind his career as a food chemist working on product development for large food producers. "Of all the food products, I've always enjoyed cheese, and it's one of my favorites," he said. "About 12 years ago, I decided it's now or never to try what I really love, which was cheese." He and Barbara found their 74-acre farm in the Hudson Valley, and 11 years ago, they started 5 Spoke Creamery, whose name references Alan's enthusiasm for bicycling. Glustoff knew from the start that he wanted to make raw milk cheeses – and only raw milk cheeses. "Our focus has been on health and the environment," he said. "We had hoped to use the farm as a mirror to hold up to society and deal with the balance between health choices and food choices." That commitment to raw milk cheeses means that he's chosen a difficult path as he confronts state and federal regulators suspicious of the safety of raw milk cheeses. 5 Spoke Creamery ages its cheeses on wood boards in its underground aging facility, which is another source of suspicion for the inspectors who visit his creamery BY LORRIE BAUMANN 5 Spoke Creamery is a solar-powered creamery outside New York City that makes cheeses so good that some of the city's most discriminating chefs serve 5 Spoke Creamery cheeses in their restaurants. Among the most noted are a Mimolette-style cheese called Harvest Moon; Tumbleweed, a cheese that's been described as a sort of hybrid between a young Cantal and an aged Cheddar; and Porter, which is based on a recipe for a Tomme de Savoie. The Cheesemaker behind these raw milk cheeses is Alan Glustoff, who owns 5 Spoke Creamery along with his wife Barbara. The two of them run the creamery with just one full-time and one part-time assistant since they decided to suspend the farmstead dairy operation they started with in favor of bringing in their milk from another local farmer. "It's a beautiful operation," Glustoff said. "The farm doesn't use any pesticides or hormones. In terms of cleanliness for raw milk, you can't get any better." The Guernsey cow milk, with its A2 beta casein protein, arrives at 5 Spoke Creamery at 6:30 a.m. By that time, Glustoff has the vat ready to go as soon as he tests the milk for antibiotics. "Once we get up to temperature, we start adding cultures, depending on the cheese," he said. He makes cheese two or three days a week, powering his entire Raw Milk Cheeses from the Hudson Valley

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