While San Diego may not be known as a cheese destination, passionate cheesemongers across the county are sourcing exceptional small-batch and artisan cheeses and helping to educate and inspire the community on what expertly crafted cheese is. Now, a select few fromagiers are creating locally made cheeses as well, stepping up to develop the region’s first professional creameries. From cheese shops to small batch producers, plus how local chefs showcase artisan cheese on their menus, read on for the grate-est cheese spots in San Diego.

The Makers

Image: courtesy of CheeseSmith.

CheeseSmith

San Diego’s OG professional cheesemaker is Peter Zien, also known as the owner of AleSmith Brewing. Zien opened CheeseSmith Artisan Creamery in 2018 within AleSmith Brewing’s complex, expanding his cheesemaking hobby to production level. Back in 2002, Zien would give AleSmith grains to local dairy farmers, who in turn provided him with raw milk. With goat milk from a farm in Ramona and cow milk from Frank Konyn Dairy, Zien embarked on small-scale cheesemaking, slowly perfecting his skills.

Now, Zien shares that finding raw milk is one of the hurdles of being a small-batch creamery. He purchases organic raw milk from grass-fed cows through Raw Farms in Fresno, which Zien says is one of only two raw milk producers in California. “I pay a lot for the grass-fed raw milk, but the way dairy laws are, you have to pasteurize the milk on-premise where the cheese is made. I could buy pasteurized milk and re-pasteurized, but double-pasteurized milk is not very good [for cheesemaking]. I have my hands tied being an urban creamery; I think CheeseSmith is San Diego County’s only (California Department of Food & Agriculture) cheesemaking facility. Because I don't have to also pay rent or utilities or an employee paycheck, it can support itself as a small-scale operation.” 

Zien currently produces 30 pounds of cheese a week and enthusiasts flock to Thursday Curds-Day when the cheesemaker brings fresh curds to the AleSmith tasting room. He is constantly experimenting with novel flavors, often using ingredients like chili peppers grown in his home garden.

CheeseSmith is collaborating with Queso Diego, the San Diego Cheese Club, in a competition this September to shine a light on local amateur and home cheesemakers. The Epic Cheese Competition’s winner will get to make their entry recipe commercially with Zien at CheeseSmith. Proceeds from entry fees and retail sales of the winning cheese will go to nonprofit Anvil of Hope.

Image: Michelle Stansbury.

A Mano

San Diego’s rising star cheesemaker is Rodolfo Mercurio, founder of A Mano Artisan Cheese Co., who specializes in fresh mozzarella and burrata. Mecurio learned the art of fresh mozzarella from his family, a traditional method that has been passed down for hundreds of years. He expanded his mastery to burrata and is now iterating on the traditional techniques, adding modern twists to the old-world styles. First, Mercurio started with hosting mozzarella stations for events, demonstrating the cheesemaking process, and then combining it with local produce like Rodney Kawano tomatoes and Archi’s Acres basil for Caprese salad. Then, A Mano expanded into the farmers' markets, popping up in Little Italy and Hillcrest stalls to sell cheese made only hours before. Now, A Mano cheeses are working their way into local restaurants while continuing to make everything by hand.

Burrata, especially, is a labor of love and passion. Mercurio shares, “Burrata is two cheeses combined in one. It's our beautiful stracciatella, cream with finely hand-broken mozzarella strands. Stratechetta was created in Puglia (Italy) when there was leftover mozzarella they needed to figure out how to preserve it, so they soaked it in cream and then put in a skin of mozzarella.” The demand is especially high for their seasonal burrata, which Mercurio stuffs with grilled peaches from Ken’s Top Notch Produce and raw honey from Farmer’s Daughter. 

You can also find A Mano cheese at several restaurants around town like A.R. Valentien where chef Kelli Crosson highlights the burrata with stone fruit, mizuna, and 'nduja vinaigrette served with rosemary focaccia. Or, look for A Mano at local cheese shops (keep reading).

The Meccas

Venissimo

Image: Courtesy of Venissimo.

In San Diego, Venissimo has become nearly synonymous with cheese. Celebrating 20 years of bringing incredible cheese to the county, they are now in three neighborhood shops: Mission Hills, North Park, and Del Mar. While many of their cheeses are artisanal varietals from around the world, Venissimo also has strong ties to regional cheeses like Central Coast Creamery, Stepladder, and Black Market in Paso Robles. For a perfect summer cheese, founder Gina Freize recommends Seascape from Central Coast Creamery, a blend of cow and goat milk. She shares, “If gouda and cheddar had a baby, this would be it.” It's bright and slightly sweet, which is great with anything salty, like a tinned fish. 

To try new cheeses and learn about pairings, Venissimo offers exceptional classes. Look for the Cheese 201 class on Aug. 4 offering a deep dive into the world of cheese, a Wine & Cheese Pairing with Sipwell in Del Mar on Aug. 23, and Cheese and Charcuterie Hands-On Plate-Making Party at Eppig Brewing on Aug. 28.

Smallgoods

Image: Courtesy of Smallgoods.

Smallgoods cheese shop and cafe in La Jolla exclusively stocks small batch US makers and artisans, including San Diego brands. Founders Jenny and Mike Eastwood started at farmers’ markets in La Jolla, Little Italy, and Hillcrest before opening the shop on La Jolla Boulevard. 

One of their current favorites is Owl Creek, sourced from Kokoborrego Cheese Company, which specializes in raw milk cheeses. Their sheep and cow milk cheeses are made with milk from their own and neighboring farms in Ohio. Mike Eastwood describes this one as, “Manchego in style, Owl Creek is nutty, with notes of hay and a touch of sheep milk fattiness. It’s perfect with a smokey Mezcal. This is one of our favorite aged sheep milk cheeses.” 

For summer, they also recommend Hootenany from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy. The gouda-style cheese is made from spring and summer goat milk with notes of hickory nuts and wildflowers within a beautiful cream wax rind. 

On the Menu

In addition to the Smallgoods sandwiches, Eastwood recommends Bird Rock’s Paradisaea for cheese lovers. “These guys love cheese. Chef Jeff Armstrong is a big supporter of local and American-made.” Eastwood also ventures to Verdes El Ranchero for their Sonoran Crisp, his favorite cheese-forward dish. 

Outside of munching on cheese at her own Venissimo shops, Freize raves about the khachapuri at Pomegranate in North Park for a cheese fix. “They melt a blend of cheeses in a crusty bread boat, then stir in a raw egg tableside. Then you tear the bread, dip it into the cheese, and eat the whole thing. I've never even tried to make my own, I just love it so much.”

Image: Courtesy of Giardino.

Another favorite dish for cheese lovers is the cheese wheel pasta concept, available at several San Diego restaurants. Giardino in Lemon Grove, for example, offers their Cheese Wheel Pasta every Monday. Hot pasta is poured tableside into the center of a Parmesan cheese wheel from Peacock Cheese Company, then tossed while scraping the sides and bottom until the dish is coated in cheese. Bencotto Italian Kitchen, Monello, and RustiCucina also serve pasta tableside in cheese wheels.

At other restaurants, cheese boards find ideal ways to make varietals shine. If you are craving one, make sure to ask even if you don't see one on the menu—often they are hiding on the dessert menu! One of the best cheese boards in town is at Pali Wine Co. in Little Italy, featuring predominantly California cheeses sourced from Cowgirl Creamery out of Petaluma, Central Coast Creamery out of San Luis Obispo, and Point Reyes Creamery out of Point Reyes Station.

Image: Courtesy of Little Frenchie.

To experience French cheeses with only San Diego Bay to cross, Little Frenchie in Coronado brings the experience to dishes like the Onion Soup Gratinée, generously topped with comté cheese. You can also sample French cheeses like the Fourme D'ambert Blue from Puy-de-dôme Auvergne, France, one of the country’s oldest cheeses.

Image: Courtesy Bread and Cheese Eatery.

Named after the classic pairing, Bread and Cheese Eatery  is a grilled cheese concept that originated at the North Park Farmers’ Market and now operates an eatery in Oceanside. They make 500–1000 grilled cheese sandwiches each week with much-loved combinations like cheddar and provolone on garlic sourdough.

From cheesecakes to mascarpone in tiramisu, cheese can also be featured in desserts. Elvira in Ocean Beach offers a Crostata di Ricotta e Visciole—a Roman ricotta and sour cherry tart. Chef Cesarina Mezzoni’s version bakes the ingredients into a crunchy butter crust and serves it with pistachio gelato.

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About the Contributor
Michelle Stansbury
Michelle Stansbury is a food enthusiast and the founder of Eat, Drink, Be SD, sharing the best restaurants, bars, and happenings in San Diego. Misuse of the word "literally" drives her figuratively insane.
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