Press

Read what others have to say about Twig Farm…

Twig Farm Cider
Terroir Review.com, March 13, 2019
This sparkling cider is from the 2017 batch, and its suffused with a quiet sense of straw and wet leaves with a lilt of red apple skin. The golden body is a little cloudy (it’s un-disgorged), and it has a coating, proteinaceous finish. The fruit skews toward quince and ginger, and its shimmery acidity, including a touch of acetic, lifts it up.. —Meg Maker

The 25 Most Important Cheeses in America
Bon Appetit Magazine, May 2018
Twig Farm Tomme:  A firm, rough-hewn little tower of raw goat’s-milk cheese from (mostly) ex-artist Michael Lee and Emily Sunderman and their 36 Alpine goats. It is technically based on the great cow’s-milk tommes of the French Savoie mountains, but like all of Lee’s cheeses, it’s wilder, free-form, and bucking the rules. So American. —Matt Rubiner

Peer Q&A: Shacksbury Cider
The Equipped Brewer
The (Lost Apple) Project is inspired by world-class cheesemaker Michael Lee of Twig Farm. The cider that he’s made since 2005 for him and his family blew our minds. —Melanie Collins

Exploring American Cheese Culture (and Not the Bacterial Kind)
Scientific American, 8/29/2016.
“Michael Lee, of Twig Farm in Vermont, is one of the 400 artisanal cheesemakers in the US. ” – Layla Eplett

Cheese whiz: Artisan slicing at Wedge Cheese Shop in Midtown
Reno Gazette Journal, 5/2/2016.
“Twig Farm Goat Tomme, a raw goat’s milk cheese aged about 80 days, ranks among the Vermont standouts at Wedge (the FDA requires raw milk cheese to be aged at least 60 days).” – Johnathan L. Wright

Cheese-Lovers, Come With Us As We Descend Into A Cambridge Shop’s (Stinky) Cave
WBUR.com, 9/25/2015.
“If you look at cheese as a living food, then it would only make sense that you would want to take care of it,” Lee says. “If you think of it as a commodity that is, you know, X number of calories, so much fat, so much sodium, etc., then you’re going to treat it a different way entirely.”

From Adelegger to Zimbro: 50 Runny, Yummy, Crumbly Cheeses to Eat Now
New York Magazine, 2/24/2014.
Twig Farm Fuzzy Wheel: “That well groomed fluffy mold called poil du chat (cat’s fur) is responsible for all those layers of flavor and the firm but supple texture. ”

Summer Cheese Round-up
Hands Holding Cheese, 8/17/13.
“After 10-12 months, [old goat] achieves a semi-firm texture and is nearly cheddary in its tanginess and aroma. The rind adds a nutty note, producing a satisfyingly full flavor. If you wait for it, a rich creaminess endures at the finish. ” —Brian Fabry Dorsam

Fromage of the Day, 02.04.12: Twig Farm Goat Tomme
The Joy of Cheese Blog, 2/4/12.
“Earthy, buttery, and herbal…”

A Slice of Vermont
Bon Appetit, 8/8/2011.
“Michael, a bike messenger- turned-cheesemonger, now spends his days turning the complexly flavored milk the goats produce into haunting, floral cheeses like Square Cheese and Goat Tomme.” — Nathalie Jordi

Twig Farm Visit
Cheese is Alive, 8/8/2010.
“Twig Farm is a goat paradise.” — Cheesewench

We visit the Twig Farm goats
One Scheme of Happiness Blog, 8/8/2010.
“We were there to visit the goats. And eat the cheese and watch people far more industrious than us do farm things.” — Katie Benedict

Cheese of the Week: Goat Tomme
Esquire.com Eat Like A Man Blog, 6/15/2010.
“Michael Lee, a painter-turned-cheese-monger-turned-cheese-maker, is rocking and rolling, and we’re all just getting fatter and happier.” — Anne Saxelby

Cheese!
Shoreham Inn, Blog, 6/5/2010.
“The cheeses are delicious, Michael and Emily are intelligent and passionate about what they do, their house and work spaces are wonderful, and they have names for all their goats, who really like to rub the tops of their heads up against your legs, and that is pretty darn cute.” — Molly Francis

Review: Get Fuzzy With Twig Farm Fuzzy Wheel
housemouseoncheese.com, 8/8/2010.
“Light and creamy on the tongue, each bite gets better and better and paired with some red raspberries and a hefty glass of Cabernet, it is a fantastic fromage find.” — Robin

These Entrepreneurs Move Their Own Cheese
About.com Guide to Entrepreneurs, 2/27/2010.
“When I went to your website, my reaction was, “I wish I was a goat cheese farmer!” It looks so idyllic. What’s it really like to be in the cheese-making business in Vermont?” — Mitchell York

Robert Aguilera Talks about American Cheese on Cutting the Curd
Heritage Radio Network, 1/19/2010.
“Michael…does it better than anyone… his cheeses…are rustic in final product, but his process is very consistent and clean, which is what makes it so great.” — Robert Aguilara

What Makes a Cheese a ‘Tomme’? – Cheese Course
Slash Food, 1/19/2010.
“From France’s renowned cow’s milk Tomme de Savoie to Twig Farm’s goat’s milk tomme, the consistency and taste of this cheese can vary rather drastically — with varying notes of rich hazelnut and mild citrus flavor and a texture from firm to crumbly.” — Max Shrem

Table Talk: Twig Farm
Addison Independent Table Talk Blog, 12/16/2009.
He gestured out toward the goat enclosure and smiled. “Well, I’m actually involved in a long-term landscape art project. It’s collaborative. With the goats.” — Andrea Suozzo

What’s Cooking in Vermont
Burlington Free Press, 11/6/2009.
Mention of the description of Soft Wheel from the “The Finest Selection World’s Cheese Book” (DK Publishing, 2009, $25).

Cutting The Curd
Heritage Radio Network.com, 7/2009.
Anne Saxelby talks with Michael Lee of Twig Farm about making cheese in Vermont.

An afternoon at Twig Farm
Formaggio Kitchen Blog, 6/09.
“Michael Lee strides into the thick, overgrown land behind his house, looking for the shady spot where his herd of goats is foraging for their afternoon meal. Hey ladies!”

Brighter Planet goes to Twig Farm
Brighterplanet Video Blog, Summer 2008.
“The whole Brighter Planet posse goes to Twig Farm in West Cornwall, VT to learn about locally made goat cheese. It was a delicious experience.”

The Art of Aging Well
Atlantic Monthly, 10/2007.
“I was…particularly taken with three aged goat cheeses from Twig Farm that I, a dedicated goat-avoider, couldn’t stop eating.” — Corby Kummer

Vermont’s big cheesy
Plenty, 1/2008.
“Made by an ex-cheesemonger who traded in an easy life selling cheese in Boston for a much more challenging one spent making it, Mike Lee’s cheeses are a triumph of pure flavor notes, floral and herbal and full.” — Nathalie Jordi

Last Meal: Anne Saxelby’s Got a Tug Boat Full of Curds
The Valley Voice, 10/24/07.

The Cheesemonger: Twig Farm’s Soft Wheel
Apartment Therapy, 12/2006.
“Rather than the dank pungent smell that accompanies most washed-rind cheeses, I found Soft Wheel to possess a slightly floral aroma. Not to make reference to certain things smelling like roses, but, there was a slight hint of dandelions.”

Caseophile Blog Post
“Think of the just-sprouted antlers of a young deer, and the short-napped fur surrounding those antlers, and that’s the feel of the battleship-grey, moldy rind surrounding Twig Farm’s Square Cheese.” — Wendy M. Levy

Telepan
Review of NYC restaurant, Telepan by Newsday with mention of “the mild, evocative Twig Farm Goat Tomme, a goat’s milk beauty” — Peter Gianotti.

Cheese By Hand
Features an audio interview with Michael, with pictures of Twig Farm.

Cheesy Discussion
Culinate.com interview with mention of Twig Farm (2/22/07).

Twig Farm Goat Tomme
Luan of Foster and Dobbs blogs our Tomme. (8/29/07).

Twig Farm’s Soft Wheel
Patrick on Apartment Therapy blogs about our Wheel (12/13/06).

Is there a Doctor in the House?
“If you’ve been to the shop, you’ve heard me wax poetic about how great Twig Farm cheeses are, but now that I’ve seen it all first hand, I have SO much more to blather about!”— Anne Saxelby

Bliss Through Cheese
Nina Lalli, The Village Voice (6/1/06).

Merlot for Snobs
The Atlantic (December 2005).