Endive World - Home of California Vegetable Specialties

Contributor: The Giacomini Family, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company

The Giacomini family has been farming in Point Reyes, California, since 1904, when Tobias Giacomini emigrated from Northern Italy to Northern California and began raising chickens and milking cows. His son Waldo started farming in 1945, and had a dairy with 45 cows. Waldo's son Bob and his wife Dean bought a farm of their own in Point Reyes in 1959 with 130 cows, and began selling milk to the local creamery.

Nearly 40 years later, Bob and Dean's four daughters - Karen, Diana, Lynn, and Jill - were gathered around the kitchen table, discussing how to sustain the family dairy farm for the next generation. That was when Bob shared his vision of an all-natural, handcrafted, artisan cheese, using raw milk from the family's herd of Holsteins. As the whole family shared a passion for high-quality, farm-fresh food, the decision to make cheese was an easy one.

On August 1, 2000, the first wheels of Original Blue, California's only classic-style blue cheese, were made, and Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company was born. The cheese is very creamy, with a full flavor and a tangy finish. Original Blue gets its unique flavor from the land and the climate, and what they lend to the milk produced by the family's herd.

Endive and blue-veined cheese is a classic culinary pairing. California Vegetable Specialties and Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese often team up for product tastings and feature this quick and easy classic. It's certain to be a crowd-pleaser at your next party! You can find more recipes using Original Blue in The Blue Course, published by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company in 2004.

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