LAKE GENEVA, Wis.— After a dozen years in the cheese industry, a local cheesemaker is living out his dream in the Lake Geneva community.
Cheese is a passion for Ron Henningfeld. He grew up on a dairy farm and is now using his roots to create his own product.
“My brother and his family they are producing very good milk, and it’s really fun to be able to take that really good milk into good cheese and share it directly with customers,” Cheesemaker Ron Henningfeld said.
Henningfeld has worked as a talented cheesemaker for around 12 years now and recently made his dream come true of owning his own cheese shop and cheese bar.
“I guess I’m very proud. I’m very proud of it because it is a showcase of our handwork and effort over the years,” Henningfeld said.
Him and his wife Josie took their cheese company Hill Valley Dairy to farmers markets for years and now have a brick and mortar to share with their customers.
“It’s been really cool to see him be apart of something bigger than just us. That’s really been, it’s been emotional to think about because I'm proud of him but I always knew he would be doing big amazing things,” Josie Henningfeld said.
The couple has put in countless hours of hard work and they are not seeing the award. On one side of their building, they have a cheese shop where customers can purchase cheese made by Henningfeld.
On the other side is a wine and cheese pairing bar. Their team curates wine and cheese pairings for customers to enjoy.
It has been a lot of work, but for them, it doesn’t get much cheddar than this.