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The Valley Shepherd Creamery When you’re working toward a goal, sometimes you have a big-picture moment when something happens and you say, “Yeah, that’s it! That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re on our way.” That happened to me one late spring day in 2001. I was sitting on the patio of Tre Piani with a trio of fellow foodies, one of whom was involved in a startup chapter called Slow Food Northern New Jersey. Our group was holding an early organizational meeting for the chapter, which was the latest to join the state’s growing and energized Slow Food movement. Given our mood, “organizational meeting” sounds pretty straitlaced. That day we were all sparking off an irresistible mix of good food, good grog, and that sweet, frisky ache that springtime brings to your bones. Everything felt right that day: the right food, the right beer, and the right company. As we schmoozed, laughed, and traded stories, we tossed back samples from a local brewer and plates of Tre Piani’s antipasti misti and fried calamari. No matter where the conversation strayed (for example, into the history of mead), we veered back to our theme, which was how to support and expand the links in our Slow Food movement. As always, that meant supporting local businesses and products in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) that maintain a clean, healthy, and natural environment for both consumers and animals. It meant educating the public and inspiring their palates with the “real thing.” As my favorite Slow Food motto puts it, “Live long—eat slow.” We already knew we were supporting quality products, locally grown, that people in our state could actually buy; and I was feeling confident about our newest chapter and the direction of Slow Food New Jersey. Looking around the table, I was proud to think how far we had come, with such quality leaders. One of them was Howie, an attorney and a serious foodie. As the man behind Slow Food Northern New Jersey, he had all the right stuff for the job. He’s the kind of guy who knows all the restaurants and specialty food markets in the area. He knows who has the best pickles and which day of the week to hit the farmers’ 2  12  markets. You want a table at one of the trendiest good restaurants or to find the best cheese or the tastiest dim sum? Ask Howie. He’s so well read and well traveled that I wouldn’t be surprised if his computer had an alarm to alert him to upcoming food events and culinary-travel deals. I am always impressed when a civilian is truly in the know and has his finger on the food scene pulse. Also in our merry band was renowned, award-winning food writer and restaurant reviewer Pat Tanner. Pat is the best kind of food critic: she critiques from experience. As a former caterer, she knows from the inside how hard the food business is. She has total respect for good food, has a great palate, and writes with flair and integrity. In addition to all of her professional qualities, Pat is a dear friend, and at that time she was also my co-leader at Slow Food Central New Jersey. Eran Wajswol was yet another friend at the table. Eran used to be a successful real estate developer, except that he gave up that career to make cheese. His drive for perfection can be maddening, which is probably why his cheese company, Valley Shepherd Creamery, sells to some of the best restaurants in the country. Intense and driven, Eran has eyes that seem to pierce right through you, as if he’s a father sizing up his daughter’s first date. Yet look a little closer, and you’ll see a twinkle lurking there too. He is, above all, a happy guy, especially now that he’s given up his wingtips and pinstripes for a hair net, black rubber boots, and overalls with suspenders, his daily garb for churning out memorable cheese. Eran answered the siren call of cheese with typical flamboyance. First, he decided to build a small cheese cave in his backyard in Tewksbury, New Jersey. But what’s a cheese cave without the cheese source? So Eran imported a small herd of Friesian sheep from Belgium. Soon he had a state-of-the-art cheesemaking facility set up...

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