WHAT
WHAT YOU
WHAT YOU THINK WITH REGARD TO THE FIRST THING THAT COMES YOUR MIND IS
CHEESE AND WE'VE BEEN TALKING
ABOUT THIS BUT I WANT SOME
CHEESE. WHEN CHECK DECIDED TO
TAKE HIS BIG ADVENTURE TO
WISCONSIN, HE HAD TO FIND OUT
ABOUT THE STATE'S BIG OBSESSION
WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT CHEESE. >>
OH, AND IT IS AN OBSESSION IN
FACT, HERE WE GO WITH CHEDDAR
GOUDA, EVEN CHOCOLATE, YOU NAME
IT, THEY HAVE IT. BUT FOR MANY
IT WAS COTTAGE CHEESE IS MORE
THAN JUST DELICIOUS TREAT. >>
IT'S A WAY OF LIFE YOU CAN'T
VISIT WISCONSIN WITHOUT
CONSIDERING CHEESE. WHAT ARE
YOUR THOUGHTS ON CHEESE AS A
PERSON WHO LIVES IN THIS STATE
,HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHEESE?
I TRAVEL EVERYWHERE IN THE
WORLD AND LIKE PEOPLE ASK THAT
SAME THING OH MY GOSH THERE ARE
SO MANY DIFFERENT VARIETIES. WE
LOVE CHEESE OF COURSE WE'RE
FROM WISCONSIN. >> WHY CHEESE?
WELL CONSIDER THIS WISCONSIN
HOME TO ONE MILLION COWS, ONE
CALIPER. EVERY FIVE PEOPLE 90
PERCENT OF THEIR MILK IS TURNED
INTO CHEESE. >> THAT'S 2.8
BILLION POUNDS OF CHEESE EVERY
YEAR. CHEESES JUST FOOD HERE.
IT'S PART OF THEIR IDENTITY.
HI, I'M MICHAEL VENTURA, ONE
OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO OWN
THE WORLD FAMOUS MARS CHEESE.
GARCELLE THE MARS CHEESE CASTLE
IN KENOSHA REALLY IS WORLD
FAMOUS. HEY MIKE, YOU REALLY
ARE THE HEAD CHEESE HERE,
RIGHT? THAT'S RIGHT. AND THIS
IS A LEGACY BUSINESS. IT IS. MY
GRANDFATHER STARTED IT IN
NINETEEN FORTY SEVEN. WHY IS IT
SO WELL NOW WE DO SOMETHING
SPECIAL HERE THIS
NOT
NOT JUST
NOT JUST A STORE IT'S AN EXPERIENCE A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO COME BY AND
SEE WHAT THIS CASTLE CONTAINS
AND THE SIGN IT'S EVEN
PROTECTED BY LAW RIGHT? YEAH.
AH ICONIC SIGN IT WAS
DESIGNATED A LANDMARK IN IN
GREEN COUNTY CHEESES SERVED
WITH A HELPING OF SWISS
HERITAGE. I'M TONY, THE PROUD
OWNER OF PATHOLOGY HERE IN
MONROE, WISCONSIN. I LOVE TO
SELL CHEESE AND OCCASIONALLY
YODEL A LITTLE BIT
. >> SO
SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME IN AND
THEY JUST WANT YOU TO YODEL.
YEAH, IF I CAN MAKE SOMEBODY
HAPPY IF IT WAS A PIECE
OF CHEESE OR WITH A NO NO NO NO
NO NO I'LL DO IT. OH, MELTED
CHEESE, SLICED CHEESE, SWEET
SWISS CHEESE. >> I'M A CHEESE
LOVER CHOCOLATE CHEESE WITH
WALNUTS THIS FOOD MAKES
EVERYTHING TASTE BETTER CHEESE
AND BEER CHEESE IS I WOULD LIKE
CHEESE AND IT JUST MAKES YOU
FEEL GOOD IT'S EVEN WORTH
SINGING ABOUT RIGHT TONY YOU
GOT IT. SO LET'S HEAR IT FOR
ONE OF THE ALL TIME COMFORT
FOODS FROM THE STATE THAT DOES
IT BEST. LET'S DO IT. THANK YOU
WISCONSIN. I'M NOW A CHEESE
HEAD FOREVER
. THANK YOU.
PHOTOGRAPHER AND EDITOR STEVE
RHODES PRODUCER MEGHAN SIMPSON
WE HAD A GUEST FULL DISCLOSURE
MIKE BENTER, THE YOUNG MAN YOU
SAW WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY HIS
GRANDPA MARIO I KNEW MARIO AND
MOM AND DAD AND MY BROTHER DON
AFTER CHURCH QUITE OFTEN WE
WOULD GO ACROSS THE BORDER TO
THE MARS CHEESE GESELL MARIO
WOULD GREET YOU WITH A
HANDSHAKE BIG HUG THESE BOYS
NEED MORE GOUDA. THEY NEED MORE
CHEESE CURDS AND MOM AND DAD
WOULD BUY WONDERFUL FAN. >> I
GOT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
CHOCOLATE CHEESE WALNUTS. WHAT
DOES IT TASTE LIKE? >> IT
TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE WITH
WALNUTS WITHOUT THE CHEESE. SO
THAT WAS WOW. YEAH IT WAS
AWESOME. YOU BROUGHT ME SOME
OF THAT BACK FOR MY BIRTHDAY
AND IT WAS JUST AMAZING AND IT
DOES TASTE DIFFERENT. THERE'S
NO QUESTION THE CHEESE IN
WISCONSIN TASTES DIFFERENT AND
I THINK