How a Badger State Dairy Got Its Cheese Served at Biden’s First State Dinner
Like Wisconsin, cheese is an integral part of French culture, so the White House knew which state to call upon when hosting the French president for dinner.
It’s no secret: In Wisconsin, we put cheese on everything. In France, fromage is treated with even more esteem. Traditionally served after the main course, but before dessert, a cheese plate is a quintessential part of the French dining experience– typically served with at least three types, arranged from mildest to strongest.
For President Biden’s first state dinner in late 2022, White House chefs sourced a trio of artisan cheeses from the finest dairies in the country to impress French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte. One was from Oregon. Another came from California. The third was from Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
We talked to Sophie Gentine, Deer Creek Brand Manager and daughter of the dairy’s founders, to find out what it’s like to learn the White House wants to serve your cheese.
When and how did you hear your cheese had made the White House State Dinner menu?
The announcement came as a total surprise. We’re guessing that White House Executive Chef Kris Comerford and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden must have tried it during their planning process and decided it would be a perfect fit!
We found out the morning after the dinner from friends, family, and colleagues who had seen various news articles mentioning that a cheddar from Deer Creek was part of the menu. We had to make some calls to find out which cheese it was, since no articles listed the specific name at the time. By the end of the day, we discovered that it was “The Fawn”, one of our bandage-wrapped and waxed Cheddars.
How did you come up with that creative name, and what sets your cheddar apart from other creameries?
“The Fawn” was the first cheese that we introduced as part of our animal series, where we named cheeses after animals native to the state. “The Fawn” is…
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