In this off-the-beaten-track documentary, director Bob Leff chronicles the successful efforts to restore a defunct Midwestern cheese factory that—much to the amazement of the National Historic Cheesemaking Center—still stood at its original site in Orangeville, IL, just a few miles from the NHCC's location in Monroe, WI. Over the years, owner Arnold Imobersteg had used the old wooden barn as a workshop, but his Swiss-immigrant parents, who owned a dairy farm, made cheese in the building up until 1917. Once World War I came along, the couple found that selling their milk to the Pet Company made more economic sense because of increased demand for condensed milk. When the NHCC's Mary Ann Hanna learned of the old factory's existence, she offered Imobersteg money, but he refused to accept it, instead donating the building in memory of his parents. Before the NHCC stepped in, the structure was leaning to one side and the inner brickwork was crumbling, but all of the parts were intact—including wheel, hoist, rail, press bars, and copper-lined kettle. After it was relocated to Monroe in 2010, the NHCC oversaw a full restoration, and visitors are now welcome. Hanna and others explain how the Imoberstegs made their product many years ago (suffice to say, it's a complicated process), and master cheesemaker Ron Buholzer duplicates the steps with a few modern-day variations, while interviews with historians and museum center docents provide context. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)
Eine Kleine Käserei (A Little Cheese Factory)
(2011) 48 min. DVD: $30. Video Art Productions (dist. by The AV Cafe). Volume 26, Issue 6
Eine Kleine Käserei (A Little Cheese Factory)
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