Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - Sidney Cook, Prairie du Sac, knows a thing or two about cheese production. He's a fourth-generation cheesemaker and one of only 33 Master Cheesemakers in Wisconsin. A 1975 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Cook is also one of the spring 2005 UWP Distinguished Alumni.

Cook, president of Carr Valley Cheese Company, in La Valle, has won more than 50 national and international awards for cheese production in the past two years. His Gran Canaria, a marinated cheese made with sheep's milk, achieved Best of Show in the 2004 American Cheese Society competition. Carr Valley's other award winning cheeses include Virgin Pine Native Sheep, Cave Aged Cheddar, Cocoa Cardona, Caso Bolo Mellage and Carr Valley eight-year Cheddar.

After graduating from UWP with a degree in political science, Cook returned to his community of Plain to work at his father's cheese factory. In 1976, he and his brother bought the cheese factory, which they operated for 10 years. After closing the factory in 1986, Cook purchased Carr Valley Cheese Company in La Valle. He later acquired Portage Cold Storage, in Portage, in 1989; and Wisconsin Pride Cheese Co., Mauston, in 1994. He currently serves as president of those three companies.

Cook became a Master Cheesemaker by completing a program administered by the UW-Madison Center for Dairy Research. To achieve the designation requires successful completion of a rigorous curriculum and confirmation of product quality through experts' evaluations. The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program is the only program of its kind outside Europe.

In 2005, Cook bought Fennimore Cheese Company. He operates a cheese store there and has plans to resume cheese production. Additionally, Cook operates cheese stores in La Valle, Sauk City and Mauston. Community responsibilities include his board presence and chairmanship of Community Business Bank Shares, Inc., Sauk City. He is also president of Sauk Milk Improvement Co-op, Plain, and board member and secretary-treasurer of Consumers Co-op Oil Co., Sauk City.

Cook will be honored along with three other UWP Distinguished Alumni during spring commencement May 7.

Contact: Barb Daus, Special Assistant to the Chancellor, 608-342-1282,daus@uwplatt.edu Prepared by: Pat Jonas, research assistant, UWP Office of the Special Assistant to the Chancellor, 608-342-1025,jonasp@uwplatt.edu; and Dan Lehnherr, UWP Public Relations, 608-342-1194,lehnherd@uwplatt.edu