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down somewhere without the traffic and
pace of Mexico City, he jumped at the
chance and joined the team at Saxon
Creamery in 2018. The company—which
sits along Lake Winnebago between
Green Bay and Milwaukee—focuses on
European-style cheeses, including its rich
gouda, a creamy asiago, and a buttery,
semi-soft Germanic butterkäse.
Years earlier, Gutierrez Cruz visited
Madison, Wisconsin, for the World
Championship Cheese Contest. Drawn
by the moderate climate with four
distinct seasons, he welcomed the
opportunity to live in an area revered
for its dairy industry. But he didn't
anticipate Wisconsin's stringent
cheesemaking regulations.
"I was surprised that here in Wisconsin,
you have to basically apprentice for one
year, and after that you need to go to
courses," he says. "It's the only state
that requires a license to make cheese. It
tells you all the cheeses are good quality.
Really, you feel proud to be part of this
small group of people."
In 2019, Gutierrez Cruz accepted an
offer to become the head cheesemaker
at Door Artisan Cheese, where he
was subsequently promoted to plant
manager. In February 2022, Gutierrez
Cruz joined a new ownership team at
the company and now does a little of
everything as one of the business' three
managing partners.
Door Artisan Cheese is among the
region's newest cheesemakers, and its
sphere of influence is largely limited
to the immediate area. Located in
Door County—at the tip of Wisconsin's
"thumb" that juts into Lake Michigan—
"It's the only state that requires
a license to make cheese. It
tells you all the cheeses are
good quality. Really, you feel
proud to be part of this small
group of people."
The market at Door
Artisan Cheese offers
an abundance of cheese
and other regional
culinary specialties
Unlike the soft cheeses he
made in Mexico, some of
Gutierrez Cruz's cheeses
now are aged, and many are
more experimental
