These Oak Creek cheesemakers are (finally) opening a storefront

Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read
Alpinage's Orphee Paillotin, a native of France, shows the company's 10-inch wheel of raclette. Soon, the company will begin making 12-inch wheels and also 4-inch wheels to be sold intact to consumers.
Alpinage's Orphee Paillotin, a native of France, shows the company's 10-inch wheel of raclette. Soon, the company will begin making 12-inch wheels and also 4-inch wheels to be sold intact to consumers.

After a couple years seeing people peering into the front window wondering what was going on inside Alpinage Artisan Cheese in Oak Creek, the owner is opening it to the public.

Orphee Paillotin sold his first “American-style” raclette cheese in 2021 and said customers were always asking him if they could see how the cheese was made in addition to the regular peeking passersby at his dairy plant at the Oak Creek Market Place Village, 8625 S. Market Place.

“People want to see it and the problem is we’re not open to the public,” he said, adding they did occasionally schedule private showings.

The cheese shop will open to the public for the first time from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 24. Regular hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Friday and Saturday going forward.

A window at Alpinage provides a glimpse of the cheese cave.
A window at Alpinage provides a glimpse of the cheese cave.

The Oak Creek Market Place Village is a walkable outdoor shopping experience straight out of a Hallmark movie, visitors can buy crafts, art, CBD, crystals and more at various shops.

Paillotin’s storefront was being used for storage.

Now patrons can see the cheese aging process and purchase the final product. Paillotin said he plans to offer cheeses from other local cheesemakers.

The shop may also offer an occasional “raclette night” where people can come, enjoy some cheese and company – a great alternative to a coffee shop for a cheesehead. Paillotin said raclette is more than just a cheese, it’s an experience.

Properly served melted, it’s a nice way to gather with family and friends because, since you melt raclette, “if you want to eat you have to focus on your cheese," he said.

More:In a cheese cave in Oak Creek, Alpinage is aging Wisconsin-made raclette

What is raclette cheese?

A slice from a wheel of Mount Raclette, aged raclette by Alpinage Artisan Cheese. Because the cheese is aged naturally, the rind is edible.
A slice from a wheel of Mount Raclette, aged raclette by Alpinage Artisan Cheese. Because the cheese is aged naturally, the rind is edible.

Raclette cheese needs to be aged for months in an open environment with controlled humidity. It must be washed with a brine solution “pretty much daily,” and it rests on wood boards, Paillotin said.

Describing raclette as “an Alpine-style cheese” popular in Switzerland and France, it's traditionally served with boiled potatoes, pickles and dried meat like beef, Paillotin said. Alpinage may also carry some breads that can be served with it, too.

Paillotin said his goal was not to mimic but innovate into an American-style with an “earthy, mushroomy flavor.” Raclette is a often seen as dish unto itself but the version at Alpinage called “Mount Raclette” is a semi-soft cheese that also lends itself well to being cut up as a table cheese.

“We want to make sure we don’t put aside this type of consumer,” Paillotin said. “It’s very versatile.”

Paillotin grew up in France and enjoyed his fair share of the melty community-focused cheese. When he moved to Wisconsin in 2015, he realized raclette isn’t very common even in the cheese capital of the country.

He decided to change that after a meeting in Milwaukee.

Bringing raclette cheese to Wisconsin

Alpinage Artisan Cheese's offices and cave (a refrigerated room with controlled humidity) is in a building built into a hill at Market Place Shopping Village in Oak Creek. The cheesemaker doesn't keep regular hours for the public, but online orders can be picked up there and people can make arrangements to visit for a peek at the cave.
Alpinage Artisan Cheese's offices and cave (a refrigerated room with controlled humidity) is in a building built into a hill at Market Place Shopping Village in Oak Creek. The cheesemaker doesn't keep regular hours for the public, but online orders can be picked up there and people can make arrangements to visit for a peek at the cave.

Paillotin met Paula Heimerl in 2014 while visiting Milwaukee. Heimerl’s family owned a dairy farm and had knowledge about cheese. After discussing how one of his favorite cheeses from France was not readily available here, Heimerl encouraged Paillotin to make it himself and agreed to help.

The then-IT-engineer chose to get his cheesemaker license in 2020. After linking with a dairy farm to source raw milk, Alpinage (a name combining Alpine, where the cheese is from, and affinage, the French word for aging cheese) opened in Oak Creek with two employees — Paillotin and Heimerl.

“We’re not trying to compete with other cheesemakers making very good cheddar and gouda,” Paillotin said, adding that instead his next move is flavored raclette. “It’s the same cheese but we just put some flavor added.”

Black pepper, truffle, rosemary and an aged raclette are all on the cheese board.

Alpinage’s Mount Raclette is already available at over a dozen stores including the Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha, Market30 in Cudahy, all Sendik's locations, and farmer’s markets in Oak Creek, Shorewood, Port Washington, Greenfield and Racine plus other places. All locations are listed on alpinagecheese.com.

Paillotin said he’s not sure if opening the doors at the store will cause him to cut back on distribution.

Either way, he said it’s time to let people inside: “We need to open it, even if it’s just a few hours a week, to let people see what we do.”

Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like/follow his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on Twitter @ES_Hanley.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Oak Creek cheesemakers Alpinage Artisan Cheese to open a storefront