My husband and I recently spent a pleasant day in Switzerland. No, we did not take a quick flight to Europe on the Concorde! All that was necessary to visit Switzerland was to take State Route 39 east out of Millersburg, then follow State Route 557 south to the Guggisberg Cheese complex. From the Old World architecture of the buildings to the colorful costumes worn by the cheerful, friendly employees, we felt we were experiencing a genuine taste of the culture of the people who began to settle this valley more than 150 years ago.
We began our day at the Guggisberg Cheese Factory and Gift Shop. Although for health reasons the factory no longer gives tours, we were able to watch much of the operation of cheese making through wide glass windows. We saw huge stainless steel vats of milk (to which rennet had already been added) being stirred by paddles attached to machines that keep the milk in constant smooth and uniform motion. Although much mechanized equipment is used, we witnessed the constant attention of white-coated technicians, who frequently dipped out samples and tested them, taking care that the resulting cheese would be of the finest quality from start to finish. The facility was sparkling clean, and we appreciated the strict standards of hygiene - but it was still amusing to see Amish workers in white lab coats, with safety goggles, ear protectors, and their beards carefully tied up in hair nets!
A video played continually on a television monitor, explaining the process and recounting the history of this particular cheese factory. As the Amish population of that area grew and more milk was produced by their dairy herds, the farmers got together and decided a cheese-processing plant was the best marketing solution. Cheese was a natural fit for these descendants of German Swiss pioneers, so they called on the talents of a young Swiss immigrant named Alfred Guggisberg who had been trained in Switzerland in the art of cheese-making. That was nearly fifty years ago.
The combination of rich milk from cows fed on lush green pastures and a master cheese maker's love of his craft has resulted in the world-famous "Baby Swiss" cheese invented here. Baby Swiss, as a hostess explained to us, is a finer-grained Swiss cheese, with smaller holes and a sweeter, milder flavor. The free samples we tasted were enough to convince us that there is no finer cheese anywhere!
The gift shop was a head-spinning display of cheeses (Guggisberg makes more than just Swiss cheese), sausages, and shelf after shelf of accompaniments (I had no idea there could be so many flavors of mustard!). There were relishes of all kinds, jams and jellies, crackers, snacks, and mixes for traditional European dishes such as "Rsti" (grated Swiss potatoes - the box hailed it as the Swiss national dish), waffles and pancakes, spaetzle (more about that later), and Swiss dumplings. Also available were products from local home businesses: homemade noodles and Mrs. Miller's jams and jellies from Fredericksburg.
We quickly passed over a refrigerated case displaying "head cheese" and souse - which is made, according to the label, from pig snouts and pork broth. We also passed up an opportunity to sample liver cheese, made from pork liver. There are many who love these delicacies, but my husband and I decided we did not care to develop the taste for them. I did make a mental note, though, to make the Guggisberg Cheese Gift Shop a destination for my Christmas shopping later this year. I can just picture hand-woven baskets packed with cheeses, sausage, crackers, and samples of several different kinds of mustard and relish. What great gift baskets - and they can easily be shipped to different parts of the country, to show distant relatives what they're missing!
We lingered for a while in the lovely garden just north of the gift shop. It is a miniature re-creation of a typical Swiss landscape, with flagstone paths winding through flower beds, past a fountain and a small-scale chalet, with resting benches strategically placed in shaded spots.
Next we strolled across the road for lunch at the Chalet in the Valley Restaurant. Here again, the architecture and interior design are classic Swiss, with the staff clothed in brightly colored Alpine costumes.
The menu offered both European and American fare. I decided to try the wiener schnitzel - a dish I have often heard of but had never actually tasted. I had always assumed it was some sort of sausage dish ("wiener" being an American term for hot dogs), but I was surprised to discover it was a breaded veal cutlet. Since it was served with broccoli and my choice of two side dishes, I requested spaetzel - which turned out to be noodle dough in the shape of little dumplings, swimming in chicken broth - and hot German potato salad. My less adventurous husband chose a grilled chicken salad, which he pronounced delicious.
The dessert menu was very tempting, from the "Schwartzward Torte" (Black Forest Cake) and Apple Strudel to the ice cream sundaes and sherbet, but we decided to stroll around the garden again and end our day in Switzerland with ice cream cones served from the miniature chalet situated at the far end of the Guggisberg complex.
If you should decide to spend more than a day visiting Switzerland, the Guggisberg Swiss Inn offers 24 spacious and comfortable rooms to make your headquarters while touring the surrounding Amish Heartland. In the meantime, thanks for coming with us!
The Guggisberg Cheese Factory is open daily from Monday through Saturday, with shorter hours in January, February and March. View cheese being made Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Closed on Sundays. Call 330-893-2500 for more information, or go to their Web site at www.guggisberg.com. The Chalet in the Valley Restaurant is open from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, March through December. Closed January and February. Call 330-893-2550 for more information. The Guggisberg Swiss Inn is open year round. Call 330-893-3600 for reservations. (Sept. 2002 Edition)