Where the Buffalo Roam: Audrey Hitchcock – Ramini Mozzarella
A Story of Love, Resilience and Cheese
For 15 years now, people have been telling Italian water buffalo rancher Audrey Hitchcock, “You’ll never make it.” Who would be crazy enough to leave a successful career in high-end architecture and start a mozzarella cheesemaking business? But after the 2008 financial fiasco, it was time for a change. With her husband, Craig Ramini, a successful Silicon Valley software consultant, the couple rented land in Tomales/Petaluma, bought five feral buffalo and worked for several years to tame them. They built a creamery and—no small thing—learned how to breed and milk the wild animals.
Then, through lots of trial and error, they learned how to turn the liquid into the hand-pulled, silky perfection that Italians have been making as mozzarella di bufala for more than 300 years. They quashed the critics as their fresh cheese was snapped up by top Bay Area restaurants within 24 hours of each batch being made.
Ramini passed away from cancer in 2015, and the naysayers grew more insistent. It’s true: Hitchcock has grieved, suffered numerous disasters, had to relocate her herd several times, lost the lease on her creamery and again and again came to the brink of shutting down. But she has survived, and remains the only buffalo cheese dairy in California.
Her situation remains fragile, but today the herd is 111 strong and last July Keith Adams of Wm. Cofield Cheesemakers opened up space for her in his Barlow creamery salon and café. Hitchcock is making cheese there, and it’s ethereal stuff, expanded past mozzarella to stracciatella, burrata, ricotta and cream cheese.
You can snag her artisanal products at The Barlow store, at some restaurants and at Bay Area farmers’ markets.
“A lot of people thought that after Craig died, I wouldn’t keep the business,” she said, taking a quick break on the sunny Wm. Cofield patio from her cheese crafting work. “But a lot of people didn’t understand how important these buffalo are to me.
“I had always wanted an exotic animal sanctuary. And one time, Craig and I had finished the day at the ranch, and were having a glass of wine in our picnic area. He looked at me and said, ‘Do you think I get credit now for giving you a wildlife sanctuary?’
“He did. This is the last gift he gave me. I’ll never stop trying.”
Available at Marin Farmers Market, Wm. Cofield Cheesemakers in Sebastopol, Saturdays at the Ferry Building Plaza, Good Earth Natural Foods, Woodlands Market and West Marin Culture Shop.
