The Sarah Hardy Farmers Market has just started and we decided it would be a good time to go behind the scenes to meet some faces and hear the stories behind the farmers and artisans. First, we start with the boss herself, the boss her mouse her cheese. .
Su Kurta has been a regular at Traverse City Market and nearby markets for over a decade, selling its famous smoked butter, cheese curds and other handcrafted dairy products under the Boss Mouth Cheese banner. Kurta’s Paradise, who worked on his 1867-era farm in Kingsley, began his journey to his township with a cheese-making class in Greenwich Village, New York City.
“I always had a lot of hobbies,” says Kurta. “I’m a big music lover, I love animals and I love cooking. I just started making cheese at home by taking a wine and cheese class.” is in the midst of a “dramatic change” in his life, leaving a career in corporate banking to attend cheese-making classes.
“The more time I spend on these cheese farms, the more I want to live on them. [and] I too… felt so disconnected from my life, didn’t I? Having grown up downstate, Kurta returned to Michigan after discovering a farm for sale in a town he had never heard of. “But cheese was still my hobby,” she says. “I never intended to be a full-time cheesemaker. Michigan has very strict dairy laws.”
After finding work in Traverse City, she began setting up a home cheese barn “with the intention of selling it at the farmers’ market.” “I didn’t think it would be something I could make a living from, but when I started Boss Mouse, she was earning the same income as my main job for two years, so I quit my main job and Boss Mouse just disappeared. ‘It’s been up since then. ”
Even before Boss Maus, Kurta searched for farmers markets wherever she went. “I like to see things for sale. It’s like the heart of a place is the local market, right?”
That pulse extends to the relationships that develop between vendors. “It’s like the circus coming to town. It’s about how stubborn people are,” says Kurta. “We’ve all worked together over the years and are in the same job: farmers. There’s a real kinship between us.”
Bosmaus’ products have expanded over the years from cheese curds and butters to mature cow’s milk cheeses such as cheddar, sweet swiss, herbs, spices and (naturally) sometimes cherry infused Italian varieties called Montasio. The pace, however, is a little more consistent with cheesemakers than farmers at the whim of the season. “Cheesemaking is a year-round product. Our busy season is farmers market season. [and] Cheese needs to be aged, so make it like a little elf all winter long and come out of the cave ten times faster in summer than in winter. ”
However, when the market comes into season, it becomes an event for vendors as well as participants. “It’s like dressing up for a big party,” says Kurta. “I love how everyone tries to do their best. And they make something fresh – you know, the day before Sarah Hardy Market, like Friday night, we woke up at 4am. All the baked goods there are made at midnight before the market, and it’s a very important event for us.”
Of course, it’s not just the bonds between vendors that bring someone back to the market each year. Customers also play a big role in that relationship. “Over the years, we’ve had a lot of really hardcore patrons every Saturday, rain or shine. We love meeting people from all over the world and welcoming them to Traverse City.”
“I never thought I would become a cheesemaker at heart. It was just a hobby. I never thought of moving here to make a living. I thought it would be a side hustle,” says Kurta. “But I am very proud. I’m still really excited to get out there and make it.I still can’t believe I can do it.”
Market Quiz: Sue, if someone gave you $100 to spend at the market and you could magically go to any week, when would you go and what would you buy?
“I think I’ll get that money and come in August. I like to shop seasonally to see what looks good on me and see what I make that night.There are quite a few beauty products now too.Beautiful soap in hand Get a little bit of everything – I think there’s some pretty affordable stuff in our market.”
