**Festival Feature!**

Stylistically this is a semi-firm Italian cow’s milk cheese traditionally made in the Aosta Valley & Piedmont regions, and closely related to the French Tomme. The origins of the name “toma” (and its derivation in the french “tomme”) are unknown. Some speculate that it comes from the word tomé, which means “fall” in the regional dialect. When curds separate from the whey, they fall to the bottom of the vat, thus giving credence to the name. This particular toma is the work of Bob Giacomini and his family at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. in Northern California. The milk comes from their own herd of Holstein cows, which graze on organic, pastured hills overlooking Tomales Bay on the Pacific shore. This cheese is at once buttery and grassy with a tangy finish.