Limburger draws love-hate reaction, but it's all good for area businesses
MONROE - He may not make limburger, but Chris Soukup of Monroe knows a thing or two about the love-it-or-hate-it cheese and its value in promoting Monroe.
Soukup, who owns Baumgartner's Cheese Store and Tavern on the Square with his brother Tyler, is included on the "Mysteries at the Museum" segment filmed at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center last year. The show airs at 8 p.m. tonight.
The Travel show producers asked a variety of questions in preparing the segment, such as the history of Monroe and cheesemaking, what cheesemaking has meant to the local economy and the difference in cheesemaking throughout the years. The National Historic Cheesemaking Center serves as the backdrop for the segment.
Soukup stepped in to be interviewed on camera when Myron Olson, master cheesemaker at Chalet Cheese Cooperative which makes limburger cheese, was unavailable. While Olson is an expert at making the cheese, Soukup sees visitors from all over the world have their introduction to limburger at Baumgartner's.
The cheese generally elicits a response as strong as its odor.
"It's 50-50. Typically, they love or they hate it," Soukup said of first-time limburger-tasters. "They say "that's awesome' or "Oh wow, I could never eat that again.'"
Many first-timers need a little convincing. Often, long-time Baumgartner customers will bring the uninitiated in and talk them into taking a taste.
"We'll convince them to try it. It's a rite of passage," Soukup said.
It's not the first time Soukup has been on camera, helping draw attention to the area's cheesemaking heritage: He's been included in episodes of "Larry the Cable Guy" on the History Channel, "Food Paradise" on the Travel Channel and "Wisconsin Foodie," on PBS, among other shows. Many of the shows are repeated on the networks, helping attract new interest each time the episode airs. Another plus is the "Mysteries" segment, with its focus on history and mysteries, will help attract a different audience than the food-themed shows, Soukup added.
The exposure on a network such as the Travel Channel is a boost for everyone, he said, and he's excited to see it air.
"It's great for business. Any time there's a business or the Square on TV, it's a big deal. It helps everybody."
- Times staff
The series, now in its eighth season, examines interesting relics, found in museums around the world, that share little-known history. The show explores these artifacts and offers background through interviews, archival footage and recreations.
In this week's episode, the search for the unusual led producers to Monroe, home of the only factory in the United States producing the distinctively aromatic and polarizing cheese, to explore "a bizarre interstate feud that threatened the region's economy," set off when a postmaster in Iowa refused to deliver packaged limburger sent from Monroe.
Don Wildman, host of "Mysteries at the Museum" was traveling this week, but was able to email The Monroe Times with some insight into the show for local viewers:
Monroe Times: Why did "Mysteries at the Museum" decide to do a segment at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center?
Wildman: The National Historic Cheesemaking Center is truly a one-of-a-kind museum. Where else but Wisconsin? Switzerland, maybe? We try to highlight museums of every nature, large and small, on the shows. But this museum is so unique that we couldn't resist. It was a story we could really, you know, chew on.
Times: What was compelling about this story?
Wildman: Well, it's the cheese, isn't it? It's a story that tickles the senses. All our stories have protagonists behind the artifact and their struggles are played out in re-enactments - it's the color of the show. But in the Monroe story, the cheese is the protagonist. Well, sort of. Limburger cheese is a legend. Ever read "Giant Grummer's Christmas?" My favorite story as a kid because the limburger was the star. Same here.
Times: Can you give a brief overview of what the limburger postal feud was about?
Wildman: In 1935, Monroe cheesemakers sent limburger cheese to customers all over the country. Since the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression, limburger became an affordable dietary staple for lots of people and, as we found in our research, a point of pride for the people of Monroe. But, as I've already suggested, it has a quite distinctive smell. So when a post office in Iowa refused to deliver a shipment of Monroe limburger cheese because a mailman claimed the odor was making him sick, it set off a feud between two small-town postmasters which escalated into a highly publicized taste test. I won't give away the ending!
Times: Were you familiar with limburger cheese before doing this segment?
Wildman: I was, but only in a mythical way. It is an acquired taste, I can now report, made for true cheese-lovers. I'm well on my way and my wife is concerned it will become a regular item in the fridge.
Times: Have you tried limburger, and if so, did you like it?
Wildman: I appreciate any food that can make it's own way in life. Limburger stands up to most anything. I feel like I've moved to another land when I eat it. A land called Wisconsin. I kid ... but I really am a fan. I like strong flavors. Especially when there's a beer to follow.
Times: Anything else about the segment that our readers should know?
Wildman: I have to say how indebted we are to everyone in Monroe and at the National Historic Cheesemaking Center for their hospitality. Chris Soukup, the co-owner of Baumgartner's Cheese Store and Tavern, appears in the show and we couldn't have told the story without him.
- Times staff