We're back with our "Meet a Member" series, where we highlight the everyday moments and personal traditions that make our community so special. Today, we’re excited to introduce the Spalding family!
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Where are you from, and what do you do?
We’re the Spalding Family, based in Sacramento, CA. Jamis, a CPA, and Maddie, a physical therapist, make up the heart of our family. Our little one, Brayden, will be starting preschool this September, and our loyal 9-year-old Golden Shepherd mix, Klay, completes the crew.
What’s a fun fact about you that most people wouldn’t guess?
1-Jamis and I are high school sweethearts! 2- We chose Brayden’s middle name, Russell, to honor my grandfather, Jack Russell, and to pay tribute to my mom’s side of the family. 3- Brayden’s first avocado was a Stepladder Ranch Avo!
What’s a hobby or interest you’re passionate about outside of cheese?
Traveling, scuba diving and Bay Area Sports!
How did you first hear about Stepladder Ranch & Creamery?
We are lucky enough to be a part of the family and have followed the creamery since it first opened!
What inspired you to join the Stepladder Cheese Club?
We got married around the same time the cheese club was established. I added a "1-year membership" to our wedding registry, and Jack and Michele kindly gifted it to us. We've since kept the tradition alive—five years and counting!
What makes Stepladder cheese special to or for you?
We have watched it grow! From stepping into the first small cheese storage fridges… to watching rounds of baby goats grow… not to mention it’s some damn good cheese.
What’s your favorite Stepladder cheese, and why? Do you have any favorite ways to enjoy it?
We look forward to the seasonal Burning Love around valentines every year.. The texture and bold but subtle flavors But our regular staples in the fridge usually are: Marinated Fromage Blanc (on top of avocado toast..), fresh chèvre, and recent favorite has been Bixby!
Have you tried pairing Stepladder cheeses with other foods or drinks? Any memorable combinations?
Yes… Most of all the cheeses pair great with a glass of Dickerson Zinfandel. During the pandemic.. we would make fresh raviolis and stuff them with fresh chèvre. If we get our hands on Stepladder Avocados paired with their breakfast sausages, we top it with an over-easy egg, fresh chèvre, and place it on a slice of toast, finishing it off with a generous spread of Stepladder butter.—This became my ’postpartum/breastfeeding craving’.
What’s been your favorite cheese delivery so far, and what made it stand out?
The first time we ever had the marinated fromage blanc! We (mostly Brayden..) love the crackers that have recently been in the past couple shipments!
How did you use your last Cheese Club delivery? Any special occasion? Who did you enjoy it with?
See the pictures! We all got sick with the Flu around Valentines so have been saving our cheese shipment for when everyone was better. We laid out a blanket in the backyard after nap time and finally enjoyed Burning Love! Bray insisted he cut the chunks of cheese himself..
Design your cheese board… What’s on it (Stepladder and beyond)? Who are you enjoying it with? (past or present, alive or historical, fact or fiction!)
All of the favorite cheeses I have already mentioned, add some prosciutto, salami, Stepladder honey… at a very large round table with Bay Sports and Music legends… Barry Bonds, JT Snow, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and E 40. Just to name a few…
Can you recall the first time you tried a really exceptional cheese? What was it, and what did you think?
My all time favorite cheese was a block of Dubliner from Costco. I even received a block of that cheese as a birthday present one year. My taste buds have since matured.
What’s your favorite ‘cheesy’ guilty pleasure (movie, book, song)?
Adele. The Office. If you have a toddler- The Wonky Donkey Song..
If Stepladder could create a cheese just for you, what would it be called, and what would it taste like?
“Ballin like the Spaldings” - it would taste like a mixture of marinated fromage blanc, fresh chèvre and burning love. Rolled in ball.
If you could choose a name for a Stepladder goat, what would it be?
Steph ‘Nite Nite’ Curry, the goat.
