In all my travels, I've never met anyone like Ig Vella and I've never tasted cheese like his Dry Jack. Each is an iconoclast. A wedge of his flagship cheese has more character than a bushel full of industrial "Monterey Jack" imitations.

Dry Jack combines the crumbliness of Parmigiano-Reggiano and the butteriness of well-aged cheddar into a single, golden chunk. This is a cheese I come back to again and again, and each time is a revelation. It keeps a long time, too.

The wheels we're currently cutting into have a juicy meatiness up front and a dry, slightly sweet and nutty finish.