Come learn how Rome, NY native Jesse Williams’ vision would forever change the way cheese was produced in the United States
Everyone in central New York knows about this area’s legendary foods: Chicken Riggies, Tomato Pie, Utica greens, half moons, turkey joints, etc. But did you know we also have a much longer history with cheese? Come to the Irish Cultural Center on February 8th to find out all about it, as local historian Patrick Reynolds discusses the origin of the Cheese Factory System.
Just North of Rome, at the site of the current New York State Fish Hatchery, the modern cheese industry was born in 1851. Jesse Williams was a successful farmer and cheese maker but believed by working together as cooperative dairies, farmers could maximize their profits. This led him to start the first cheese factory in the United States, a move that revolutionized agriculture not only locally, but across the nation.
On the 100th anniversary of Jesse’s cheese factory, John H. Kraft, president of Kraft Foods, proclaimed that “pioneers like Jesse Williams… [fathered] the ideas and tools that have made America great.” This man, Kraft said, “exemplified the spirit which has made the dairy industry the largest agricultural industry in America.”
Patrick Reynolds is in charge of Public Relations at the Oneida County History Center. This program, which is presented by the H.A.R.P. Museum, starts at 7 PM, and is free and open to everyone. Please register on EventBrite, at http://bit.ly/3RDtRO0.
The Irish Cultural Center of the Mohawk Valley is located at 623 Columbia St. in Utica NY.
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