<p>One recent Easter week, we visited the Villajos family in the tiny village of Porzuna deep in the meseta of La Mancha, where Antonio creates one of Spain's finest Manchego cheeses.&nbsp; When we visited last, Antonio's son was just finishing high school, and his daughter was working at one of the desks in their modest office. He took us for a brief tour of his cheese making operation, and we learned that Antonio knows each of the local shepherds, so that the fresh sheep's milk often arrives at the dairy only 15 minutes after it is milked! It is hard to describe the warmth and hospitality extended by Antonio and his wife. We have never tasted a Manchego cheese that compares to the ones he and his cheese master Bernardo produce.</p><p><a href="/food/cheese-sheep.html"><strong>See our artisan cheeses ►</strong></a></p>

Antonio Villajos - Cheesemaker

<p>We drove into the driveway of Alfonso’s dairy which was guarded by a great old dog with the wisdom of the ages. Alfonso’s children were playing among the furrows of the farm, and in the background we could see the sheepfold full of ewes who produced the milk for the beautifully handcrafted cheese that Alfonso produces. Among the most interesting were cheeses which had been blended with red wine, others with rosemary. When we met his mother at her home, which served as a small cheese store, she proudly showed us a room full of trophies – it seemed that Alfonso was a champion long-distance runner!</p>
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	<strong><a href="/food/cheese.html">See our artisan cheeses ►</a></strong></p>


Alfonso Alvarez - Cheesemaker

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	Not far from Madrid is Sigüenza, a hill-town topped with a fairytale castle.  In this ancient village, Jesus Blasco works with his brother and son to cut and stitch bota wineskins by hand, as they have been made for thousands of years.  His small workshop is not much different than that of his father and grandfather, both of whom practiced this ancient trade.</div>
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	Jesús greeted us at his door and proudly showed us the painstaking process of cutting a goat hide, stitching it together, then sealing it with pine pitch to make it waterproof.  Jesús and his son are proud of their skills, and are innovating to help preserve this craft for generations to come.</div>
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	<a href="https://www.tienda.com/table/wine-service.html"><strong>Shop Bota Wineskins </strong><strong> ►</strong></a><strong></strong></div>
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Jesús Blasco - Bota Wineskin Maker

<p>At the top of a mountain in western Spain sits the magical medieval village of La Alberca, located in the heart of the Sierra de Francia National Park. It just so happens that this is the perfect place to dry and age jamón, and in 1956, Fermín Martín founded Jamones y Embutidos Fermín to produce artisan Ibérico hams and sausages.

Today Martín’s children, Santiago and Francisca, run the company following the same artisan, all natural methods as their father. With over 100 employees, Fermín is the lifeblood of this small village. In 2007, Fermín was the first Ibérico ham maker allowed in the U.S., and La Tienda was proud to sell their very first Jamón Ibérico in America.</p>
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	<strong><a href="/fermin/">See our Fermín meats ►</a></strong></p>


Santiago Martín - Jamones Fermín Owner

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