LOCAL NEWS » TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013

Most of themilk avail-able in stores comesfrom a special kindof cow bred to

squeeze out themost milk. It’ssold in plastic jugs and papercartons. It’s heated to more than160 degrees to kill germs.

Then there’s the stuff thatcomes from a different kind ofcow, a kind withmore “person-ality.” It comes in glass contain-ers with a layer of cream on top.It’s pasteurizedmore gently.

The second kind is producedin small batches by small dair-ies, like Ocheesee Creamery,that dot the North Florida coun-tryside.

Despite its higher fat con-tent, themilk is marketed to aniche of health-consciousmilkdrinkers— people who demandan all-natural product withnothing added— no preserva-tives, no nutrients that don’tcome straight from the cows.

It’s sold in glass bottles topreserve the flavor. It’s nothomogenized, so it’s laced withribbons of cream. To its aco-lytes, it’s tastier andmore nutri-tious. Most importantly forsome, includingMary LouWes-selhoeft, who has run the dairywith her family since 1989, it’sall-natural — a commitmentthat has placed the dairy in aquandary.

Wesselhoeft’s dairy is differ-ent from the larger farming

operations that produce the vastmajority of themilk on theshelves of most Florida su-permarkets. It uses a differentkind of cow.

Nearly nine out of ten dairycows in the United States areHolsteins— a breed that spe-cializes in producing large vol-umes of milk. TheWesselhoeft’suse Jersey Cows, which pro-duce smaller amounts of richer,fattier milk. They are lower-maintenance and better adaptedto the North Florida heat. Theyare also friendlier andmorecurious. They gather around togreet visitors to the familyfarm in Grand Ridge, near theJackson County line.

Mary Lou Wesselhoeft has run the Ocheesee Creamerywith her family since 1989. TRAVIS PILLOW/DEMOCRAT

ONLINESee a video report from the Ocheesee Creamery online at Tallahassee.com/Dairy

By Travis PillowFlorida Capital Bureau

LEFT: Ocheesee Creamery uses glass bottles to help preserve the flavor of the milk. ABOVE: Jersey cows roam the pasture at OcheeseeCreamery. PHOTOS BY TRAVIS PILLOW/DEMOCRAT

Meals on wheelsFood blogger Mike Bonfanti testsout local food trucks. » Page 2B

See DAIRY » 5B

Putting aside the fact that he’s arestaurateur, Bill Bertoncin, ownerof A La Provence, loves samplingculture — and that includes tastingthe food.

It’s one of the reasons he’s excitedabout the second annual CapitalCuisine Restaurant Week. This is thesecond annual event for Tallahasseefeaturing 36 restaurants from casualto fine dining establishments —which is up from the 22 restaurantsthat participated last year.

The event starts today and willcontinue throughMay 28. Participat-ing restaurants will offer speciallyselected menus during lunch anddinner featuring two- to three-

course meals priced at $15 or $30.The local restaurant week is put

on through a partnership betweenthe Leon County Division of TourismDevelopment, Visit Tallahassee andthe Florida Restaurant and LodgingAssociation.

“We think this is going to bringpeople in town to stay in our hotelsand eat at our local restaurants,”said Lee Daniel, Visit Tallahasseeexecutive director. “But it’s not justfor people from out of town, it’ssomething that our local residentscan enjoy, as well — gets them out tosome of the great restaurants wehave here they haven’t tried yet.”

Agreeing, Bertoncin said theweek is a great opportunity to ex-pose the community to the culture of

Capital Cuisine Restaurant Week

Week is a chance tosample eateriesBy Elizabeth M. MackDemocrat staff writer

@emack1 on Twitter

See CUISINE » 5B

UNDER

THE OAKSWedding bliss,summer funand more!» Page 6B

TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT » THURSDAY, MAY 16, 2013 » 5B

Su | do | ku By Dave Green

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Difficulty Level 5/15

Enter a numeral from 1through 9 in each cell ofthe grid. Each row,column and region mustcontain only one in-stance of each numeral.

Yesterday’ssolution

Note: Puzzles increasein difficulty fromMon-day through Sunday.

Jazz drummer Billy Cob-ham is 69. Actor PierceBrosnan is 60. ActressDebraWinger is 58.ActressMareWinning-ham is 54. Bassist KristNovoselic (Nirvana) is48. Singer Janet Jack-son is 47. Actor Brian F.O’Byrne (“Million DollarBaby”) is 46. SingerRalph Tresvant is 45.Actor David Boreanaz is44. Political correspon-dent Tucker Carlson is44. Actress Tracey Gold

is 44. Coun-try singerRick Trevi-no is 42.ActressTori Spell-ing is 40.ActressMelanie

Lynskey (“Two and aHalf Men”) is 36. ActressMegan Fox is 27. ActorMarc John Jefferies(“The Tracy MorganShow”) is 23.

Today’s birthdays

Boreanaz

Today is Thursday,May 16, the 136th day of2013.There are 229 daysleft in the year.On this date in:1770:Marie Antoinette,age 14, marries the fu-ture king of France, LouisXVI, who is 15.1866: U.S. Congress au-thorizes the minting ofthe nickel.1920: Joan of Arc is can-onized in Rome.1929: The first AcademyAwards are presentedduring a banquet at theHollywood RooseveltHotel.1941: The Icelandic par-liament ends its treatywith Denmark and pro-claims independence.1961:Maj. Gen. ParkChung-hee stages a mil-itary coup in South Koreaand rules until his intelli-gence chief assassinateshim in 1979.1962: U.S. Marines beginarriving in Thailand tohelp counter the commu-nist threat from neigh-boring Laos.1966: China’s CulturalRevolution begins whenthe Communist party’sPolitburo approves anedict from ChairmanMao Zedong. An elitecorps of young zealousstudents, the RedGuards, is formed toattack traditional values

and bourgeois thinking.1969: Soviet spacecraftreaches the vicinity ofthe planet Venus anddrops a capsule thatsends back informationon planet’s atmosphere.1975: Japanese climberJunko Tabei becomes thefirst woman to reach thesummit of Mount Ever-est.1989: Hundreds of thou-sands arrive in Beijing tosupport college studentsfasting for freedom inTiananmen Square.1994: Scotland Yard forthe first time approves aplan to allow some Lon-don police officers toopenly carry firearms.1995: Japanese policearrest doomsday cultleader Shoko Asahara inconnection with thenerve-gas attack thatkilled 12 on Tokyo’s sub-ways two months earlier.2002: Pakistani policeunearth the remains ofDaniel Pearl, a reporterfor the Wall Street Jour-nal, who was kidnappedin January and whoseexecution was recordedon a videotape.2007: Estonia’s first andonly synagogue opens,six decades after previ-ous houses of worshipwere destroyed in WorldWar II.

Today in history

This week at Ray’s, comfortfood on themenu

Ray’s Steel City Saloon, 515 JohnKnox Road, is offering classic com-fort diner food all week starting at5:30 p.m. today through Sunday. Formore information call 850-386-2984.

Eatery offers burgers tobenefit veterans

Now throughMay 25, in honor ofNational BurgerMonth, Beef ‘O’Brady’s is offering six newAngusburgers inspired by different U.S.cities, the sale of which will benefitveterans through theWoundedWarrior Project.

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s will make aminimum donation of $50,000 to theWoundedWarrior Project, andcustomers purchasing one of these“Burgers Across America” will begiven the opportunity to also do-nate to the nonprofit organization

whosemission is to honor and em-power woundedmembers of theUnited States Armed Forces.

Beer sales to benefitmilitary families

Now through July 4, Budweiser,in cooperation with local distrib-utors such as Tri-Eagle Sales, willdonate a portion of all Budweisersales to benefit the Folds of HonorFoundation, which provides post-secondary educational scholarshipsfor families of U.S. military person-nel killed or disabled while servingtheir country.

Budweiser is offering a limited-edition red, white and blue packageavailable in 12 oz. bottles and avariety of can sizes. Budweiser isoffering a new bowtie-shaped can,available in 8-pack. Tri-Eagle Salesis the locally owned and operateddistributor of Anheuser-Busch andother specialty brands operatingout of two warehouses inMidway/

Tallahassee.Last year Tri-Eagle Sales spon-

sored a $5,000 Folds of Honorscholarship which was awardedlocally to Keanna Green from Talla-hassee. Her father is Army LTCKenneth Green (Ret.). Keanna is asenior at Florida A&MUniversitymajoring in Health CareManage-ment.

Share your summertimefavorites

Spring is in full swing with sum-mer drawing nearer. TLHTopicsreporter ElizabethMack is workingon a story about summer foods, andwe want to knowwhat you craveduring the season. To share yourstories and recipes, emailemack@tallahassee.com or call599-2312.

Send your Taste news and notes to TLH Localeditor Soni Greer at segreer@tallahassee.com.Deadline is Tuesday at 3 p.m.

TLH Taste briefs

without losing even oneslice of beef. The reas-sembled sandwich wasvery good. The roast beefwas cooked well doneand the horseradishsauce gave it a nice bite.It was simple and wellexecuted.

The poutine was upnext. I cracked open thelid to reveal a mound ofcrinkle cut French friesslathered in brown beefgravy and topped withslowly melting cheesecurds. I grabbed my forkand dug into the dish.The French fries were abit undercooked, but theroast beef gravy waswell seasoned and wasthe perfect thickness.The cheese curds weresoft and slightly salty. Itwas good, but could havebeen something special ifthe fries had stayed inthe hot grease for a fewmore minutes.

The Valhalla Grill isworth a visit and can betracked down on dayswhen they are not at theFood Truck Court bychecking out their Face-book page or Twitter@ValhallaGrill. They canalso be contacted by

telephone at 850-508-2007. The Valhalla Grillaccepts cash and creditcards.

Mike Bonfanti is a resident ofMonticello and writes Sweet Teaand Bourbon, a blog dedicated torestaurant reviews in and aroundNorth Florida and South Georgia.Continued » 2B

Valhalla

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TD-0000226213

Public MeetingsFiscal Year 2014 - Fiscal Year 2018

Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)

The Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) is hosting two publicmeetings to present the Draft Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 � FY 2018 Transportation ImprovementProgram (TIP). The TIP contains transportation projects (including roadway, transit, bicycle,pedestrian and aviation) located within Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon and Wakulla countiesthat have received state and federal funding. The document is available for review onthe CRTPA�s website at www.crtpa.org.

The meetings will provide citizens an opportunity to learn about the transportationprojects in the capital region that have received funding in the next five years as wellas provide comments. Furthermore, the meeting will also provide an opportunityto learn about the regional transportation planning process and how citizens canbecome involved.

The public meeting/open house events are scheduled for:

WAKULLA COUNTY

Wednesday, May 22, 2013; 6 - 7:30 pmWakulla County Commission Chambers29 Arran Road, Crawfordville, FL

LEON COUNTY

Thursday, May 23, 2013; 5 - 6:30 pmTallahassee City Hall, Commission Chambers300 S. Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL

Comments regarding the TIP may be provided at the meetings. Additionally, commentsmay be mailed to: CRTPA, 300 S. Adams Street A-19, Tallahassee, FL 32301 and emailedto greg.burke@talgov.com. Comments can also be provided electronically on the CRTPA�swebsite. All comments should be received by Friday, June 14, 2013.

This notice and meeting satisfies StarMetro�s Program-of-Projects requirements of theSection 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Program Grant as administered by the FederalTransit Administration.

This meeting will be held in conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If youhave a disability requiring special accommodations, please contact the Capital RegionTransportation Planning Agency at (850) 891-6800 at least three (3) working days priorto the meeting, or contact the Florida Relay TDDService at 711. Si necesita asistencia en espanol,por favor pongase en contacto con nosotros. Forfurther information regarding this meeting, pleasecontact Greg Burke at 891-6802.

TD-0000232398

TD-0000232701

NOTICE TO PATIENTS OFJOSEPH CHIARO, MD

Effective May 15, 2013 Dr. Chiaro will beleaving Tallahassee Primary Care Associates/Tallahassee Pediatrics. All patient recordswill remain with Tallahassee Pediatrics andthe care of patients continued by the otherphysicians at that location. Patients areadvised to call Tallahassee Pediatrics at(850) 681-3887 with any questions orconcerns. Thank you.

the city —which in-cludes its restaurants —but also restaurants theywouldn’t normally go to.

“It just opens people’sminds up to the differentcuisine that Tallahasseehas to offer,” he said,explaining that they’ll beoffering a three-coursemeal for $30 —which is asteal at his FrenchMedi-terranean fine diningrestaurant.

“You can’t really eat atmy restaurant for $30,”he added. “So this a greatopportunity to try some-thing new. And not onlyat my place, but the otherrestaurants around townthat are participating.”

This year a musiccomponent was added tothe lineup with a seriesof live music eventsplanned at locations inMidtown, downtown andnortheast Tallahassee,May 17-19 and 26, Danielsaid. Performing actsinclude Nashville nativesand nationally knownsongwriters, BridgetteTatum, Tyler Reeve andDannyMyrick, as well asregional and local bandssuch as the Flip FlopBoys, SarahMac Band,ACME Rhythm andBlues and the Andy VeloBand.

“It’s a win-win for theconsumer and the restau-rants,” said Andy Reiss,owner of Andrew’s Cap-ital Grill and Bar andAndrew’s 228. “I likeeverything that Visit

Tallahassee and theFRLA come together anddo, because when theyget together and dothings, it makes it fun forpeople to get togetherand go out.”

“We’ve got a fun weekof eating out at a greatprice and taking in somegreat music,” he added.“I hope people come outand take advantage.”

2013 CAPITAL CUISINE RESTAURANTWEEK PARTICIPANTS» 101 Restaurant, 215W. College Ave., 391-1309

» A La Provence, 1415 Timberlane Road, 329-6870

» Andrew’s Capital Grill and Bar, 228 S. AdamsSt., 222-3444

» Andrews 228, 228 S. Adams St., 222-3444

» Backwoods Bistro, 401 E Tennessee St., 320-6345

» Chicken Salad Chick, 1410 Market St., D3,894-2502

» Cypress Restaurant, 320 East Tennessee St.,513-1100

» Fanny’s Garden Cafe, 1600 Miccosukee Road,942-0087

» Far East Cuisine, 3425 Thomasville Road, #17,907-9400

» Georgio’s Fine Food & Spirits, 2971ApalacheePkwy, 877-3211

» Grazie’s Pizza & Pasta, 3196 Merchants RowBlvd.,727-5951

» Harry’s Seafood Bar and Grille, 301 S Bro-nough St., 222-3976

» Hurricane Grill andWings, 6800 ThomasvilleRoad, 597-9129

» Jacob’s on the Plaza, 101 S. Adams St., 224-5000

» Juicy Blue Tapas Bar and Bistro, 316W. Ten-nessee St., 422-0071

» Kitcho Japanese Restaurant, 1415 TimberlaneRd #121, 893-7686

» Kool Beanz Cafe, 921 Thomasville Road,224-2466

» LeRoc Bistro, 415 N. Monroe St., 224-6755

»Marco’s Pizza, 209 N. Magnolia Drive, 577-3200

»Miccosukee Root Cellar, 1311MiccosukeeRoad, 597-7419

»Midtown Pass, 1019 North Monroe St., 597-9614

»Milano Pizzeria, 1940 N. Monroe St., 270-9100

»Mom and Dad’s Italian Restaurant, 4175Apalachee Pkwy, 877-4518

»Morelia’s Restaurant and Grill, 1355 MarketSt., 907-9173

» Paisley Cafe, 1123 Thomasville Road, 385-7268

» Po’ Boys Creole Cafe, 224 E College Ave., 1944W Pensacola St., 1425 Village Square Blvd.

» Shula’s 347 Grill, 415 N. Monroe St., 224-6005

» The Front Porch, 1215 Thomasville Road,222-0934

» TheMelting Pot of Tallahassee, 2727 N. Mon-roe St., 386-7440

» TheMockingbird, 1225 N. Monroe St., 222-4956

» TheWhipWaterfront Pub ’n’ Grub, 3129Cooks Landing Road, 875-2605

» Trail Break Cafe, 3945 Museum Drive, 574-8243

» Up In Smoke BBQ, 402 E Tennessee St., 597-7964

» Village Pizza & Pasta, 1400 Village SquareBlvd., #33, 893-9001

»Wxyz lounge at Aloft Tallahassee Downtown,200 N. Monroe St., 513-0313

Continued » 1B

Cuisine

“They’re a cowwithmore personality,” shesaid.

Ocheesee Creameryuses a different form ofpasteurization to ensureits milk is safe to drink.Themost common formof pasteurization heatsmilk to 161degrees for atleast 15 seconds. Ochee-see Creamery prefers toheat themilk to about 147degrees for longer peri-ods— an old-fashionedmethod favored by somesmall, family farms thatWesselhoeft says helpspreserve some of theflavor of themilk.

The Ocheesee Cream-ery whole milk that’s stillin stock at stores like NewLeafMarket containscream, which congeals atthe top of the glass jugs.The cream stores vitaminA, which according tofederal regulations, mustbe present in milk sold forhuman consumption.

When dairies skim outthe fat to make butter andcream, they also removethe vitamin A, whichneeds to be added back tothemilk to comply withthe federal rules. In Octo-ber, the Florida Depart-ment of Agriculture andConsumer Services is-sued a stop-use order,which forces the dairy tostop selling skimmilkunless it starts adding the

nutrient.ToWesselhoeft, adding

synthetic nutrients is anon-starter. But the al-ternative— to stop sellingskimmilk— has dealt ablow to her business.Discarding the skimmilkit otherwise would havesold is costing the dairythousands of dollars amonth.

Because of its size,Ocheesee Creamery doesnot have to place nutri-tional labels on its glassjugs. Wesselhoeft saysshe wants to receive anaccommodation under thevitamin A requirement tocontinue selling the skimmilk the dairy had beenbottling for three years.

“They didn’t add vita-min A back in the 1800s,”

she said. “It’s not a healthissue.”

JohnMiller, the chiefof the department’s dairybureau, said state andfederal law don’t give thedepartment flexibility towaive requirements forthe nutritional content ofmilk.

“We treat all dairiesthe same,” he said.

Faced with the choiceof taking the losses orselling a product withadded ingredients ormodifying its promise ofan all-natural product, thedairy has so far opted tostick to its original formu-la.

“We’re trying to pro-duce an all-natural prod-uct,” she said. “That’s thebig thing.”

Continued » 1B

Dairy