Slow Food Santa Fe Edition - April 2026

Hosts Lissa Johnson and Nina Rosenberg discuss the Route 66 Cheese Trail with Michael Strauss, co-creator of the California Cheese Trail, and Lyssa Newtzen, founder and executive director of the New Mexico Cheese Guild. Timed for the 2026 Route 66 centennial, the trail aims to connect cheesemakers, shops, farms, and related sites across eight states, promoting agritourism and local food connections.

Cheese Trail Origins and Expansion Strategy

Michael Strauss explains how his sister Vivian launched the Sonoma-Marin Cheese Trail in 2011 after a conversation with a local creamery owner. She convened dozens of stakeholders in her living room, printed maps within months, and saw immediate impact: Marin French Cheese Company's on-site sales rose 25%. Now, the nonprofit distributes 80,000 free maps annually across California, drawing 20,000-30,000 monthly website visitors.

Strauss and his sister, leveraging family roots in sustainable agriculture and Strauss Family Creamery, operate lean—primarily the two of them plus a web developer. During COVID, they identified growth potential, shifting toward a national platform to support regional trails in states like Vermont, Wisconsin, Oregon, Washington, and North Carolina. Their model emphasizes free resources, collaboration with small nonprofits, and amplifying local efforts to attract broader audiences without direct profit.