Company description

Caromont Farm is located 23 miles South of Charlottesville, Virginia, in the heart of Virginia’s Wine Region.

Chef and cheesemaker Gail Hobbs Page has produced award winning goat’s milk and cow’s milk cheeses since 2007. After many years of cooking professionally with renowned chefs such as Edna Lewis and Ben and Karen Barker, Gail set her sights on farming and cheesemaking. She studied artisan cheesemaking at UVM in Burlington Vermont, and has worked with award winning cheesemakers from The Cellars at Jasper Hill, Grey Barn Creamery, and Uplands Creamery. Her food and farming philosophy is time honored --- delicious and nutritious food comes from animals that eat and live well. Gail’s goats are raised on the sustainable principles of grass-based holistic management and she sources cow’s milk from a farm that shares this philosophy. This practice creates vibrant full flavored cheeses of place.

Caromont Farm and their cheeses have been featured in The Washington Post, Food and Wine Magazine, and Culture Magazine, as well as on PBS, the CBS Evening News, and international cooking shows. Gail’s proudest moment was being selected as one of Virginia’s “Women in Food” for the Southern Foodways Alliance in 2013. She continues to live and work on her farm making cheese, teaching “Authentic Food” culinary classes, and spending time with her goats.

Internship description

Caromont Farm is a farmstead goat dairy in Esmont, Virginia (just outside of Charlottesville). We produce award winning goat's milk cheeses and host a variety of agritourism events and classes on the farm.

We are looking to fill two farm apprentice positions to assist our employees during the 2019 Kidding/Cheesemaking Season. We are a working farm with a small team, so you will get to experience many of the different aspects that go into running a busy farmstead.

Duties would include:

• Assistance w/ birthing, caring for, and feeding of 100+ baby goats
• Assistance w/ care of livestock guardian dogs & small flock of laying hens
• Assistance w/ milking does twice a day
• Assistance w/ cheesemaking & local distribution
• Assistance w/ on farm events

We are looking for someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty while learning about the inner-workings of a farmstead dairy. You must love animals, but also understand that our living comes from producing animal-based products. We work in all weather conditions to keep our animals happy. A lot of your time will be spent on a serene farm with 200+ goats, but because we host events, there is a social aspect to this work as well. You must be willing to interact in both types of situations.

We are looking for people who are 18 or older and have their own transportation. If you speak Spanish that is a major plus.

Starting Date:

Around February 14th

Ending date:

Around May 15th

Weekly stipend, food and board in downstairs apartment with private bathroom and cooking facilities.

Serious inquiries only.

Compensation

this position is: stipend / non-monetary compensation

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline