Phil Giglio, a practicing lawyer who left Chicago to run a farm in Fredericksburg, is an unlikely purveyor of cheese. But his Italian heritage, and a fascination with sustainable agriculture, led him to relationships with ethical ranchers and a local chef, foretelling his future. "I got here and thought, 'Shoot, I don't know anything about raising livestock or making cheese. I have none of the tools to get this thing done, other than ambition.'"

During our call, Giglio is sitting on his property watching his herd of water buffalo, which he co-owns with Jason and Marianna Peeler. "I'm sitting here right now – I've got a big pond out here at my property in Fredericksburg – and they're out there, they look like hippos. They fully submerge in the water and they spend most of the day in the water. They get out and graze and then get back in the water. They're really interesting animals."