Cheese-us, Mary and Joseph!: Midwest ‘Cheese Lady’ to carve 500-pound cheddar wheel into artwork in Aspen

Cheese will take center stage at Clark’s Market in Aspen this weekend, where renowned sculptor Sarah Kaufmann — better known as “The Cheese Lady” — will transform a 500-pound wheel of Wisconsin cheddar into a detailed, edible work of art.

Set against the backdrop of Aspen’s iconic Food & Wine Classic, Kaufmann’s live carving event offers a whimsical fusion of culinary artistry and traditional craftsmanship. 

She will be sculpting live at Clark’s Market, located at 300 Puppy Smith St., from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 20, and again from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 21. 

This marks Kaufmann’s debut at Aspen’s signature food festival.

“This will be the very first time that I have been in Aspen, so it is going to be very exciting,” Kaufmann said. “I have heard from many people about how beautiful and famous Aspen is, so I am looking forward to the experience.”

Kaufmann will be carving a female cheesemonger surrounded by charcuterie items — elements chosen to complement fine wine, fitting the tone of the weekend. She plans to incorporate imagery of Aspen, including its iconic gondolas, into the backdrop of the sculpture.

“People are used to seeing around 13-pound wheels, or 22-pound daisies. But this is a 500-pound wheel of cheddar, so they are always in awe at the sight,” Kaufmann said. “When they taste the beauty of the cheddar, which is a very old-fashioned farmhouse type cheese. It’s made with cheesecloth, and then waxed to breathe and aged, like they have been doing for centuries. It’s like taking a step back in time to why we love cheese so much.”

The public is invited to watch the entire sculpting process and sample a selection of award-winning cheeses curated by Wisconsin Cheese. Clippings from the carving will be packaged and sold through Clark’s cheese shop, offering a chance to savor a piece of the performance, along with samples provided to attendees.

Although the wheel stands 22 inches tall and in diameter, Kaufmann considers it modest by her standards. 

“In the realm of huge, it really is not that big,” she said. “You can almost put your arms around it.”

She plans to prepare the cheddar a day ahead of the event, using cheese wires to make slick, clean cuts through the dense wheel.

The cheddar itself hails from Henning’s Cheese, a fourth-generation family creamery in Kiel, Wisconsin. Founded in 1914, Henning’s continues to make cheese using traditional methods in open vats, sourcing milk from local dairy farms. 

The creamery is among the few in the U.S. that still crafts large-format wheels—some reaching up to 12,500 pounds and ten feet in diameter.

“This is very, very special cheddar, because only one cheese maker in America still makes these old-fashioned cheddar mammoths,” Kaufmann said. “These cheeses are made in 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, and up to 12,500 pounds. They are beautiful, monstrous cheeses that are delicious to the core.”

Kaufmann’s journey into cheese sculpting began in 1981 with the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, where she worked as a commercial artist and later as creative director. What started as hiring sculptors for events evolved into a hands-on career. 

In 1996, she carved her first wheel, eventually leaving her job to pursue cheese art full-time.

“I worked for the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin for many years as an artist and creative director,” she said. “One tiny thing I did was hire people to carve cheese for our events. Then, many years later, I was asked to start carving myself in 1996. Things grew and grew, until I had to quit my real job, to do my unreal job of cheese carving; I have been doing that ever since.”

With over 1,000 sculptures to her name — including Guinness World Record recognition for the largest cheese carving — Kaufmann has become a fixture at festivals, fairs, and sporting events across the country. 

Her pieces blend technical skill with humor and regional flair, paying tribute to the craftsmanship of cheesemaking as much as to the medium itself.

“My mission is to spread joy and appreciation for quality cheese,” she said. “People may come for the spectacle, but they leave talking about the flavor.”

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