NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Wilson County Tennessee State Fair's got all sorts of things commanding attention. Still, Sarah Kaufmann was up to something in the Made in Tennessee building this week the crowds really couldn't believe.
"I'm from Ireland," one man told me as he walked closer to see Kaufmann work.
"You ever see anything like this?" I asked him.
"No! We don't have this back home!"
Kaufmann was sculpting, but what was it?
Well. People say you are what you eat, and Kaufmann is the Cheese Lady.
"Can I use that?" she asked me with a laugh.
"You can use that. That's a freebie."
"I bring crackers and apples," Kaufmann continued. "I have a snack! I'll never be a starving artist."
She turned her attention to the mountain of cheese in front of her.
"I'm carving this beautiful 500-pound barrel of cheese from Bongards."
How did Kaufmann find out she can do this?
"I hailed from Wisconsin, born and raised," she began. "Native cheese head!"
Kaufmann worked in advertising for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. Doing some work for them, she discovered the talent.
"I've been carving cheese for about 30 years," Kaufmann nodded.
Now, she does her sculptures everywhere.
"I just carved at the Grammy's," Kaufmann continued. "I carve at the Kentucky Derby. The NFL."
It was at this fair last year, she sculpted cheese Dolly Parton.
"I take cheese and make putty, I add food coloring and inlay it into the sculpture," Kaufmann said, describing her process of creating color in her sculptures.
"What particular kind of cheese do you use?" a woman asked while watching Kaufmann.
"I use a lot of cheddar," she answered.
And yes, let's get this out of the way. Kaufmann does get asked that question.
"Who cut the cheese?" she laughed. "I say, 'I cut the cheese professionally. I cut the cheese all the time. I get paid to cut the cheese!'"
In coming to the fair this year, Kaufmann had to come up with a piece to sculpt that would be right to celebrate America 250.
Six days after the first time I met Kaufmann, I went back to see her again and catch just how much she'd sculpted in those days.
She'd created an elaborate scene including a frontiersman and his dog.
"Saluting the 250th birthday of America!" Kaufmann said. "It's combining that Tennessee heritage, that Tennessee pride. What is a man without his blue tick coon hound? The long rifle. I made sure that's an 1812 era."
Cheese is her job. Cheese is her art. Cheese really is Kaufmann's chance to meet so many people. Y'know. It really is good to be The Cheese Lady.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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