Chevre, soft, creamy, fresh cheese made from goat’s milk, is such a treat. Stuffed in a piquillo pepper, spread on crackers, as a warm addition in a mesclun salad, no other cheese offers the distinctive flavor note of a goat cheese.

According to Dick Threlfall at Hawaii Island Goat Dairy, it takes about a gallon of milk to make a pound of goat cheese. At their best his goats in Ahua­loa produce about a gallon of milk a day. Besides his mild chevre, Threlfall offers a wide range of flavored goat cheeses such as Herbes de Provence, four peppercorn, chipotle, macadamia nut basil pesto and dill garlic.

In addition to supplying restaurants, Hawaii Island Goat Cheese is offered at the Hawaiian Homestead Farmers Market in Wai­mea and at R. Field locations at Foodland on Oahu.

Other goat cheese producers in the state supply restaurants and retailers on their respective island: Kunana Dairy on Kauai sells at the Kauai Community Market on Saturdays. Surfing Goat Dairy offers tours and cheeses at its farm in Kula, Maui. Lava Rocks Puna Goat Cheese can be found at the Hilo Farmers Market.

Not all chevre (French for "goat") are equal. Some can be soft and creamy or firm and dry; others are distinct in their flavor, others milder and less "goaty."

The art of the cheesemaker determines the final product; tasting goat cheeses will lead you to your favorite!

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Hawaii food writer Joan Namkoong offers a weekly tidbit on fresh seasonal products, many of them locally grown.