For 40 years, Gene Glas had worked in food manufacturing for a cheese spread company. When he left that job, his children were disappointed and asked how they would get good cheese spread. That inspired Gene and his wife, Jan, to start making their own in their home kitchen for themselves and their friends. “Our kids got older and said, ‘dad, you ought to do something with that,’” Gene said.
So, in 2015, Gene and Jan formed Glas All Naturals, with a line of six flavored cheese spreads: apple, jalapeño, bacon, cheddar, wine and alfredo—the latter can also be used as a sauce. The spreads are made on the property of Brightonwoods Orchard (also home to AEppelTreow Winery), where the Glas’ remodeled an old cider room into a licensed dairy. “Brightonwoods owners Bill and Judy Stone, and her sister, Paula Puntenney, are wonderful people,” Gene said. “They appreciate our dairy plant being there. It’s an additional attraction.”
The refrigerated spreads are Gene’s original recipes, all made with no artificial additives or preservatives. While cheese spreads are commonly used on crackers, Gene and Jan note that Glas All Naturals have myriad uses. “At farmers markets, which is where we sell the bulk of our cheese spreads, we tell people you can use them for wherever you use cheese. Each flavor can be used for a different purpose—on sandwiches, in scrambled eggs or in breakfast or dinner entrees,” Jan said.
Gene calls the cheddar variety “pure Wisconsin. It’s wonderfully aged, and all the ingredients are from Wisconsin,” he said. “The natural flavors of aged cheddar come out of that. I call it the closest thing to cheese in a spreadable form.” He said their grandchildren use the cheddar to make macaroni and cheese.
The jalapeño has a base of grade-A cheddar aged for a year, with fresh jalapeños instead of peppers canned in brine. Using fresh jalapeños gives the spread a clean and snappy bite, with no overwhelming heat. Gene recommends this variety for brats, burgers and nachos. The wine cheese spread has the earthy, oak flavor of cabernet sauvignon, which gives more robust flavor than port wine, commonly used in other spreadable cheeses. Gene notes that it goes well with vegetables. Apple spread was created with Brightonwoods’ cider and apples.
The spreads are sold in 16.5-ounce jars, a slightly larger quantity than most cheese spreads, but in the off-chance that you don’t finish the whole jar within a couple of weeks, the cheese spread can actually be frozen and will stay fresh until you’re ready to eat the rest.
Glas All Naturals will be at the Kenosha Winter HarborMarket, Milwaukee Winter Farmers Market at The Domes, Milaeger’s Great Lakes Winter Farmers Market and Mukwonago Winter Farmers Market. For more information, visit glasallnaturals.com.
