By Claire Castillo

TheStatehouseFile.com

INDIANAPOLIS—Sarah Kaufmann better known as the Cheese Lady, is nationally recognized as a cheese sculptor. She has received hundreds of commissions for her cheese sculptures, and they can weigh anywhere from five pounds to five tons.

Kaufmann began her journey in cheese sculpting in 1996 while working in marketing for a nonprofit company, Wisconsin Dairy. She now carves cheese full time.

“It’s like a miracle job,” said Kaufmann. “It just grew and grew and grew until I had to quit my job and do cheese carving full time.”

Kaufmann loved her jobs in advertising and marketing.

“It was so fun. I did graphics, photoshoots, commercials, the whole gambit. From doing pencil layouts to typesetting, speccing type, to planning out trade show designs for huge sections and state fair events,” said Kaufmann.

Kaufmann showed up to carve the state fair’s cheese sculpture in what she references as her “cheese clothes.” They consist of an apron with cow print and her cheese logo, a cow print hat with her logo, cheese earrings and her cheese wedding ring.

“Here I am, I walk in with my cow clothes and, oh my gosh this is my full-time job, and I don’t have to go to an office! I’m going here, drinking coffee, talking to people and doing this crazy stuff, and it’s art, and in the end, I’m doing art,” said Kaufmann.

There are more cheese carvers now than there were back when Kaufmann started. She said you can find them on Facebook, and they do a whole array of food art.

“These are people that do cheese, or sugar art, or ice pumpkins, gourds, and all kinds of food art. So now I have somebody to call when I can’t do a job, and I can refer them to this one girl in particular that is just so awesome. There is plenty of cheese to go around,” said Kaufmann.

Kaufmann said everyone needs to focus on what makes them happy to achieve what they want most out of their career.

“You need to focus on what makes your heart happy, and then you don’t have to be the one drawing the picture but do something to support that industry so that you are surrounded by art,” Kaufmann said. “You may be a manager of something, but once you get into that area, there are so many doors that open up that you never thought would.”

Spectator Grace Davidson visits Kaufmann every year at the state fair.

“I have seen a lot of her other sculptures and every year they are really cool,” said Davidson. “She told us she’s been all over the place with her sculptures.”

Kaufmann plans to finish her cheese carving of the dairy barn at the Indiana State Fairgrounds before heading off to carve more cheese.

FOOTNOTE: Claire Castillo is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.