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A diptych:  On the left is a stack of various cheeses on a wooden table and barn board background. On the right a round cheese on parchment paper. All cheese is from Looking Glass Creamery in North Carolina. Photos by Stac

foodie : looking glass creamer

Stacey Van Berkel June 5, 2026

Fellow turophiles, this is for you! A recent editorial assignment, for Our State Magazine, took me to beautiful Western North Carolina to photograph several mountain cheese makers. The second stop was at Looking Glass Creamery in Columbus, NC.

Saying that Looking Glass Creamery is set in an idyllic location would be an understatement indeed. The scenery was breathtaking, As I pulled into the farm, I just drank in the rolling verdant fields all around, flanked by the Blue Ridge Mountains. A storm had rolled through and this resulted in the most dramatic light and saturated colors.

Andy + Jen Perkins are the amazing cheesemaking team that run Looking Glass Creamery, It is quite the farmstead, with a dairy of their own and a cheesemaking facility. They also have a little café where you can try some cheese and homemade ice cream. On top of that they also host lots of events. What’s not to love?

Understandably, they are very busy at the farmstead, so Jen set me up with a lot of cheese and turned me loose to photograph it as I pleased. What a gift to have so much creative freedom! I spent a lot of time in the cave with the shelves of cheese and wondered around in the field with cows. Then I spent even more time stacking and re-stacking big pieces of cheese to create pretty images. Put this place on your travel list + happy cheese eating!

A panoramic view of the entry into Looking Glass Creamery. Intense light and colors make this image very saturated. Photo by Stacey Van Berkel.
Diptych : On the left, the owners and cheesemakers of Looking Glass Creamery leaning on a fence in a field. Right: A sign that points directions to all the places on the farm (farm store, creamery, event barn, dairy). Photos by Stacey Van Berkel.

fromage • queso • käse • formaggio • queijo

A diptych: on the left is a very pretty cow standing by a farm gate at sunrise. On the right is shelves of large wheels of cheese from Looking Glass Creamery in North Carolina. All photos by Stacey Van Berkel.
Diptych : On the left is cheesemaker Jennifer Perkins putting wheels of cheese on a shelf to age. On the right soft yellow round cheese sitting on a rack. All cheese is from Looking Glass Creamery. Photos by Stacey Van Berkel.
““Life is great. Cheese makes it better.””
— Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
A diptych of two images of wheels of cheese. On the left, there are rows of wheels of cheese and on the right a close up of the surface of one wheel. Photos by Stacey Van Berkel.
Diptych: Left, Looking Glass Creamery owner, Doyle "Andy" Perkins holding a large wheel off cheese with rows of cheese wheels in the background. Right, a close up shot of a wheel of blue cheese with a wedge cut out. Photos by Stacey Van Berkel.
Diptych: Left, a beautiful charcuterie board by Looking Glass Creamery on a wooden table with white wine. It contains various cheese, honey, mustard, flower petals, fruit. Right, rows of yellow cheese wheels. Photos by Stacey Van Berkel.

~Don’t miss the the first stop on the search for mountain cheeses: Blue Ridge Mountain Creamery

~See more images and read Hannah Lee Leidy’s delightful article in Our State Magazine: “In Search of Mountain Cheeses.”

In recent Tags foodie photographer, food, cheese, western north carolina, turophile, local cheese, food photographer, food culture, north carolina, Looking Glass Creamery
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