Benoit Cheese Haus is an Old fashioned Specialty Cheese Emporium that carries many of Wisconsin’s finest cheeses! The store has been open with its current mission statement since 1973 and has been a favorite of cheese lovers from all over the country! We’re noted for our outstanding service and great selection of authentic Wisconsin Specialty Products. Today the store has expanded to include over 150 variety of cheeses, fresh-cut and packaged to order. We carry everything from FRESH CURDS to 20yr old cheddar!
Benoit Cheese Haus stocks many other items with a Wisconsin flair including local syrups, honey, wine, local ice cream, specialty meats, soaps, memorabilia and much more. We take pride in custom making Cheese & Sausage trays as well as specialty gift boxes for any occasion. WE SHIP!
Stop in with your family, friends or significant other and experience real Wisconsin cheese!! It is a great destination for all ages!! Come sample, “We Cut The Cheese”
Benoit Cheese Haus Mission Statement:
“Sell Great Cheese at a Great Price ”
Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm • Sat: 9am-3pm
Our Parking Lot can accommodate multiple RV’s and Buses
"NO one is doing what Benoit cheese is by bringing the best of so many different cheese makers under one roof……They bring the best of the best and then offer discount pricing as well…"
-Stuart Hilderman of Blasers Cheese
In a small Wisconsin town lives a cheese lover’s dream.
The Benoit Cheese Haus near Ashland has been serving up the state specialty since 1973.
In this week’s TODAY On The Job, KBJR 6 Today anchors Emma Rechenberg and Ryan Haff stop by the shop to learn more about the different varieties of cheese from owner Jill Jones.
Two Days to ExploreAshland’s wild beauty beckons outdoor enthusiasts to make the trek north to this spot on a large sheltered bay of Lake Superior known as Chequamegon. Local businesses relish that visitor enthusiasm, providing a warm welcome to snowmobilers, anglers, and cross-country skiers. For anyone looking for a soul-stirring destination, this is it.
For those famished from the trip, grab lunch at Burger Barn. We’re talking Wisconsin cheese curds, a bacon burger topped with homemade BBQ sauce, and a Cowpie dessert of cookies and ice cream. Stretch your legs on the city’s self-guided downtown mural walk, a virtual walk through Ashland’s history with 20 murals in all, the newest being the Women of Ashland mural. Stock up on cold-weather clothing and gear at Moore’s on Main, third generation and locally owned. There’s also Solstice Outdoors, a top spot for ski and snowshoe rentals and activewear. For those who plan to cozy up next to a fire with a good book, pop into Spinster Books, where the owner sells more than just books. Lots of options for where to rest your head, starting with The Inn at Timber Cove, with private cottages for rent and breakfast delivered right to your door. Mission Spring Resort is another option, this one ideal for families. Blue Wave Inn is a five-room boutique hotel right on the shore of Lake Superior. There’s ample parking for snowmobile trailers at River Rock Inn, a mom-and-pop motel where you can purchase Lake Superior fish from their shop. Friday evening, be sure to take in the breathtakingly beautiful winter sunset over the bay. Watch it anywhere in town, as there’s not a bad seat in the house. Toast to the weekend with a brew from South Shore Brewery. Try one of their flagship beers, like the Nut Brown Ale or Northern Lights. Then head next door to Deep Water Grille for the Lake Superior whitefish dinner.
SATURDAY MORNING
Saturday morning if you’re in a hurry to hit the snowmobile trails, pick up a pastry at Ashland Baking Company. If you can spare a bit more time, head across the street to Black Cat Coffeehouse, 20 years in business, where the food is made-from-scratch and the menu emphasizes organic, fair trade and vegetarian. Scurry to the snowmobile trails, with 280 miles of groomed trails in Ashland County. There’s bound to be a good base, given the average annual snowfall here is 73 inches. For those who brought their fat tire bikes for pedaling in the snow, there’s the Tri-County Corridor Trail that takes you through Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas counties. When conditions are right and the ice road is open, you can even bike to Madeline Island.
SATURDAY LUNCH
Have a hankering for pizza? You’re in luck, with a trio of top choices - Hugo’s, Frankie’s and Pizza Pub – all open for lunch. If authentic Mexican is what you crave, try El Dorado for the salsa alone. And for those who believe no lunch is complete without something sweet, you’ll love Gabriele’s German Cookies & Chocolates, where the cookie recipes have been in the family for 100 years and the chocolate truffles are all handmade.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
In the afternoon, turn your attention to ice fishing for trophy trout on Chequamegon Bay. Check on ice conditions and hot fishing spots at local bait shops including Angler’s All or River Rock Inn. Get your heart racing with some cross-country skiing. Copper Falls State Park has 14 miles of trails for classic and 6.5 miles for skate. The 8.6 km loop of the Penokee Mountain Ski Trail in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest has climbs and downhills that demand intermediate skiing ability. Take a side trip to Benoit Cheese Haus, where you can taste before you purchase. There are more than 150 varieties of cheeses here, from fresh curds to 16-year cheddar.
SATURDAY EVENING
Your dinner destination is 2nd Street Bistro. This restaurant has made a name for itself by using fresh seasonal ingredients and supporting local farms. Butternut squash ravioli with wild mushrooms sounds like a good choice here. Then get a nightcap at Scott & Ar’s Bar, where the locals go, or take in a game at The Neighborly Bar. If you still have energy left, make it a late night with blackjack at Bad River Lodge Casino.
SUNDAY MORNING
As for where the locals congregate for breakfast, that would be Ashland Family Restaurant, where the homestyle cinnamon French toast tops the menu. Then make a stop at Sixth Street Market, where they have 38 flavors of homemade fresh bratwurst to choose from. Hope you packed a cooler. If ice conditions permit and time allows, stick around to see hot rods race an oval track on frozen Lake Superior. It happens every Sunday during the winter months.
Tip: If the ride home takes you near Clam Lake, slow down for wildlife viewing as this is the Elk Capital of Wisconsin.
January 12, Northwoods Harness Club Sleigh & Cutter Rally: See antique sleighs and drivers in period dress on parade at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center.
February 16, Book Across the Bay: Annual cross-country ski race and snowshoe nighttime trek across Chequamegon Bay. The 10K course, groomed for classic and skate, starts in Ashland and finishes in Washburn and is lit by the stars and nearly 1,500 candles in ice luminaries. Chili feed and bonfire at the finish line. VisitAshland.com
Article by lakesuperior.com/wisconsin
Driving in the Ashland/Washburn area, plan two stops for a true taste of Wisconsin with regional cheese at Benoit Cheese Haus and couldn’t-be-fresher ice cream and milk at Tetzner’s Dairy and its self-serve store.
One of the pleasures of stopping at Benoit Cheese Haus, 12 miles west of Ashland, is getting to sample cheeses you’ve never had – and may have never heard of – before. Another pleasure: the big smiles that greet you when you walk in the door.
More than 150 different cheeses are sold at the modest-sized specialty store whose tongue-in-cheek motto is “We cut the cheese.”
There’s no joking about the quality of the cheese. “We support 30 to 35 Wisconsin cheese makers, and we carry the cream of their crop,” says owner Jill Jones. “A lot of them have wheels or loaves of cheese, and we cut those in the back so you can sample and get it cut to size.”
On my visit in August, I came away with two new favorites that I suspect are as new to you as they were to me. Marieke Gouda brand’s foenegreek gouda comes from Penterman Farm in Thorp, Wisconsin, where cheese maker Marieke Penterman, originally from the Netherlands, has won multiple prestigious awards. Foenegreek is a seed, and the cheese has a nutty flavor with hints of maple. This outstanding cheese, best savored with a good wine, sells for $14.50 a pound.
Another of my choices is the Sartori brand Citrus Ginger BellaVitano ($13.95 a pound). To Jill, it’s a cross between parmesan and asiago, “with a touch of fine cheddar and a creamy, almost buttery finish with the wonderful ginger and citrus.” I second that.
Even those who crave spicy cheese can find happiness here, with a range in “heat” from the mild and popular buffalo to chipotle havarti, jalapeno cheddar, pepper jack, habanero jack or, the hottest, ghost pepper.
The store has been around since 1973, and for many years served as a sort of a co-op for dairy farmers. Jill bought the business two years ago after working there for nine years. “With the knowledge I had of Wisconsin cheese, and especially with the tourism in Ashland, I thought it would be great to have that little cheese shop.”
She grew up “cheesy.” Her grandfather was a cheese maker when Jill was growing up in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Benoit Cheese is stacked with shelf after shelf of packaged cheeses in refrigerated cases. It also sells a few other groceries and locally made products such as honey, jams, soaps, wine and souvenirs. All of that helps serve the local folk as well as the visitors.
“We’re a small little town way out in the country,” Jill says. “There was a gas station and it closed, so we try to carry some of the products so that people don’t have to drive all the way into Ashland to buy their milk.”
The shop’s styles and prices range from $4.35 a pound for a mild Wisconsin Colby to almost $80 a pound for a 19-year-old cheddar. The age, quality of the cheese and the cheese maker can affect the price, Jill says.
The store offers made-to-order gift boxes and can ship throughout the United States. The guest book shows cheese fans have visited from as far as Colorado, South Carolina and Europe.
Superior, Wis.-
There was also some fun to have in Superior.
WITC hosted the annual sip for scholarships fundraiser with proceeds going right back to the students.
Of course there was a lot of wine to be had. But this year featured a new vendor.
“This year is our first year the Benoit cheese is here so were real excited for that, they’re doing cheese sampling. We always have a lot of wine on hand and then we have 4 distributers doing some brew as well,” Says Organizer, Jasmine Burt.
Last year the event raised over 4,500 dollars and they were hoping this year exceeds that amount.
Benoit Cheese Haus is a cheese lovers' dream come true! We are an old-fashioned specialty retail cheese shop that carries Wisconsin's finest cheese.
We are located in downtown Benoit, WI on Co. Hwy F, 2.2 miles south of US Hwy 2 or US Hwy 63 south to Co. F, then 1 mile west. (Next to Avalon Bar).