“Strekoza School” was born in the Marche region, the online school that supports Ukrainian cheesemakers

Ekaterina Prichodko, a Ukrainian veterinarian and cheesemaker, moved to the Marche region, to Belmonte Piceno (Fermo), following the explosion of the conflict and in March 2022 she asked for asylum through her network of acquaintances, since the area in which she lived was no longer safe.

Before the war, Prichodko was the owner of a small farm in the Buča area, near Kiev; in Ukraine he raised goats and produced cheese, then his area was bombed repeatedly and became an unsafe and dangerous place for his family, which is why he decided to leave and face a long and difficult journey with his three children.

Eros Scarafoni immediately responded to the appeal of the Ukrainian company, opening the doors of his home and the Fontegranne agricultural company, founded in 1968. From here a solid collaboration was born which gave rise, as well as a friendship, also to a shared production of dairy products characterized by the influences of the traditions of the respective countries.

In 2023 they were among the protagonists of the award Dairy Resistance to Cheesededicated to heroic cheesemakers who carry on their craft even in adverse conditions, a recognition which, starting from 2009, Slow Food awards each edition of Cheese to those shepherds, cheesemakers, scholars and enthusiasts who continue to produce cheeses and foods respecting naturalness, tradition and animal welfare.

The dairy school

The two master cheesemakers Ekaterina and Eros have put their experience and spirit of solidarity to good use for the benefit of an initiative that renews the bond between Italy and Ukraine, in fact since last October they have designed and offered free 30 breeders and Ukrainian cheese producers an educational path of dairy technique and art, with the aim of supporting colleagues on a moral and professional level.

The school is called Strekoza Schooljust like the farm that Ekaterina managed in Ukraine, and is symbolically based in Belmonte Piceno.

Weekly lessons and recorded lessons were held via live streaming: Ekaterina took care of the microbiology lessons, Eros took care of the dairy techniques; Julia Pitenko, president of Slow Food Ukraine, also intervened periodically to talk about the association’s commitment to valorising raw milk products and using native ferments.

Ekaterina explains that in Ukraine there are several dairy schoolswhich, however, propose a method that often involves the pasteurization of milk and the use of industrial starters. Our intenthe said, is to make our experience available to help cheesemakers who want to dedicate themselves to natural cheeses. In particular, I insist a lot on the well-being of animals and their nutrition: everything starts from here, if we want to transfer the characteristic scents of the grass, the soil, the landscape into the cheese.

The project is also sponsored by Slow Food Marche.

The participants are already trained cheesemakers who wanted to delve into the issues of refining and maturing raw milk cheeses to improve their production” specify Eros and Ekaterina.

Competition

At the end of the course the participants had the opportunity to put into practice what they learned in the lessons by making a cheese, which they then sent to Belmonte Piceno for participation in the “Cheese art” competition”. The competing products were grouped into five cheese categories: goat’s cheese, mixed milk, matured, with additions and soft.

Everyone will receive a certificateexplain the master cheesemakers, and, for each category, we will award a prize to one of the productions being tasted.

The project is also sponsored by Slow Food Marche.