“Vegan cheese” can sound like an oxymoron, and not a tasty one at that, if it sends visions of cheese impersonations dancing through your mind. But the vegan offerings from Reine Vegan Cuisine, a new artisan producer in Ventura, proved to us that cheese doesn’t have to be dairy to be delicious.

These cashew-based, sliceable and spreadable cheeses come in flavors like Chipotle Cheddar (pictured above), Cracked Pepper Dill, Trufflehound (a mushroomy nod to the former chocolate store on Main Street in Ventura), Fauxgonzola and Smoked Gouda.

One of our omnivore tasters’ favorites was the spicy Chipotle Cheddar atop a pita chip. Reading the ingredient list brings home the good-for-you profile with organic chickpea miso (featuring koji culture), nutritional yeast, organic turmeric and organic unsulfured blackstrap molasses. Tomato and marigold petal extract in sunflower oil impart the cheddary hue.

Launched by Michelle Street, a longtime vegetarian and dietitian with a background in food science, and her business partner Kelly Shaughnessy, also a dietitian, the cheeses are made in a commercial kitchen with traditional Old World cheesemaking practices. The nut cheeses take 30 to 60 days from start to finish, says Street.

Organic ingredients are used as much as possible and added probiotics lend healthy gut benefits and a tangy flavor. Left out of the recipes are saturated fats, gums, starches or fillers. The products are non-GMO and gluten free.

Reine (pronounced ren ) cheeses are available at Harvest Café in Ventura, and Street is working to have the line in more local retailers and restaurants. You can also order cheeses on their website. In the future, Street plans to add a line of gourmet mustards, marmalades and seed crackers.

Reine Vegan Cuisine
805-666-1546
ReineVeganCuisine.com