On Vancouver Island, food has a way of carrying the story of where it comes from.
For Michael Tchao, his journey around the Island is not just about travel. It is about meeting the people, seeing the land, and understanding the care and the science, that goes into food before it ever reaches a plate.
One stop on that journey brings him to Coleman Meadows Farm in Port Alberni, where a small herd of water buffalo is raised by Jennifer and Russell. Their farm is shaped by coastal pasture, ocean air, mountain rain, and the quiet daily work of caring for animals with intention.
That care shows up in the milk.
Water buffalo milk is rich, beautiful, and full of character. However, it is also deeply connected to the land the animals graze on and the people who tend them. At Coleman Meadows, the milk reflects more than good farming. It reflects patience, respect, and a close relationship with the animals.
From Port Alberni, that milk travels to Natural Pastures Cheese Company in Comox, where cheesemaker Paul Sutter and his team turn it into traditional mozzarella.
Mozzarella may look simple, but it takes skill, timing, and a deep understanding of the milk. Each day, the cheese tells the maker what it needs. Temperature, acidity, and stretch all have to be carefully watched and adjusted. Therefore, the process is never completely automatic. It is guided by experience, craft, and precision.
Paul and his team work closely with the milk in front of them, shaping it into mozzarella that is fresh, delicate, and full of Island character. In many ways, the cheese becomes a collaboration between farmer, animal, cheesemaker, and place.
Michael’s journey explores that connection.
It shows how food in British Columbia is built through relationships. Farmers like Jennifer and Russell care for the animals. Cheesemakers like Paul and our team at Natural Pastures Cheese Company carry that milk forward with tradition and skill. Together, they create something that belongs to this place.
From coastal pasture to cheese vat, from Port Alberni to Comox, this story is about more than mozzarella. It is about the people behind the food, the land that shapes it, and the care that can be tasted in every bite.
On Vancouver Island, good food is never just made. It is grown, cared for, carried forward, and shared.
