Allison Hooper made her mark as one of the first artisan cheesemakers in the country, co-founding Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. (now Vermont Creamery) with business partner Bob Reese in 1984, and, over the years, winning more than 100 awards and bringing French-style cheeses, butter, and other everyday delicacies to the American table. As president of the American Cheese Society from 2005 to 2008 and the founding president of the Vermont Cheese Council, Allison has been a voice for and mentor to U.S. cheesemakers. In 2015, she was named by Food & Wine, Forbes, and Fortune magazines as one of the “most innovative women in food and drink.” In 2018 she was named to the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America. She and her husband, Don, live on a farm in Brookfield, VT, where they raised three sons.
Allison says, “Sterling is a rural sanctum composed of a community who takes to heart its role in shaping the future of the planet, modeling the importance of community, social responsibility and our delicate place in the ecosystem. Uncomplicated and straightforward, Sterling fosters our innate human nature of decency, fairness and social justice. Students leave Sterling with a healthy balance of optimism to make the world better and skepticism to navigate the perils of the marketplace.”