The
“Monterey Jack Cheese”
Mystery
The
origins of the Monterey Jack Cheese has been shrouded
in mystery since the early days in Monterey County, no
one seems to know who actually made the first Monterey
Jack Cheese.
One account attributes Dona Juana Cota the wife of Don
Jose Manuel as originating the cheese recipe and making
the cheese for David Jacks from the adobe on Rancho Los
Laurelles, Carmel Valley. The cheese was called at that
time "Caso del Pais," or cheese of the country.
It is well credited that the person to market the creamy
white cheese to grocers in San Francisco was David Jacks
a successful dairyman and land owner in Monterey County.
Local folk lore mentions David Jacks as not having very
much success in selling his fresh milk to the local market.
David Jacks needed a product and market for his milk and
started selling his white cheese to merchants in San Francisco.
Sold in cheese wheels, the San Francisco merchants referred
to the cheese as Jack's Monterey Cheese. later the name
evolved to Monterey Jack Cheese.
