How would you describe yourself?
Quite determined. I tend to believe anything is possible and occasionally need to rein myself in to the realities of my time and energy. I love looking at the tiny, automatic moments in life and creating beauty around them. The way you plate your humble breakfast. The thoughtful touch on wrapping something up for a friend. The extraordinary in the ordinary. I love to laugh, feed people and shower them with my big love.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
My family! I am so grateful to have a healthy relationship with my partner. Together we brought two beautiful children into this world. Our kids are 9 and 11 now and it’s a joy to see the little humans they are blossoming into. I am proud that they can watch their father and me work hard on our goals and learn how to become entrepreneurs. I am grateful to live in the heart of the Driftless where my kids can grow up surrounded by nature.
Have you read any good books?
To be honest- I mostly read cookbooks. My favorites lately are:
Company, The Radically Casual Art of Cooking for Others by Amy Thielen.
Our Kindred Home by my friend Alyson Morgan.
My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz.
Fika by Anna Brones & Johanna Kindvall.
The New Rules of Cheese by Anne Saxelby
Cheese, Sex, Death by Erika Kubrick
My winter deep dive favorite- The Nordic Baking Book by Magnus Nilsson.
Who is your personal hero?
Anne Saxelby. Anne was a champion for the American artisan cheese movement. She taught us about milk, animal husbandry, cheese care and why it is critically important to the health of our bodies and the land we live on, to support small family farms. She believed that American Farmstead cheese makers were creating product that was diverse and complex enough to compete with the long standing tradition of needing to import quality cheese. She broke the mold. Believed the opposite of the current state was possible. She delivered cheese to restaurants all over New York City by bike! Her influence was immeasurable in the cheese community and industry alike. After her passing, the Anne Saxelby Legacy Foundation was started. It is an incredible grant program that works to give youth real life internship opportunities on farms. Inspiring the next generation of food and agriculture leaders.
Do you have a life philosophy that you live by?
Celebrate everyday. Drink water.
What do you like most about yourself?
My passion for the things I believe in and love. I have a lot of love to give and I appreciate the gift that that is.
If you could change the world, what would you change?
Wow. Where to begin. I would pour money into our education system. I would promote a system where we valued books and conversation. Where we could express different opinions respectfully and with integrity. I would teach humans how to hold space constructively for rejection. We can’t survive if we can’t find a way to live in harmony with each other. Education and Healthcare care (including therapy) should be accessible to ALL. Maybe delete social media??
What do you think is the meaning of life?
To experience the deepest range of emotions and experiences humanly possible. To leave the Earth better than you found it.
Do you prefer working alone, or do you like working with others?
Both, I love working with a team. I am extremely grateful for the amazing team at Noble Rind. When we’re rocking at the counter, the kitchen is firing orders, customers are happy and everyone is grooving to the playlist- that is pretty fun.
To concentrate on specific tasks, I need complete quiet. I do my best thinking and scheming with a quiet surrounding.
What’s something that no one would guess about you?
Super basic, probably organic, frozen chicken nuggets and French fries are total comfort food for me. If there is an ounce of energy left over in the day, there is nothing more comforting than a roast chicken and mashed potatoes. I absolutely live for a thunderstorm. Lock me inside on a rainy day with a few lit candles and I will happily do laundry for hours!
What is your deepest belief about life?
Humans across the globe are for more alike than not. We almost all what the exact same things. A safe home, education for our children, healthy food, access to medical care. Is it really all that bad if we have different spiritual beliefs or lifestyles? Ultimately, the golden rule is- as long as your actions are not hurting anybody else or yourself, what’s the problem?
If you could wake up anywhere tomorrow, where would it be?
Paris.
If you could be doing anything, anywhere right now, what and where would it be?
Hiking around the woods with a friend or my family. The sun is shining today and Spring is such a magical time to watch the landscape bloom and bud back to life! Watching the seasons change in the Midwest is truly a pleasure.
What’s the one thing you wish you could have a do-over for?
I wish I had been a better student in school. I got okay grades but I mostly just endured it rather than be engaged wholly into it.
How do you work on yourself?
Therapy. Books. Journaling.
What’s one thing you’ve had to overcome in your life?
Insecurity. Believing in yourself, turns out, takes some convincing.
How do you handle being in a bad mood?
Water, cbd supplement and headphones with music. Sometimes a 20 minute lie down with no phone if possible.
Who is the most important person in your life?
My husband and my children. My family is everything to me. I have some pretty great parents and siblings too.
What did you learn about yourself from any of your previous relationships?
Not to be so codependent. Trusting my intuition.
What question do you always want people to ask you about yourself?
Have you eaten, are you hungry? Do you want a glass of wine? Do you want to eat cheese? Do you need a nap? Do you need a vacation?
j/k
Probably to ask me about my kids, I’m quite proud of them.
What is your favorite music, or all time favorite song?
I am all over the board on music. I love everything from alternative/indie to old country, lofi and progressive hip hop, r&b, pop (hopefully, decently written lyrics.) , classical music and soul music like Al Green and Otis Redding.
A few current favorites are So Good At Being in Trouble by Unknown Mortal Orchestra or Stories up High by Laney Jones.
If you weren’t here running your business or doing the work you do, what would you be doing instead?
Cooking and Baking. Pilates and Yoga. Antiquing and attempting interior design. Traveling as far and often as possible with my family.
How has this pandemic affected YOU or YOUR BUSINESS here in the Driftless?
We opened at the tail end of the Pandemic in February of 2022. I am extremely fortunate I did not open in 2019 as originally planned. It has been a huge advantage to enter owning a business aware of the worst case scenario. What does an emergency look like? How do you pivot quickly. How do you take care of your people and community? Coming into business when prices were high and staffing short started us off in a proper mindset. If you were not used to that, having your entire business model get wiped away over night would be catastrophic. Any small business owners that survived all of that and continue to thrive are incredible and deserve our relentless support.
What is your favorite season in the Driftless & why?
Fall. The cool down and harvest season. We slow down a bit and watch the colors change. I appreciate the significance of both the Summer and Winter solstices quite a bit.
Tell us of an experience /memory you had with Driftless lakes, rivers or waterways?
Canoeing on the Kickapoo river is always an adventure. We love packing a cooler full of snacks and getting out there! Usually with the kids, stopping to let them swim in the deep corners of the river while we sunbath and “hydrate”. One time we did an adults only night canoe under the full moon. What a fun and exciting experience that was!
What are some of your favorite places to go for fun here in the Driftless?
Kickapoo Valley Reserve, Kickapoo River, Downtown Viroqua Live on Court series, Music in the Parks, the Hotel Fortney Bar.
What are some of your favorite places to eat here in the Driftless?
Besides Noble Rind? Driftless Cafe, Maybe Lately’s and Wondersate Coffee in Viroqua. Sagra in Lacrosse. There are probably many more places, I don’t get out too much!
If you were to tell a friend to come and visit the Driftless Area, and they ask “Why” … What would you tell them?
Incredible immersion in nature. Passionate business owners and community. Farm to table on another level. Art, culture and music. Loads of trails for hiking and biking. World Class trout fishing. Beautiful winding roads for long motorcycle rides. You will not be disappointed.
Are you a Cat or Dog person?
Cat
Are you an Early Bird or Late Owl?
Late Owl
If given the opportunity, would you go to outerspace (moon, mars, space stations)?
No
What color socks are you currently wearing?
none
What skill or instrument would you like to learn or play?
How to crack a whole 40lb wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano
What 1 message would you put in a bottle?
I wish you peace.
What was your very first job?
Server and Hostess at a restaurant.
If any, what would be your dream job?
Running my own Cheese shop!!!
How / where did you meet your best friend?
Through my first job after returning from Europe. Receptionist at a hair salon, met a real good bestie there. The other women came through motherhood and shared interests in the Driftless.
What does your dream vacation look like?
Immersion in culture and nature. Good food and drinks. Rest. Family.
If you could learn another language, what would that be?
French and Italian
I Would Rather …
Live in a tree house
So, what’s your story? Where were you born? How long have you been here in the Driftless, What keeps you here?
Hi, I’m Sarah Clemens, originally from Minnesota. We moved to the Driftless, specifically Viroqua, WI about 15 years ago. We realized that we literally have everything we could ever need here and there is no better place to raise our children and start our business. The community connection is un-matchable.
Tell us about what you do for work or your business, and how long have you been doing this?
My husband and I own Noble Rind Cheese. We are a cut to order artisan cheese and meat shop in Downtown Viroqua. We also have an incredible menu of soups, salads, sandwiches. We bake our own bread and make all of our own desserts. Of course we make incredible cheese and charcuterie boards for dine in or our catering events. I’ve been involved in cheese since the early 2000’s and it’s a love I just never tire of. We opened Noble Rind in February or 2022 and we hope to become a long standing institution within our community.
Tell us about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career with your business.
We get really excited when we get to teach people about artisan and farmstead cheeses from our small family farms. There is exceptional cheese being made all of the United Sates and much of it coming from the great state of Wisconsin. Long gone are the days of cheese boards being made with commercial products. Educating and introducing our customers to the incredible local products around them and promoting the farmers, makers and growers around us is what we consider a great accomplishment.
We’re constantly making things better, faster, smarter or less expensive. We leverage technology or improve processes. In other words, we strive to do more—with less. Tell us about a recent project or problem that you made better, faster, smarter, more efficient, or less expensive.
We are creating a diverse catering menu that offers a wide range of foods that are made with quality ingredients. There are a multitude of both business and personal catering needs that folks need to accommodate quickly and efficiently. We plan to expand our current offering to include a wide range of beautiful food, made with high quality ingredients for a variety of different events and budgets. Stay tuned for some exciting projects that are in development!
Tell us about one person that you’ve met, that stands apart from the rest, or has influenced you while here in the Driftless.
Dani Lind, former owner of Rooted Spoon Culinary Table and now the Head Chef at Red Clover Ranch. She embodies local love. Treats her staff and the community with the greatest of care. She makes beautiful, uncomplicated food with quality ingredients. She is an inspiration on many levels and an all around kick ass and wonderful woman.
What do you wish other people knew about you or your business?
Cut to order service counters are “old school” for a reason. It simply takes longer to order a few wedges of cheese or some sliced salami, turkey or prosciutto. On the flip side, the quality of what you are buying is far superior. Buy only as much as you need and taste before you buy. Ideally you would pop into the shop once or twice a week and get what you need for a few days or a week at a time. Customers can always place orders over the phone and have there goodies ready for pick up on busy days!
By Sarah Clemens
