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Family Revives Tradition of Swiss Cheese Making In Helvetia, W.Va.

In a basement kitchen, a pot on the stove full of what looks like soured milk sat on low heat. Thrayron Morgan had her arm submerged in the liquid, and she was carefully cutting up the mixture with her hands.

“It just feels like oh goodness, like jello,” Morgan said.

But it’s not jello, it’s curds. And after a few more steps and some time, it would be a block of cheese.

Morgan is a third generation descendant of Swiss immigrants. Her grandfather immigrated to Helvetia, West Virginia from the canton of Bern in the 1870s when the community was just forming. Helvetia is a rural town nestled close to the Monongahela National Forest, and like Morgan, most of its residents can trace their heritage back to Switzerland. The town preserves and shares their culture and traditions through annual community festivals, including the famous Fasnacht festival held every February. You can sample Swiss dishes at the Hütte Restaurant and browse local goods at Swiss Roots, the community store.

John Jacob Betler, Morgan’s grandfather, posing with some of his cheese.

When Morgan’s husband Russell retired recently, the couple wanted to pick up a new hobby. They settled on making cheese – but not just any cheese. Morgan and Russell wanted to make the kind of cheese Morgan’s grandfather and other early Helvetia residents made. That meant reviving a family tradition that had been dormant for decades. One that takes knowledge, skill, and the right environmental conditions.

Morgan didn’t have her grandfather’s recipe written down, but she knew her neighbor, Nancy Gain, could help her. Gain’s ancestors are from the same region in Switzerland as Morgan’s, and she remembered her mother making the same kind of cheese as a child.

“So we just went down and I told her… what I knew,” Gain said.

With her friend to guide her, Morgan was able to recreate the recipe and knowledge of cheesemaking that had been lost in her family.

She needed than just a recipe to make this cheese, however. A key ingredient was missing: fresh cow milk. Finding a dairy cow these days was harder than expected.

Thrayron Morgan begins a batch of cheese by boiling fresh cow milk from her friend’s farm.

“It’s hard because no one wants to milk. If they raise cattle, it’s usually beef cattle, they don’t want to have a family cow. Used to be everybody had to have a family cow to have milk,” Gain said. Morgan would have to look beyond Gain in order to secure some milk.

“We’re really blessed to be able to live in a place where it’s not just that you have neighbors, but you have family,” Morgan said.

It’s not uncommon for her to trade some of her cheese for sausage, or for her to give away some buttermilk or homemade butter. Morgan knew a friend who lived a county over that still had a dairy cow, so she was able to get the necessary ingredient.

The final step in making cheese is the aging process. The Morgans converted a section of their basement into a cheese cave, one that would regulate the temperature and humidity and create the ideal aging environment.

Having a cheese cave like this one is a modern luxury. Morgan’s ancestors made their cheese in much different conditions.

“All the old farmers was making cheese in their kitchen and they were curing it, or aging it, in their cellar. And in those cellars, you have dirt floor, rocks, that you know are moldy – perfect situation for aging cheese,” Morgan said.

Thrayron and Russell’s cheese cave regulates temperature and humidity as the cheese ages.

With the right recipe, the essential ingredients, and the ideal environment, the Morgan’s hobby took off. The nostalgic taste of the cheese reminded community members of the cheese their parents and grandparents used to make. Cheesemaking is a laborious process, and many community members don’t have the time or ingredients needed to make it. Demand for the cheese began to soar, and the Morgan’s started to sell their cheese down at the local Helvetia market.

“It was a surprise when we took the first load down to them the first week and within 24 hours they were out,” said Morgan.

Cheese being prepared and packaged for local sale.

West Virginia has expansive cottage food laws that allow individuals to sell products that are made in their own homes. “The legislature was nice enough… to create a bill to waiver [regulations] of that so that now we can make the cheese in our kitchen and cure it in the cellar,” explained Morgan. Without these laws, the Morgans’ cheesemaking would have had to remain a hobby.

Although the cheese is now available in the community, Morgan has a real concern about Swiss traditions like cheese-making being lost as the younger generations move out of the area. To combat this, Morgan has made sure to share this recipe and process with her granddaughter, Georgia Gizzi.

That her grandma started making cheese one day was not surprising to Gizzi. “Well, she’s always been very much into things like canning foods and doing all kinds of different things. We’ve made things like dandelion jelly,” Gizzi said fondly.

Gizzi doesn’t live in Helvetia, but she visits every so often and has enjoyed learning the process of cheesemaking alongside her grandmother. Her favorite part of the process is getting to stick her arm in the pot and cut up the curds. “I have a couple of friends though that have come up and they like refuse to put their hand in it because they thought it was gross but I love it,” laughed Gizzi.

Seeing the enthusiasm of her granddaughter gives Morgan hope that the community of Helvetia will grow again and preserve not just the tradition of cheesemaking, but other Swiss traditions as well. Morgan and other members of her generation in Helvetia have made deliberate efforts to teach their children and grandchildren how to do things like cheesemaking and folk dancing.

Making a block of cheese isn’t just a day’s work. It takes weeks or months to age the cheese to perfection. If you have the patience and dedication, however, the result is delicious.

This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project, which is made possible in part with support from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies to the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation. Subscribe to Inside Appalachia to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts, and culture.

The Hütte: A Melting Pot Of Swiss, Appalachian Culture

Deep within the mountains of central West Virginia, is a tiny village called Helvetia. It was originally founded by Swiss settlers in the mid-1800s, as they felt the steep mountains, thick forests, winding river, all resembled their homeland.

Today the town of about 50 people is a melting pot of Appalachian, Swiss culture. There is even a swiss restaurant called — the Hütte. It celebrated its 50th anniversary two years ago and is featured in an upcoming documentary.

The Restaurant

Clara Lehman, director of Born In A Ballroom, stands outside the Hütte in Helvetia. She is the granddaughter of Eleanor Mailloux, the co-founder of the Swiss restaurant.

The Hütte is located at the one intersection in Helvetia inside a golden Swiss-Alpine chalet house. Red and white Swiss flags adorn the outside.

A tinkling bell on the worn wooden front door, announces a new customer’s presence.

Inside it is a little darker and a little warmer. It feels like a cozy cottage. It is structured like a house — but each room is a unique eating area. Clara Lehman and husband Jonathan Lacocque live in Helvetia and have recently completed a documentary about the town.

“A lot of people say coming to the Hütte is like eating at grandma’s house,” Jonathan said. “And I think this is part of that reason, it’s very homey. You’ve got pictures on the wall of grandkids and staff.”

“It’s grandma’s house but different too,” Clara said.

It is different because there are 100-year-old Swiss artifacts on the walls and shelves — old family photos of the original Swiss immigrants, an old crank phone hangs on the wall, literally hundreds of books in both English and Swiss-German and a long wooden alpenhorn. It looks like a 10-foot long trumpet; historically the instrument was used by Swiss shepherds in the Alps.

One of the dining rooms at the Hütte. Each room is decorated with antiques and memorabilia from the community.

There is a feeling that you are no longer in West Virginia, until a roaring logging truck drives by — a reminder it is still West Virginia.

The Kitchen

The heart of the restaurant, and arguably the town, is the kitchen. A lot of the staff have been working there for decades.

Clara said each day they prep a slew of foods — a blend of Appalachian and Swiss dishes, and a few recipes that are unique to this restaurant. Things like sausage bratwurst, sauerbraten, curry chicken, potatoes and green beans.

Meat being prepared in the kitchen. Most of the recipes originated from Swiss immigrants that Eleanor Mailloux adapted for the Hütte.

On this day, Anita Stitt, one of the cooks, was prepping food and waiting for a meat delivery. The nearest grocery store is about an hour drive away.

“Well right now I’m going to have a little bite to eat. I’m going to have some sausage with salad dressing. Doesn’t that sound good? Then I’m waiting for the meat to come in,” she said.

The sausage sandwich is a Hütte special inspired by Helvetia’s original Swiss families. It is ground pork shoulder that is handmade weekly — seasoned with 12 spices and baked in tomato and red wine sauce.

Almost all the meals at the Hütte are served with warm homemade applesauce. It is spiced and sweetened perfectly, leaving a lasting impression. Clara said one of the secrets is very finely sliced lemon rind.

Many of the people working here were born in West Virginia, Clara said, but their ancestors, much like her own, were Swiss immigrants.

The menu at the Hütte. On busier days or for events there is typically a buffet or sample platter offered.

“I actually think that the restaurants even better because of the Appalachian aspect. It’s not kitschy European, it’s truthful to this region,” she said.

Iron Lady Of Helvetia

The reason the town of Helvetia and the Hütte are the way they are today is largely due to Eleanor Mailloux, Clara’s grandmother. Eleanor was born in Virginia but grew up in Helvetia. She had a love for both Appalachian and Swiss cultures. She is remembered as a quirky, hardworking woman who was also elegant and loved dresses and jewelry.

Eleanor channeled her passion through the Hutte, which she co-founded over 50 years ago.

Eleanor Mailloux in the ‘Born In A Ballroom’ documentary. She passed away in 2011, but is still an influence in Helvetia today.

She passed away in 2011 at 93. Jonathan and Clara are releasing a documentary this year that they produced on Eleanor’s impact on Helvetia.

“The Hütte is the heart of the town,” Eleanor said in the documentary. “We have people who come in, they don’t feel good, they want to tell us their sad story or they tell us their dreams. It’s much more than a place to eat.”

The award given to Eleanor hangs in the Hütte. Most everyone in the town regards her as the “Matriarch of Helvetia.”

Eleanor pronounced the name, “Hut-ee,” which is a hold off from the Swiss-German language that was regularly spoken in Helvetia. These days, Clara said local accents have morphed the common pronunciation into “Hut-tay.”

To this day the Hütte’s wooden floor has a deep sheen from being waxed daily.

On the tables are freshly cut flowers arranged just right, a daily ritual Eleanor started.

The Hütte has continued on without Eleanor physically there, but she is certainly present in spirit. Clara reads an award hanging on the wall of the Hütte. It was presented to Eleanor in 2006.

“The Iron Lady of Helvetia. The lady through years of sacrifice and struggle never lost faith in her beloved Helvetia,” it states. “Those of us who have been a part of her dream are forever grateful for what she has built. May her dream continue to be enriched and nourished for all the years to come.”

The Hütte and all its material culture, as well as Eleanor Mailloux’s legacy, will be on display in the upcoming documentary ‘Born In A Ballroom.’ It is slated for screenings across West Virginia throughout the year.

The turn off from the main road that leads not only to the Hütte, but to the town of Helvetia. The Hütte sits at the entrance to the town.

This story is part of the Inside Appalachia Folkways Reporting Project. Subscribe to the podcast to hear more stories of Appalachian folklife, arts, and culture.

Making Rosettes Around the Holidays

Around the holidays, homemade treats are everywhere — whether it be Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses or fruit cakes. One Swiss holiday tradition involves making Rosettes — light, crispy, deep-fried pastries made using a floral-shaped iron mold.

Head chef at Lost Creek Farms, Mike Costello, recently inherited a rosette iron from his Helvetian ancestors. He shared the process of making the pastries with West Virginia Public Broadcasting

“I’ve heard a lot of people refer to it as a lighter version of a funnel cake,” Costello said. “A little bit crispier, lighter —these rosettes are pretty delicate when you pull them out of the oil. They look like they might be more robust, but that’s because the fins of the iron are kind of hollow. I’s a really kind of delicate pastry.”

Mike Costello at his farm in Lost Creek. He recently inherited a traditional Swiss rosette iron.

The rosette iron is similar to a branding iron, although much more delicate. The base is metal, floral shaped — it’s the part that is actually dipped into the batter and oil. The handle sticks vertically out of the cookie cutter-like mold.

Costello said the rosette can be traced back to many different immigrant cultures.

“I think rosettes were pretty common, especially in this part of Appalachia because you had so many immigrants coming not just from Switzerland, but Austria and Hungary, and also other places that you see rosette tradition show up around the holidays,” he said.

Costello’s rosette iron was gifted to him last Christmas. It likely was passed down from his Swiss great-grandmother, Flora. She immigrated to Helvetia when she was six years old.

“I got really exicted, probably more excited than I should have been about this little metal floral shaped thing with a red handle.” Costello said. “To me it was much more than a tool, it was a piece of my past I’d been longing for. I knew there was this piece of my family’s history that was up in the mountains of Helvetia, and suddenly I have something tangible from that.”

Flora is somewhat of a mystery woman to Costello, as she passed away before her history could be fully documented.

Pictures of Costello’s family that lived in Helvetia, including his great-grandmother Flora (photos on right). It is likely the rosette iron came from Flora.

But in photos, one can see Flora standing with her cows, chickens and field crops. One thing Costello knows is Flora was an excellent farmer and cook.

“To have this piece of our heritage that if there was someone you could point to and say, ‘Who’s doing the farm-to-table the real deal way?’ Before it was cool, Flora was doing farm to table in Braxton County, West Virginia,” he said.

Using the rosette iron passed down to him, Costello can make the pastries that perhaps Flora once made.

Costello follows a traditional Helvetian recipe that makes around 50 rosettes; however, he typically halves it for smaller gatherings.

For the batter, Costello cracks three eggs and adds half-a-pint of half and half.

“You want to get the eggs and the cream pretty well beaten together,” he said. “Then I add about one cup of flour.”

He lightly whisks the ingredients together.

“What we’re looking for is for the batter to be pretty light,’ he said.

The batter should be smooth and light, more like a pancake batter than a cake batter. If not, one can add a little extra cream.

After mixing, Costello adds one secret ingredient.

“A little bourbon, just a little splash into the batter,” he said. “I honestly don’t know if I’ve noticed much of a difference. But it’s kind of fun to carry on. I’ve heard some folks say it makes it a little crispier. I’ll take it.”

Costello dips the rosette iron in the hot lard. It is important to keep the iron hot so the batter will slide of easily.

He then heats up lard in a skillet. Costello said you want the oil about the depth of the flower base on the iron.

“I’ve got my iron in this hot lard and I dip it in this batter and you can hear it adhere to the iron,” he said. “I’m trying to avoid it coming up over the iron so when I put it in , it slides right off like that.”

And in about 10 seconds the first rosette is completed.

The end result is a golden, crisp, airy pastry in the shape of a flower. It has eight petals that are hollow, which adds to the delicate intricacy of the finished pastry.

“You know when you get it right because you can hear the sizzle of the batter. That’s when you know it’s really sticking to it pretty well,” he said.

The process reminds Costello of making Christmas cookies as a kid. Although he never met his great-grandmother Flora, he spent many holidays in his grandmother Betty Williams’ kitchen.

“She had a little step stool that my brother and I would get on because we couldn’t reach the counter top. But, that’s a lot of what I think back to in terms of the holidays and tradition is being in that kitchen, and making those cookies, and wanting to keep that up in some way,” he said. “So now that she’s gone as well, this is kind of in a way satisfies that need to be a kid again in my grandma’s kitchen making cookies. It’s almost the same.”

In just a few minutes, there is a plate towering with dozens of rosettes.

“We’ve run out of room on the plate, and we still have a ton of batter left,” Costello said.

Rosettes are typically served sweet. So while they are still hot, Costello added several different sweet toppings.

The finished product. Rosettes are typically served sweet and can be garnished with various sugars.

“I’m gonna do a basic powdered sugar, and I’ll also do a cinnamon sugar mix,” he said. “I’ll have some with some sorghum, and one thing that goes pretty well with that sorghum is a little bit of this J.Q. Dickinson salt from the Charleston area.”

Costello actually grew the sorghum on his farm and hand pressed it into syrup. It adds an unexpected earthiness, while the salt marries all the flavors together.

The rosettes themselves are crispy and delicate, and the sweet topping simply melts in one’s mouth.

This story is part of Inside Appalachia’s holiday show which you can find here.

The Helvetian rosette recipe from the book, “Oppis Guel’s Vu Helvetia.” Half the recipe for about 25 rosettes.

European Traditions, W.Va. Twists – Making Grittibanz at Christmastime

In Helvetia, West Virginia, Christmastime, like all the town’s events, is a community affair. On the Saturday closest to the 5^th of December, the town celebrates their unique heritage with tales of Saint Nicholas, sweet treats, square dancing, a potluck dinner, and best of all… Swiss grittibanz, a special kind of holiday bread.

Hear this story on Inside Appalachia.

In the mountains of Randolph County, West Virginia, is the small Swiss-German town of Helvetia. This tiny, remote town is rich with Swiss-German tradition, including the Feast of Saint Nicholas held at the Helvetia Community Hall.

“We’re gathered here on the Feast of Saint Nicholas to think about generosity, because [Saint Nicholas] was a very generous person,” said local resident Eleanor Betler to a crowded dining room in the Community Hall, “And we carry that through by teaching, and we teach to make the grittibanz.”

Grittibanz is loosely translated to “doughboy,” and families often make them in Switzerland and Germany for the Feast of Saint Nicholas, which is held on the eve before Saint Nicholas Day on December 6^th.

It may be based off an old tradition, but the Feast of Saint Nicholas has only been held in Helvetia for the past 20 years.

It’s one of their smallest events during the year and averages about 25 to 30 attendees, but it’s no less a favorite for locals.

Making Grittibanz

Hours before the feast, locals prep the Community Hall for the festivities and the grittibanz. Anna Chandler stands over a large, silver mixing bowl and reads through the list of ingredients needed.

Anna may not be a local, but her father’s side of the family is from Helvetia. She lives in Morgantown and makes a point to attend local events like this one. Over the past three years, she’s been making the dough for the grittibanz with Eleanor’s guidance.

“This is the; it’s called Hebel; that’s the yeast dough,” Anna said. “So, this is like the starter, so you get it going first, so the yeast is active and going at it, and then you add it to everything else.”

After mixing in all the ingredients, Anna kneads the dough until it becomes soft, but still firm enough to mold and shape into bread people.

“First time I made this, or worked with anybody to make it, I thought it was gonna be a really sweet dough, like cinnamon roll dough; it’s not, it’s just a rich, cause it’s got the eggs and butter in it, yeast dough; it’s very straightforward,” she explained. “And when the kids get done decorating, we decorate with raisins and citron, and stuff like that, so it’s not sweet by any means, it’s just bread.”

Upstairs in the main room of the Community Hall, a small group of kids and their parents make Christmas crafts and play games together while they wait on the dough. Decorating the grittibanz with children is a big part of the tradition.

Back in the kitchen, Eleanor and Anna lay out baking sheets for each person, butter knives, and round, sticky dough balls for each child and parent to work with.

At the center of the table is a tray of flour, a couple bowls of egg wash, and dried fruit to use for decorating.

“Okay, so kind of take it from the sides and make him a neck, okay,” said Eleanor to the group of kids and their families. “And then make some shoulders and some arms.”

After everyone’s grittibanz is decorated, they’re left to rise for about 15 minutes, and then they’re ready to be baked.

Carrying On Tradition

Helvetia’s population has dropped dramatically over the decades as people have moved away for job opportunities and other reasons. Yet, Eleanor says she doesn’t think the town, or its traditions will ever disappear.

The annual events are unique and a big draw for visitors, she said, but also, many people who have family connections to Helvetia are proud of where they come from…and the events bring people home.

“Everybody does everything together, and I think that’s what keeps almost all of our traditions alive is that we do things as families and as community,” Eleanor said. “Church community; family community; community-community, and community and family mean everything to us here. Everything.”

Making grittibanz from scratch is just one aspect of Helvetia’s Feast of Saint Nicholas event. Residents also gather that day for a visit from Santa Claus, to hear the story of Saint Nick, a potluck dinner…and a community square dance.