Deep Ellum has enjoyed Mozzarella Company cheeses for 40 years, and it does not look like they will have to stop any time soon.
Founder Paula Lambert told NBC 5 she started the company to fill the need for fresh mozzarella in Texas. The story began when Lambert lived in Italy for five years as a college student. “I love Italy. I love the food in Italy,” she said.
When she returned to Texas, she found that fresh mozzarella was lacking. So she started the Mozzarella Company, inspired by her love of fresh Italian mozzarella. Texas chefs loved Lambert’s handmade cheeses, so it wasn’t long before the business boomed.
What started as a tiny factory in 1982 became a 3,000-square-foot factory on Elm Street. The company that used to make a few pounds of fresh mozzarella now offers 30 different kinds of the produce.
With the quality product and expansion came a collection of awards. Over the years, the Mozzarella Company has earned awards which now hang on the walls of the factory’s entry room. The room will now be graced with two additional awards, as the company has won two-lifetime achievement awards this year.
One of the awards is from the American Cheese Society. The latest is the Grande Dame Award from Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization of professional women in the food, wine, and hospitality industries. Lambert will formally receive the Grande Dame this fall.
Speaking about how she was able to establish such a successful business, Lambert attributed it to “hard work and dedication, loving what you do, and not giving up.”
I actually met Paula Lambert in 2001. She signed her cookbook for me. It’s full of delicious recipes. I highly recommend it. It’s available online.