For Alisa Fava-Fasnacht and her husband, Alan, it wasn't much of a jump from dairy farming to cheese making.

Both come from generations of dairy cattle farmers, and they live on a 344-acre farm in North Bethlehem that was purchased in 1953 by Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht's grandfather. There, the couple raise a pedigreed herd of 22 Jerseys and Holsteins.

"I've lived on a farm all my life and have always been involved with the dairy business, so I've had a natural curiosity about cheese," said Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht, 47, who has a dairy science degree from Virginia Tech.

In 2004, the couple tried making cheese, and after obtaining the flavor and consistency they wanted, they went commercial a year later under the label Emerald Valley, an apt name for the green and lush area that surrounds their farm.

They sell the cheese out of a small shop on the edge of their farm along Fava Farm Road, just north of the Scenery Hill area. Their cheeses also are sold at Whole Foods in Shadyside in Pittsburgh, McGinnis Sisters in Monroeville, Ann's Feed Store in Washington, the Christian Klay Winery in Farmington and Reilly's Best Coffee House in Ohiopyle.

Recently, their cheeses entered the restaurant sector. Jessica Gibson, executive chef of Bistro 19 in Mt. Lebanon, which was voted among the top local restaurants by Pittsburgh Magazine, features their cheeses on her Pennsylvania cheese plate appetizer.

"I met Alisa at a local food conference at the Pittsburgh Convention Center and decided to serve her cheeses," Ms. Gibson said. "I really like her fromage blanc and feta, which I marinate in sun-dried tomatoes and olive oil and include on a plate of four Pennsylvania cheeses, along with dried apricots, an apricot-Riesling gelatin and pate."

The Fasnachts make eight flavors of fromage blanc, including basil pesto; parsley-chive; garlic and sun-dried tomato; one called Blue Moon, which is blended with blue cheese; and Orange Sunrise, their only sweetened cheese, made with local wild clover honey. All of the fromage blanc recipes were developed by Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht's mother, Antoinette.

"My mom is a great talent in the kitchen," Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht said. "Our family spent a lot of time working on the farm, and the only time we had together was at meals, so she put out some really great food."

Emerald Valley also sells 14 flavors of biscotti made from scratch by Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht's mother as well as ricotta tortes, which are made from her recipe using Emerald Valley cheese. During the Christmas season, she creates jewel cakes, which are made of white fruitcake batter, loaded with nuts and candied fruit, and cured in rum.

The Emerald Valley cheese inventory includes several hard cheeses, such as cheddar, available in natural, smoked and horseradish versions; a Swiss; smoked Swiss; a farmer cheese that is aged; and two Colbys, plain and hot pepper.

"All of our smoked cheeses are made with organic liquid hickory smoke," Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht said. "And all of our aged cheeses, including our mozzarella, are made with whole raw milk. We also make a feta that's a step away from most others in that we use cow instead of goat's milk, it's not pasteurized and it's aged, which makes it quite different."

Although Emerald Valley has a pedigreed herd of cattle, Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht believes that any breed can produce an excellent cheese.

"It's all about the care of the cow, cow management and herdsmanship" she said. "We're fortunate in that I've had a chance to work with some of the most renowned dairy cattle people in the nation."

To hone her cheese-making skills, Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht took a course at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont.

The couple plan two new hard cheeses for 2009 -- a Parano, which she calls a cross between a Parmesan and a Gouda, and a Piave, an Italian-style aged cheese made from cow's milk.

Because much of the couple's time this summer will be taken up at local farmers' markets, the farm shop will be open by appointment only. Today, however, it will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition to their regular retail outlets, they will sell cheeses from 3 to 6 p.m. each Thursday at the Washington Farmers Market and from 3 to 6 p.m. every other Friday at the Monongahela Farmers Market.

"I've discovered that people are eager to support local products, especially if they're quality made," Mrs. Fava-Fasnacht said.