I was at Okada Manila’s Medley buffet some time ago and was immediately drawn to its decadent cheese room. While browsing the various imported cheese selections from France, Spain and Italy, my attention shifted to the familiar locally made cheeses by the Philippines’ queen of cheese, Olive Puentespina, from Malagos Farmhouse in Davao.

For many, Davao is synonymous with food -- from exotic fruits like durian, marang and mangosteen to coffee and chocolate. Now, artisan cheeses are also making their mark on the city’s diverse culinary scene.

Recently, Malagos Farmhouse opened its new cheese room, Leon’s Lounge, located along Bolcan Street in Agdao, Davao City. With a larger space and direct access to the main road, Malagos Farmhouse fans can now easily satisfy their cheese cravings here.

During the opening, Olive shared that the location used to house the veterinary clinic of her late husband, entrepreneur and environmentalist, Dr. Roberto “Bo” Puentespina.

“This used to be Bo’s clinic, and the space means a lot to my family, which is why we chose to open Leon’s Lounge here,” she said.

Grazing at the lavish table featuring cheeses and culinary creations made with Malagos cheese, such as chef David Thien and Lisa Revilla’s Chicken Pot Pie, chef Annie Cacho’s Aglio Olio with Feta and pastry chef Joel Rodriguez’s Mango Chèvre Cheesecake, it’s amazing to see how far Olive has come.

Not long ago, the idea of creating artisanal cheeses was started by Olive and her family. “It started out as a way to utilize the growing population of my mother-in-law’s milk-producing goats,” Olive shared. “We realized that not many Filipinos drink goat’s milk, so we had to find a way to make the goats productive and cover their upkeep.”

After much experimentation and various ideas -- including making goat’s milk soap at one point, which Olive jokes “didn’t use much goat’s milk at all” -- she settled on making cheese. “We started with fresh cheeses like Feta and Chèvre, and surprisingly, people loved it.”