Paula Lambert founded the Mozzarella Company in Deep Ellum 40 years ago due to her simple love of mozzarella cheese.
"I love Italy. I love the food in Italy," said Lambert, who lived in the country for five years.
Yet when Lambert returned to Texas, she felt like something was missing.
"They didn't have fresh mozzarella," Lambert said. "So I started this factory to make it."
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Today, Lambert's 3,000-square-foot spot on Elm Street makes more than 30 different kinds of cheese.
Awards from over the years line the walls in the factory's entry room. This year, Lambert added two-lifetime achievement awards; one from the American Cheese Society and the other, the Grande Dame Award from Les Dames d'Escoffier, an international organization of women in food, wine, and hospitality.
"It's so fabulous because the other people who have won it: Julia Child, Alice Waters," Lambert said smiling. "It's good for Dallas."
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Lambert is set to formally receive the Grande Dame Award, this fall. Still, she's not resting on her acolytes.
"Hard work and dedication, loving what you do, and not giving up; that's what it took," Lambert said. "I just want them to recognize all the things that come together to make a perfect product."
