Cheesy goodness in Green County

Raclette, left, a dish of boiled potatoes topped with melted cheese, and cheese pie are among the Swiss specialties on the menu at the Ratskeller Restaurant in downtown Monroe.   ( Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

Master cheesemaker Bruce Workman turns a 200-pound wheel of Emmental cheese that is curing in a vat of brine at his Monticello, Wis., creamery.   (Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

Young visitors look on as three Roth Cheese employees lift a large loaf of Havarti. The same factory also produces a Gruyere-style cheese voted the best in the world in 2016.   ( Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

Roth Cheese’s Grand Cru Surchoix was selected as the world’s finest cheese in a 2016 competition. While it sells for about $16 a pound in the shop adjacent to the Monroe factory, it’s pricier elsewhere.   (Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

Kathy King, an art teacher at Monroe High School, completed her second mural inside Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern this summer. The murals pay homage to the cheesemakers of Green County, Wis.   ( Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

The statue of a cap-wearing cow is prominently displayed out the National Historic Cheesemaking Center and Museum in Monroe.   (Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

As a sign outside Roth Cheese proudly points out, the Monroe, Wis., factory is home to the 2016 world champion cheese.   ( Jay Jones/Chicago Tribune )

Limburger cheese and red onion are wedged between slices of rye bread to create the signature sandwich at Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern. The stinky cheese is an acquired taste that many locals have come to love.