Samuel Lai, the cheese-maker who interprets tradition living in the here and now | Olianas

A tale of rebirth and passion runs through the heart of southern Sardinia; it has the unique flavor of the Sardinian agropastoral heritage, and of all we should protect to keep the island identity intact.

On this occasion, for our Vite trip, we stayed in Gergei and met with a friend: a renowned producer who helped turn Sarcidano into a sought-after travel destination. 

We visited Samuel Lai, who runs the Sinnos dairy and Domus Antiga guesthouse with his wife Manuela and family

As is our custom, this chat starts in front of a virtual wineglass. Samuel invites us to enjoy an Orange wine. “I've recently started discovering them, little by little, and like them a lot”.

Samuel Lai, born in 1982, has chosen to embark on a professional journey that is, first and foremost, deeply personal. A breakthrough designed to change his life and bring consistency to his thoughts and his desire to nurture and cherish freedom: from being a soldier engaged in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, to becoming a master cheese maker and custodian of Sardinian food and wine traditions.
 
After two decades of military service, marked by long absences, Samuel decides to make a change of course. As is often the case, the catalyst for this metamorphosis is an event that scars him deeply: the loss of a fellow soldier in an attack. This initiates a moment of deep reflection that marks the beginning of a new era for Samuel and his wife, Manuela.

Domu Antiga, a guesthouse that provides patrons with a fully immersive experience in the heart of our land, Sarcidano, came to life in 2013 out of the remnants of a historic mansion. Here, mamma Maria Grazia and papà Arnaldo create specialty dishes, profoundly rooted in the local farming tradition, that beautifully express the authenticity of typical Sardinian cuisine. It’s a place where I eat as I would at my mother’s: stuffed zucchini, deep-fried zucchini flowers, malloreddus, ricotta cheese served with honey. Everything unwinds in and across a comforting sense of everydayness that exalts simplicity; a feeling that only those who have been fortunate enough to grow up in the countryside recognize. It feels like home.

The essence of Domu Antiga lies in its ability to offer a genuine gastronomic experience, well off the beaten tourist track. For quite some time, with the help of his brother Riccardo with cheese and his sister Giulia with pasta and desserts, Samuel has started offering courses that actively involve guests. The aim is to hand the local traditional culinary know-how down, so as not to lose the importance of rituals that have been the backbone of our economy for centuries and that today allow us to remain linked to a territory steeped in history and excellence.

In 2022 Samuel founded Sinnos, a micro-dairy that embodies his philosophy: respecting tradition, embracing innovation, and an ongoing pursuit for quality. In a restored building surrounded by citrus fruit trees and aromatic herbs, Samuel explores new frontiers of taste, while remaining firmly anchored to the roots of Sardinian pastoralism.
 
"Sinnos", which means marks and recalls the distinctive marks used by shepherds to identify their sheep, symbolizes and embodies the deep connection with the island's traditional sheepherding heritage. “There were no microchips in ancient times”, says Samuel, “sheep were identified by small cuts they had on their ears; every herd had different marks. I chose to represent this traditional practice on the wall of the dairy”.

When he bought a herd of 60 sheep from an old shepherd from Mogoro, the shepherd cried; this episode marked both the handover and a new beginning.  

Today, Samuel is much more than a simple cheese producer. He is a pioneer, a keeper of tradition, a bridge between past and present in the art of Sardinian cheesemaking. In his micro-dairy he creates some of the most interesting and sought-after pecorino cheeses in Sardinia. His production ranges from fresh to seasoned cheese, each with a distinctive character that tells the story of Sardinia’s pastures. “Picture a free sheep that lives in the land where it was born and meant to grow up”, he says. “It’s wonderful for everything: meat, milk, and wool. We recently started a new project focused on wool: it’s called Intrina, which means weaving/woven. I see this as an effort aimed at enhancing and interpreting the whole meaning of Sardinia and its leading economy”.
 
The variety of cheeses ranges from fresh ricotta to seasoned pecorino, each bearing a unique tale about the Sardinian terroir.

The flagship product is Muvroni, a cheese that embodies the innovative approach and is wrapped in linen cloths and aged. The experimental use of vegetable curds made from the pistils of the native plant milk thistle highlights Samuel's commitment to sustainable production methods closely linked to the local area.

His dedication, however, also stands out in the care given to the Sinnos cheeses brand identity: each product is named after a specific feature of the local tradition
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Malune - the cork container used to carry the curds
Agadiu - ewes that haven’t lambed
Madrigadu - from mother. Ewes that have lambed
Sacaja - ewes over one-year-old who have lambed
Manixu - a traditional way of moving the flock to ensure good milk quality
Arrastu - Sardinian for “track”, that is to say, the track that the herd leaves when it passes
Muvroni - Sardinian sheep
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What makes Samuel Lai such a fascinating figure is his holistic approach to work. In his view, dairy production is not simply manufacturing, but a way of life, a way of interpreting time and space. His whole project translates into his personal concept of freedom. “Ever since I started this job,” he says, “I no longer know what time it is or what day it is. And I don't care to know, I live in the present without worrying about what will be because what I have pleases and satisfies me. My time is marked by the moments of the day and the seasons, the position of the sun, the heat, and the cold. This is what I need for my work: to be well, I just need to be in the present.”

Samuel doesn't just make cheese: he is a true ambassador of the art of cheese making. He organizes courses, cooperates with other artisans, actively participates in training programs, and is always on the lookout for new techniques to integrate into his production method. Every cheese manufactured at Sinnos, with its unique and distinctive personality, mirrors this continuous evolution.

Visiting the cellar, alongside Samuel's cheeses, you’ll see some he made with guests he has invited to his workshop. “I need to exchange ideas, otherwise it’s like staying put in my own little garden. Having the opportunity to process my milk with different techniques gives me a way to continue experimenting and discover new things.”

Indeed, if we think that gastronomic tradition is always on the move and there are no rigid rules that define a product, Samuel interprets the sense of change perfectly.
 
We end our chat with Samuel as we always close Vite, that is, by asking where he would take us for a meal. “I'm not into restaurants, but I really like to go where there are producers or fishermen. In Olbia, there is an oyster farm called Tilusa. They are welcoming and it's family-run; very simple but really beautiful”.