The Cheese Blog
Cheesemonger Duel Ticket Giveaway for California Artisan Cheese Fest THIS Friday
The ninth annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival kicks off two weeks from now, March 20 – 22, 2015. It will be days of eating, learning, eating, sipping, and chatting up our wonderful cheesemakers. In honor of the event, I'm giving away two tickets to the festival's big Friday night party- The Cheesemonger Duel. Tickets are originally $50 each.
And the winner is... Cammie, with her herbed Laura Chenel! Thank you all for playing, and Cammie, I'll email you the tickets shortly. Congratulations!
If you have always wanted to see cheesemongers roll up their sleeves, take out their knives and expertly drizzle jams and honeys over cheese while crowds cheer and drink Lagunitas beer and Navarro wine under the Sonoma sun, this is your lucky day. If since the Cheesemonger Invitational's Perfect Bite you've been aching to taste match ups as delicious as flowers and Alpines, or spunky as pork rinds, wasabi and goat cheese, keep reading. Hint- ticket giveaway en route. If you love meeting California's cheese makers and attending events involving cheese, beer, and wine (all nod here), prepare yourself for the California Artisan Cheese Festival.
The ninth annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival kicks off two weeks from now, March 20 – 22, 2015. It will be days of eating, learning, eating, sipping, and chatting up our wonderful cheesemakers. In honor of the event, I'm giving away two tickets to the festival's big Friday night party- The Cheesemonger Duel. Tickets are originally $50 each.
What is a Cheesemonger Duel you ask? Cheesemongers like Luciana Villaneuva from Oakland's Pasta Shop to Reed Herrick from DTLA/Cheese Cave in Los Angeles travel to Sonoma to pair off - face-to-face. Ten days before the competition, each prospective monger is given a name of a cheese. Their job is to pair that assigned cheese to a jam, cracker, condiment, pickle, pork rind…. (or all of them) to make into the tastiest combination possible! The monger who creates the most memorial "best bite" wins a free limo chaffered tour around northern California cheese country. And the competition is fierce.
If you'd like to win tickets to the Duel, scroll to the end of this post. I'll ask a question, you answer it in the comment section, then I'll throw contestant names into a hat and blindly pick this Monday night. Early next week I'll announce who wins!
The goats wish you good luck.
There are some fantastic Festival seminars and tastings going at the Fest by wonderful writers, presenters, and cheesemakers on Saturday. I included a few of my faves below.
Cheese & Cider: Happily Ever After
Presenters: Janet Fletcher, Author and Educator including Planet Cheese online newsletter Ellen Cavelli, Co-owner of Tilted Shed Ciderworks Artisan cheese has a new love match: fine cider. Today’s trendy hard ciders have little in common with that sweet, fizzy beverage from the supermarket…and they are uniformly awesome with cheese. In this session, Ellen Cavalli of Tilted Shed, a next-generation leader in the American Cider Revival, will guide you through a range of traditional cider styles (French, West Country, Basque and single-varietal), as well as wholly unique styles, as interpreted by American producers. Then cheese authority Janet Fletcher will help you discover the cheeses that fine cider loves best.
All About the Milk: Tasting & Working with Different Cheeses Presenter: Soyoung Scanlan, Owner and Cheesemaker at Andante Dairy Taste and learn about how different milk ( cow, goat and buffalo) expresses itself in the context of soft-ripened cheese. Cow, goat and buffalo’s milk each have distinctive flavors and characteristics. To show the differences and similarity of each milk, Soyoung will make a St. Marcelin- style small soft cheese using lactic curd/bloomy rind cheese making technique. You’ll taste samples at different aging stages to show how each milk develops texture and flavor – from young with bloomy rind and with a little lactic and firm - to three weeks when the texture is runny and full flavored. At its best, cheese is designed to bring out the magical property of milk and to reveal the essence of terroirs - this class will be a rare opportunity to experience, and taste, this expression first hand.
Cheesemaking: Morning Stretches: Mozzarella Making Presenter: Louella Hill, aka The Milk Maid, Educator Get ready for the most fun exercise you’ve ever done: Mozzarella Stretching! This not-to-be-missed seminar is for cheese lovers who want to knock “mozzarella” off their bucket lists. Class will lead you from liquid milk all the way to pearlini, ciliegine, boconcini and ovalini balls. Once you master those shapes, you’ll move onto braids, twists, and ropes and, finally, stuffed mozzarella. Participants will take their cheese creations home (we’ll supply Ziplocs and ice)—if the ‘cheese homework’ even makes it that far!
Ready?
Cheesemonger Duel Question:
What is your favorite California cheese pairing combo? Mt Tam and graham crackers? Pt Reyes Blue and dried figs? I'd love to hear! Leave your answer in the comment section below. I'll pick Monday night and announce the winner early Tuesday the 17th!
Cheesemaker events, Volcanic Classes &, Beer.
A few clases and event that have caught my eye around San Francisco, including one I'm teaching (last, on Volcanic wines, Shepherd Cheeses. They're listed in order of date. Hope to see you at some!
Meet the Cheesemakers Fundraiser: Thursday, October 10, 7-9 p.m.
The California Artisan Cheese Guild - an organization that helps cheesemakers with education, scholarships, marketing and beyond- is holding their annual fundraiser next week. Cheesemakers from Bellwether Farms, Cypress Grove, Cowgirl Creamery, Pt Reyes Farmstead, Redwood Hill, Valley Ford, Weirauch Farms, Bleating Heart, Laura Chenel, Nicasio Valley, Marin French, Shamrock Artisan, Gypsy Cheese, Delice de la Vallee and Tomales Farmstead will be there to chat, along with beer and wine, and even a demo or two. Always an awesome place to be. At the Cheese School's new location
Cheese and Cider, Thursday, 6:30pm, October 17th
Like beer, cider is experiencing a renaissance. Delightful and complex small-batch ciders are popping up in stores and bars throughout San Francisco. More forgiving than wine and sweeter than beer, cider is an ideal foil for the creamy complexity of fromage. Author and SF Chronicle columnist Janet Fletcher will pair her favorite examples of the hard stuff with an array of cheeses. This is a pairing class sure to be easy on the palate.
Brews on the Bay, Saturday, October 19th, from 12-5pm
Put on by the San Francisco Brewers Guild, Brews on the Bay features the wares of fifty different breweries, like 21st Amendment, Almanac, and more.... with music. On the ocean. On a Boat. Brewers present.
Breakfast for Dinner: Tuesday, October 22 at 7pm
Four courses, and just to start: frittata, pork belly rancheros with lager, french toast with porter. Maple syrup with porter and pork belly had me, but who knows, maybe there will be cheese in the frittata. Either way- beer with breakfast. Go.
Shepherds and Volcanos: The Magic of Mountain Cheeses and Wines, Wednesday, Oct 30th, 6:30pm
Despite the treacherous climb (and even the threat of volcanic eruption), people have been making cheese and wine in volcanoes, on mountains, and in the Alps for centuries -- and not just because the views are picturesque. Alpine and mountain style cheeses are celebrated for their hearty textures, heavenly taste, and exceptional nutritional content. Kirstin Jackson, cheese and wine educator and author of It’s Not You, It’s Brie will explore the who and how of the mountain cheese, and explain why the finest cheeses and wines around come from uneven or even dangerous ground. The cheeses will be vibrant, the wines will be weird, and the class will be delicious.
Feel free to share any not-t0-be-missed cheese events in the comment section!
Meet the Cheesemaker Guild Fundraiser
If you're like me and like to mix your cheese eating and wine and beer drinking with meeting cheesemakers and raising funds for California dairy, have I got the event for you!
There's still some tickets left for the Cheese School's "Meet the Cheesemaker Event." The folks that craft our favorite Cali wheels from Point Reyes, Bellwether, Nicasio and beyond will be serving their amazing creations, wine will be freely poured, and Moonlight Brewing will be supplying the beer. If the cheese and call to fundraising wasn't enough to touch your artisan heart, the beer should do it- Moonlight makes some of the best and innovative brews in California (read more here).
So if you're free this Thursday night, 7-9pm, you know where to be. The event is set up to fund California's Artisan Cheese Guild, an organization that supports our cheeseamakers through education, legal support, and resources.
From the Cheese School's site:
"Rub elbows with Cowgirl Creamery, Bellwether Farms, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Redwood Hill, Marin French, Cypress Grove, Laura Chenel, Nicasio Valley, Bleating Heart, North Bay Curds and Whey, Beehive, and Epicurean Connection. You'll dig into fondue made from California artisan cheese and James Beard award winning author Laura Werlin will share two of her favorite mac + cheese from her latest book. Moonlight Brewing will supply the beer. Wine will flow courtesy of Herb Lamb Vineyards, Gary Farrell, and Corkscrew. Join us for food, drinks, and a cheesy-good time. "
The event is $35. The cheese, beers, time you get to spend chatting up California's best dairy craftsmen, and the support you're giving to the California Cheese Guild is worth every penny.
Pasta Shop, Berkeley Book Event- Getting that Pen Warmed Up & a Very Important Question
Okay, cheese lovers. You've read my descriptions about cheese, heard about its circles of friends, and might have even tried a recipe or two I posted on "It's Not You, It's Brie," but until now, we haven't actually consumed cheese together. Unless you've attended any of my classes, tasted through the ACS fury with me, or visited the wine shop where I work. And if this is the case, well, kudos to us. If I remember correctly, we enjoyed our selections immensely.
But if we haven't, it's time.
I'm heading across the San Francisco Bay Area, and later to New York, and Chicago to promote my book. And to eat cheese. And to meet you!
My first event- The Pasta Shop in Berkeley- and I'm getting my pen warmed up, because this one is a biggie. It's American Cheese Month, and the shop is shaping an event around my book. My book! Am I honored, you ask? OH MY GOODNESS, yes. Not only was working for The Pasta Shop my first monger position, but the shop (i.e. Mz Juliana Uruburu) is calling in the cheese forces and having representives from cheesemakers I featured in my book to come sample their wheels and the kitchen is picking 3 or 4 recipes from my book and serving them in their gourmet deli. I'm honored, and excited and.... very much hoping to see you there! Please feel free to share this link with anyone you know who lives in the Bay Area who you think might enjoy the event.
I am also kinda wondering what to write in the books I will sign. First time.
So this leads me to a very important question. If you wrote a cheese book and had to put that sharpie in your hands to good use, how would you sign a book?
Cheese puns?
"How Goud-a you to buy my book?"
"Praise Cheesus, and Best of Luck to You!"
Book signing ideas and further cheese puns welcome in the comment section.
Can't make this event or want to eat cheese with me more than once? Other events here if you'd like to say hi.
"It's Not You, It's Brie" Book Events!
- The Book.
Well friends, I must say that when I got my first email a couple months ago from a book store manager asking me if I would like to have a book event with her, I was more excited than a cheese geek in a Roquefort cave. They were asking me? My week was made.
Well the pleasure produced from book stores being interested in my work has not subsided. I'm an avid reader and imagining something I wrote sitting even across the shop from books written by my favorite authors, well, it's humbling. My parents used to drop me off at libraries when I was young (maybe with a little trail mx or something to nourish me) and I was happy to stay there for four, five, six hours. I um.... will still do this on occasion today. So being invited to places that house so many of books that I adore, well, it's more than flattering. My book geek heart is ecstatic.
More events are in the works, but here is a list of places that I'll be visiting to promote the book. They're not until October and beyond, but hey, doesn't hurt to know ahead of time. I hope you see you at one or more! And yes, there will be cheese!
And,.... I'm happy to announce that "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese" is now on Amazon and at Powell's for pre-order. It publishes Nov 6th, and if you're willing to wait, you'll also likely find it at your lovely local book shop! Support the locals too!
EARLY EVENT ANNOUNCMENTS:
Pasta Shop Foods, Berkeley, California, Saturday Oct 20th 1-4pm
October is American Cheese Month, and we're putting together an event around the month that highlights the cheesemakers in my book. And by the way, I used to work behind the cheese counter here.... There will be festivities, cheesemakers sampling their goods, and me, signing book copies for the first time ever. The book's officially released Nov 6th, but there just might be a copy or two available.... Plus, Pasta Shop will be cooking recipes from my book an entire week before the event to promote it. How cool is that? Yes, I'm super excited!
Books Passage, Ferry Building, San Francisco, California, Wednesday Nov 7th, 6pm
I'll be signing books, possibly reading a lil' something something, and, serving a Cowgirl Creamery cheese and beyond for you to sample. Ain't it cool to have an event in the same building as Cowgirl Creamery?
Books Inc, Marina, San Francisco, California, Thursday Nov 8th, 7 pm
Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! I'm super happy to announce that Seana Doughty of Bleating Heart Cheese will be here tasting a delicious wheels too (this awesome lady is featured in my book). I'm a lucky girl!
Solano Cellars, Albany, California, Saturday Nov 10th 3:30-7 pm
This is my official book release party. Tasting, Singing, Drinking, all. You are invited! Darren from Cream and the Crop distributors (one of my faves) will be sampling his cheeses, many of which are featured in my book too.
18Reasons, It's Not You It's Brie! American Cheese & Beer Class, San Francisco, CA, Nov 27th, 7pm
Cheese author and educator Kirstin Jackson joins 18 Reasons for a night of fermented glory. After visiting creameries and interviewing more than 48 cheesemakers for her recently published book "It's Not You, It's Brie: Unwrapping America's Unique Culture of Cheese," she's ready to tell the stories of some of her favorite domestic cheeses, while holding a pint glass. The selected artisan cheeses will be explored in unison with American beers, most local. We will taste through 6 cheeses and 6 beers!
Books will be for sale and Kirstin will have a pen handy for signing after cheese consumption.
Omnivore Books, Signing and Tasting, Wednesday, Nov 28th, San Francisco, 6-7pm
Tasting, Signing, Drinking. Good times! At an entirely food focused book store -be still my heart! I'll guide you through making the perfect holiday cheese plate. Then we can eat it together.
More events in the works!
Murray's Cheese- Dec 3rd! More info soon.
The Cheese School - TBA
Chicago/Wisconsin- TBA
First Southern Artisan Cheese Festival this Friday!
Even with cheese rock and rollers like Blackberry Farm, Looking Glass Creamery, and Sweet Grass Dairy, southern cheese still has to work its butt off to be taken seriously. I mean, tons in the south know of the region's dairy magic, and people in cheese nationwide talk about its beauty, but some folks- perhaps the same folks who think there's nothing more to California than the ocean, granola, and birkenstocks- need a little convincing. Introducing the Southern Artisan Cheese Festival.
Even with cheese rock and rollers like Blackberry Farm, Looking Glass Creamery, and Sweet Grass Dairy, southern cheese still has to work its butt off to be taken seriously. They've proven over and over again that there's more to southern dairy than just pimento cheese and warm Velveeta cheese dip, but many are still not familiar with the area's bounty.
I mean, tons in the south know of the region's dairy magic, and people in cheese nationwide talk about it, but some- perhaps the same folks who think there's nothing more to California than the ocean, granola, and birkenstocks- need a little convincing.
Introducing the Southern Artisan Cheese Festival.
My good friend Kathleen Cotter of The Bloomy Rind is throwing the region's first artisan cheese festival this Friday in Nashville Tennessee. Even the poster is awesome.
Cotter runs The Bloomy Rind- an artisan cheese farmers market stand and cheese consulting business in Nashville. She travels from farmers market to market every week to bring the region's bounty to Tennessee. And then she curates a cheese menu or two for local restaurants. She also travels around the country to learn about cheese. She headed to Consider Bardwell to take the cheesemaker's course, and toured Vermont with me while I was doing researching for my book. When not learning, traveling, or working her butt off, Cotter found time to put together this festival. Can you spell B-A-D A-S-S (I'm not sure I can either, but this feels right somehow)?
This is the perfect time for the festival. Some great producers are just making it out to east and west coasts and we're all abuzz about what's going in cheese in places like Nashville.
Also, check out a great interview with Cotter on southern cheese with Anne Saxelby on Cutting the Curd. A great precursor to the festival, it drops a little knowledge about who is doing what in Tennessee and beyond.
The festival lineup is fantastic. It spotlights the region's most active cheesemakers and ticket admission prices includes samples of cheese and more. Psst, look down to check out some southern brews too!
Here's a quick look at who's going to be there:
Hope some of you can make it. I'm already wistful about what I'm missing here in Oakland!
Do you have a favorite Southern cheese?
Cheese & Wine Classes: School Time!
Are you ready sharpen your pencils to a dangerous point, fill your binder with white paper, and put on your new super hero backpack? Not in the mood? Yah, don't worry about it, places like The Cheese School of San Francisco pimp their own writing supplies. The Wonder Woman backpack is up to you (find two and I'll give you my mailing address).
Are you ready to sharpen your pencils to a dangerous point, fill your binder with white paper, and put on your new super hero backpack? I already have, but if you've been too busy to go back-to-school shopping, don't worry about it. Places like The Cheese School of San Francisco pimp their own writing supplies. The Wonder Woman backpack is up to you (psst, find two and I'll give you my mailing address).
Cheese Class Time!
This August and September I'll be teaching two classes at the Cheese School of San Francisco. Official descriptions are below. If interested in joining, follow this link to reserve a spot with the school. I hope to see you there! Want more cheese action or live out of state? Keep scrolling.
EDUCATIONAL CHEESE OPPS:
Cheese & Rosé Wines, Tuesday, August 30, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Not to be confused with the jug wines of yesteryear, the exquisite beauty of some pink wines can be absolutely enchanting. Instructor and wine maven Kirstin Jackson will explore how Rosé is made and discover the flavors of strawberries, minerals, rose petals and cocoa powder that characterize the very best of this style. Paired with carefully selected cheeses and you have the perfect anchor for summer outdoor entertaining.
Old World Inspiration, New World Innovation, Tuesday, September 13, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
Cheesemaking in Europe is inspired by centuries of tradition. Cheesemakers in North America on the other hand are known for their cheese innovations. But can you taste the difference between a new and old world cheese? You be the judge. In this class, we'll taste a French double-crème against a similar cheese from the American south; an English cheddar alongside a Vermont one; and several other equally delectable match-ups. Along the way you'll discover what the most important components of a great cheese really are. Hint: It has to do with the cheesemaker.
Still want more education? These are some other classes I've been eyeing:
Mystery of the Caves, Thursday, August 4, 6:30-8:30 pm, Brian Ralph, At Murrays, NYC
See why Conde Nast Traveler named Murray’s Cheese Caves one of the 50 Coolest Places to see in the world. Join us as we share the world of cheese caves with you. Take a tour of the subterranean caves at Murray’s and find out exactly what goes on in there. Learn about basic affinage practices and the elementary science behind what happens to cheeses as they age. Enjoy your newfound knowledge as we lead you through a guided tasting of cave-aged gems so you can see (we mean taste) the benefits of the aging process for yourself.
Amazing Cheeses of Wisconsin and the Beers That Love Them, Monday, August 22, 6:30 – 8:30 pm (also at the Cheese School)
While we take a lot of pride in our California cheeses, Wisconsin has been producing more cheese than any other state in the nation for more than 100 years. Building on those traditions, trailblazing artisan cheesemakers are popping up all across the state. Sara Hill of Wisconsin’s own Milk Marketing Board will guide us through the evolving landscape, from rustic and simple cheese curds--‘squeakers’ in local parlance--to award-winning, artisanal masterpieces. Cheeseheads of all regions are sure to love this tasty tour of America’s dairy heartland...and brewland. Did we mention there would be beer?!
Instructor Sara Hill
Free Story Hour, Tuesday, August 23rd 3:00-5:00 pm, at Forward Foods, Norman, Oklahoma
Let’s start this school year off right! Join Cheesemonger Bailey for an hour of fun with cheese - We’ll read books, color, and even play with our food while the grown-ups shop! A free come-and-go event for ages 3 and up.
Parents/Guardians must remain in the store while children attend Story Hour.
Wine Rep Showdown! – Round 1 Ashley vs Megan, Round 2 Travis vs Shane, Thursday September 8, 7:00pm and Thursday September 15, 7:00pm, Scardello Cheese, Dallas, Texas
Two titans face off in Cheese Stadium! They pick the wine (Sparkling, White, Two Reds!) We pick the cheese! You decide. Whose wine will reign supreme?
Cheese Basics, Tuesday, Sep 27, 2011, At Artisanal, NYC
You may know you love a particular cheese, but do you feel tongue-tied when asked to tell another person what makes it so great? Are you at a loss when talking about a fantastic cheese + wine pairing? The range of vocabulary surrounding cheese is at least as vast as that around wine, but each of us already has the vocabulary to talk about cheese and wine, using colorful and expressive - yet everyday - words.
Ask the Cheesemonger: Perfect Ripeness, Thursday, September 29, 6:30 – 8:30 pm (also at the Cheese School)
Cheesemongers spend a lot of time with cheese. Over the years they learn to recognize what’s almost ripe, what’s fabulous, and what’s seen better days. The perfect window for cheese excellence can be as short as a few days or as long as a few weeks. In this class BiRite cheese buyer Anthea Stolz [the sweetest person in the world] will take us through a vertical tasting of the same cheeses at different stages of ripeness. You may find you prefer some cheeses older, while other younger. By the end you’ll be ready to snob it up with your favorite cheesemonger.
Have some I should add to the list? I'd looooove to get some more up here. Please let me know! Email me at itsnotyouitsbrie@gmail.com