the cheese chronicles

Culture Magazine, Spring 2013

2013-03-26T08:36:00.002-07:00

I picked up a copy of Culture Magazine last weekend at the Oregon Cheese Festival at Rogue Creamery in Central Point/Medford, Oregon. Didn't have a chance to read it until yesterday - over a week later. As I am casually flipping through the pages, my eyes drifted across the New On the Market column. Item number 2 is FREYA'S WHEEL!!! My jaw practically hit the floor. I look again and there it is. My cheese! In a magazine! Cool! I totally forgot that this might be happening.

I remember an email in January after the article ran in the San Francisco Chronicle. A writer from Culture wanted a photo of Freya's Wheel. They were going to mention it. I thought it was for a blog. I had no idea it was going into the magazine. This is what happens when you work 12 hour days, day after day. You start to forget things like this.

I was completely gobsmacked to find my photo and mention of my cheese in the glossy pages of a magazine. I was sitting along at the dining room table and there was no one around with whom I could gush and share the news. The cat was asleep on the couch. The dog had his back to me, staring out the window, hoping a squirrel might appear on the lawn. Jim wasn't around. So I put the magazine down and forgot about it for several hours.

That night, Jim picked up the magazine and was looking at an article on Spain. I told him to look at page 10. He does. "Hey! Franklin Peluso is making a washed rind Teleme," he announces. He knows I have a huge weakness for Teleme. "Yes, dear. I saw that, too. What ELSE is on the page?" "Oh!" Jim starts. "Hey! Freya's Wheel is here. I thought I recognized that cheese picture." He was excited, too. Such good news. One more thing to put on the wall of our Farm Store!

Update: Good Food Award! Anthony Bourdain! A truffle video!

2013-03-25T09:50:00.002-07:00

January was quite eventful. Not only were we featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, but we also received a Good Food Award for the Best Fresh Cheese in the United States. Woo hoo!!!!!!!

I got to fly down to San Francisco to attend a fancy awards ceremony with Alice Waters. I still can't believe that we have been recognized TWICE as having the best chevre in the country! The ceremony was lots of fun. There was a great reception with all of the winning products available for sampling. Our chevre was given to Annie from Greens Restaurant at Fort Mason in San Francisco. They put it on a crostini with balsamic vinegar, onions and micro greens. Delicious!!! The cocktails were fun, the salamis were great. Chocolate tastings were fantastic. What's not to love about good food?

The Good Food Awards dovetailed nicely into the Fancy Food Show. Jim, Elerina, and I went and explored as much as we could in one day. Held at Moscone Convention Center, it is a massive showcase of gourmet food and beverages from around the globe. I focused on cheese, naturally. Chocolates were plentiful, too. The atmosphere was much more restrained than past years. Fewer give-aways, fewer samples. Sign of the times.

The entire weekend was a like big party. I got to see lots of my cheese colleagues and share many stories as well as my cheese. I really enjoy the American cheese community and any chance I can spend time with them is time well spent.

I just put together a slideshow, giving you another look at what we're doing around Briar Rose Creamery. Lots of photos of our fresh chevre and aged cheeses and our awards. Freya's Wheel is our semi-soft, bloomy rind goat cheese. It has a white surface.sort of like a brie. Madrona, my newest creation is a taleggio style goat cheese with a washed rind. It is reddish in color, similar to the bark of the Madrone tree.

Slideshow by Sarah Marcus, Music bed by Los Straightjackets, "Pacifica" from the album Viva Los Straightjackets.

Another fun video features Briar Rose Creamery's multiple award-winning Chocolate Chevre Truffles! Michael Kalish, a San Francisco based cheese colleague, spent some time working at the creamery in October. Michael and his twin brother Charlie Kalish have plans to build a cheese aging center in the Bay Area. They've spent several years traveling around Europe studying the art of affinage (cheese aging) as well as cheesemaking. Their goal is to work with cheesemakers, aging cheeses to perfection and then distributing the ripe cheese to cheese counters. With help from Michael, I've been perfecting Madrona as well as the creamery's food safety plan. He and his brother are big fans of our truffles and made this clip about them.

February featured a mad rush on our truffles. We were featured on Anthony Bourdain's show "The Layover" on the Travel Channel! He visited a cheese shop in Seattle called The Calf and Kid. The last clip spotlighted Briar Rose Creamery's chocolate goat cheese truffles. Have you ever seen Mr. Bourdain swoon? He swooned. He LOVED my truffles. Wow. The guy does not like sweets. As he said, "They shouldn't be good, but they are!" and "That's my kind of dessert." Can't ask for a better recommendation than that. You'll have to wait for the ad to play and our truffles are featured at the end of the segment.

We've been busy making and selling lots of cheese this year. Our little farm store is getting visitors from all over the world. The wineries are sending cheese fans our way. I really like the cheeses that I am producing. This mad dream of mine seems to be gaining momentum! I love what I do. Glad to see others like it too.

Enjoy!
-Sarah

San Francisco Chronicle!!!

2013-01-04T22:45:00.001-08:00

Briar Rose Creamery's Freya's Wheel. Photo by Craig Lee.

Jumping up and down for joy tonight!!!! Our humble little cheese called Freya's Wheel is the cheese of the week in the San Francisco Chronicle. Holy guacamole! I'm so happy! Plus, I'm in the Bay Area this weekend celebrating my birthday. What a great gift! I can actually pick up a hard copy of the paper and put it into my scrapbook. Don't know who planned it, but the timing of this article is fantastic.

The Cheese Course Column by Janet Fletcher

Nice, personal essay-like review of my cheese. I love the fact that the author, Janet Fletcher mentions the artisan cheesemaking class at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. This was my first "real" cheesemaking class that I took in 2005 and that's where I first got to know Janet. I've managed to stay in touch with her over the years, seeing her at cheese conferences and at events around the Bay Area. Who knew that several years later she'd find my cheese in a cheese shop and then she'd be featuring it in her column.

So if you're looking for my cheese in the Bay Area, you might try Cowgirl Creamery. They're selling Freya's Wheel. Looks like my buddy Gordon Edgar at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco has a couple of Freya's Wheel in stock as of today. Spotted a photo on their Faceook page.

If you're looking for my luscious, taleggio style goat cheese, I just dropped off two wheels of Madrona as well as two Freya's Wheels at the Epicurean Connection just off of the plaza in Sonoma. Sheana Davis is a huge proponent of artisan cheese and a cheesemaker herself. So fun to be able to hand deliver cheese to her in Sonoma this afternoon. The Epicurean Connection is the first cheese counter in California to stock Madrona!

This article in the San Francisco Chronicle means so much for me on a personal level because my mother used to write for the The Chronicle. In the 1980's and 1990's she was a regular contributor to the Food Section. She wrote about kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and cherry picking. We got to taste test heirloom apples. She would critique restaurants with Michael Bauer. She'd write about food finds in Finland. She was a travel writer as well. As time moved on, she wrote less about food and more about her dogs. The food world was not of interest anymore.

If you search the archives of SFGATE.com you'll find some of her stories. Most are very personal. Like the one about the doves that came to nest on the deck. Other are features about subjects that are close to all of our hearts, good food.
Here's a link to an article about cherries:
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Luscious-unusual-cherry-varieties-within-reach-2655884.php
Here's the dove story:
http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/No-predicting-just-where-birds-will-plant-2669308.php

Home for the holidays.

2012-12-18T09:43:00.000-08:00

Snow. December 2012. Photo by Sarah Marcus

Things are rolling right along as we wrap up our first year at our new facility. Today we're having our first snow this winter, we're delivering cheese to restaurants all over the county, and we're getting final orders for the holidays.

We've received more awards! In October we were awarded FIVE ribbons from the American Dairy Goat Association! Among those awards are TWO blue ribbons, one for Freya's Wheel, our semi-soft, aged goat cheese and one for our Classic Chevre. This means that when judged against all other fresh, plain, spreadable goat cheese, our Classic Chevre was judged to be the best in the country. WOW!!!! Our feta, Iris, and chocolate goat cheese truffles all got third place ribbons. We did ok.


Alistair checks out the ribbons. Photo by Sarah Marcus

We are also finalists for a Good Food Award! Our Classic Chevre is honored as one of the best fresh cheeses in the country! In January, Jim and I will be in San Francisco attending the Good Foods Awards at the Ferry Building. The winners will be officially announced at the ceremony on January 18th. We're so excited! I'm feeling like we're doing things right with all of this recognition.

Articles about Briar Rose Creamery recently ran in our local papers, the Newberg Graphic and McMinnville's News-Register. Unfortunately, one must pay to view the articles so I cannot link to them.

A third piece ran in November's Oregon Wine Press. That article you can read right here.

And for your viewing pleasure: Here is a video by our friend Christine Hyatt, the Cheese Chick. A nice glimpse around our place:

Briar Rose Creamery - Fresh and Aged Goat Cheese in the Dundee HIlls from Cheese Chick on Vimeo.

Happy holidays!!! -Sarah

American Cheese Society Conference 2012

2012-08-06T09:23:00.003-07:00

The annual cheese shindig just wrapped up. This year it was in Raleigh, North Carolina. I was invited to participate on a Friday morning panel about Recruiting, Hiring, and Training the Next Generation. The other panelists were Steve Tate from Goat Lady Dairy in North Carolina and David Lockwood from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. It was moderated by Culture Magazine's Kate Arding. Great, meaningful discussion. Steve sang my praises about being the perfect intern. I loved it because I had spent time at both Goat Lady as well as Neal's Yard Dairy. I could comment on having been an apprentice for so long as well as having launched my own creamery.

The annual conference was phenomenal. I love being able to gather with colleagues from all over the planet and share ideas and stories. Really helps to recharge my batteries.

One of the highlights is the Cheese Awards. Over 1700 cheeses were submitted for judging in the annual competition. Results were revealed on Friday night at the big awards ceremony. Kinda like the Oscars for cheesemakers. Briar Rose Creamery submitted 6 cheeses for judging. And the results??? Third place for our Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles! I got to run up on stage and grab my very own ribbon. Every year the competition is larger and so there are more folks competing for the same ribbons. Just to get anything is a huge accomplishment! I think we're doing something right!

Goat Lady Diary got a BLUE ribbon, 1st Place, for their Smokey Mountain Rounds - a smoked chevre crottin. Super happy for them! Carrie and Bobby Bradds make such amazing cheese. I sat with them at the awards ceremony. When they won, we were all cheering, whooping, and hollering!

Next year the conference will be in Madison, Wisconsin. Can't wait to send more cheese to be judged. I hope I can attend as well.

Catching the eye of local politicians

2012-05-27T10:25:00.001-07:00

Photo of Sarah and Jim at Briar Rose Creamery by Michelle Blumenthal.

The McMinnville Farmers' Market opened on Thursday. It was pouring rain for half of the afternoon, but that didn't stop the eager market shoppers and local politicians from coming out to see what's happening in downtown McMinnville.

The first day of the farmers market is always exciting. We get to see people we haven't seen for six months. Friends come up and say hello. Hugs all around. It is as much fun for the vendors as it is for the patrons. McMinnville is our local market. These are our neighbors. We love the size of the market, as well as the mix of vendors. This year Briar Rose Creamery is on the steering committee, devoting some of our time to this wonderful market.

The afternoon of the market was busy in spite of the rain showers. We had lots of customers eager to try our new cheeses. I noticed a photographer was busy snapping pictures of patrons at various booths. Nothing unusual. The market is a great place to take pictures. Briar Rose Creamery's booth is located near the corner of 3rd Street (Main Street) and NE Cowls Street. We're conveniently placed next to the wine tasting booth. A different Yamhill County winery is featured every week. Love the fact that Oregon liquor laws allow wine tasting at farmers markets.

Around 3pm, a group of women were looking at wine selections offered by this week's winery, Twist Wine Company. They were accompanied by the photographer and a reporter. The entourage moved on to our booth and were curious about our cheeses. One of the women introduced us to our newly elected congresswoman, Suzanne Bonamici. We shook her hand and told the group a bit about our creamery and the fact that everything is made right here in Dundee. Jim and I walked the women through a cheese tasting, starting with our fresh chevres and giving suggestions on how to use each one. We then guided them through the aged cheeses, explaining the different cheeses that we have available. They like our cheeses and our congresswoman bought a piece of Iris, my washed-rinded, semi-soft goat cheese. Yay!

Here is a link to the article published this weekend in the Yamhill Valley News-Register:
Article: Bonamici visit Mac Market Opening

Evolution of Briar Rose Creamery

2012-03-13T00:08:00.001-07:00

and <br>

And we're done! We have finally finished the cheese palace! We were licensed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture in December 2011. We've been making cheese and have been testing out our new AGING ROOMS! Woo hoo!   The commute is a mere two minutes down the driveway.

Compiling the photos for this animated slideshow made me realize just how much we've done and accomplished. We did it. I could not have predicted that it would have taken this long, but we've learned so much about ourselves as well as the construction process.   We're still ironing out a few bugs, but everything is working and we can make all kinds of cheese.

We've also been doing some growing, shifting and changing, adding new faces to the Briar Rose Creamery team.   I think we're on a great path and things are moving full steam ahead.

A peek around Briar Rose Creamery

2011-08-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a glimpse around Briar Rose Creamery as of Summer 2011. We're plugging away, making things happen. We've done a lot since March of 2010.

Photo by Sarah Marcus

The ribbon from the Award Ceremony at the American Cheese Society Conference in Montreal, Quebec. I am still pinching myself.

Jim manning the booth at Woodstock Farmers Market, Portland, Oregon, Summer 2011.

Jim leads the charge at our Farmers Markets. He gets all the glory, while I toil away in the cheese room. That's ok. He's good at selling our cheese and love to talk baseball to anyone who will listen.

Shawn, the guy with the goats feeding youngsters around the goat barn. Early summer 2011. Photo by Sarah Marcus

Meet Shawn. He has the goats, mostly French Alpines and Swiss Toggenburgs. He milks them twice a day, every day. I take that rich, sweet milk and make something delicious with it.

Chelsea, assistant cheese maker getting some buckling attention. Photo by Sarah Marcus

This is Chelsea, my assistant in the cheese room and farmer's market rock star. Yes, her hair is really that color and has been that color for years. Well, it might change hue a bit from time to time, but she wears it well.

Cheese curds releasing whey and transforming into fresh chevre. Briar Rose Creamery, Summer 2011. Photo by Sarah Marcus

With this goat cheese I make fresh spreadable goat cheese in five flavors: Classic, a traditional chevre; Lemon Dill, Garlic Herb, Rosemary & Peppercorn, as well as Spicy Chipotle. I also make hand-rolled logs, chevre discs in infused olive oil, and award winning chocolate goat cheese truffles.

Tara hanging curds.
Photo by Sarah Marcus

Construction is moving along on our building. Last week we had a couple of cement pads poured around the exterior of the building. Compressors and other bits of equipment will be located on those fresh slabs of cement. We've got some special equipment being installed this week. Our air handling system is being set up and should be ready for action soon. We've got nylon socks for our air ducts and we'll have filtered air keeping our air quality nice and clean. A must for us! Keep that road dust out, thank you very much. We've been trying to get our epoxy floor put in for weeks now, but it still isn't installed. We're getting new bids this week.

Sarah stands by her work.

It might be an emotional roller coaster, with long days and sleepless nights, but I am living my dream.

A goat milk expert raises her voice:

Blue Ribbon!!!

2011-08-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

Photo by Emiliano Lee, cheesemonger extraordinaire of Liberty Heights Fresh, Salt Lake City, Utah.

It seems I only have time to jot down a few lines when we have momentous news. The news today? We just received a blue ribbon for our Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles! We entered them into the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition being held in Montreal, Quebec. We actually had four entries, and got a ribbon for the truffles, not the cheese.

Here is a list of all of the winners at American Cheese Society cheese contest. The best in show was awarded to fellow Oregonians, Rogue Creamery for their Rogue River Blue. Their second Best-of-Show in three years! We're thrilled for David, Cary, and the entire Rogue team for their success. They make some phenomenal cheeses.

Our Chocolate Chevre Truffles were awarded 1st place in the "Fresh Goat Cheese, Flavor Added: Floral" category. When we were filling out our entry form, there wasn't a perfect fit for our truffles. Nothing that indicated sweetened cheese, confections with cheese, cheese with chocolate added, etc. We actually called the offices of the American Cheese Society to figure out the best category for our truffles. They were stumped, too. Finally we all decided that the flavor added "floral" category was the closest fit since the category also included fruit added. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. The cocoa bean comes from a fruit, right? Close enough for us and ACS.

And now a blue ribbon!

Our truffles are still hard to get. We only sell them at our Farmers Market booth and special events and I only produce them when we have time in the cheese room to do so. We have a few retail outlets for them as well, but none have them in stock at this time. Check with them in a week or two, since we feel the need to reach out and offer them for sale.

Outlets are: Lifesource Natural Foods in Salem, Oregon, Sundance Natural Foods in Eugene, Oregon, Cheese Bar and Elephants Deli, both in Portland, Oregon.

I do not have the staff nor time to take retail mail orders, sorry. Shipping cheese or truffles in the summertime is not something I want to risk. Maybe once we're moved into our new creamery building we'll explore the possibility of shipping our truffles and cheese, but right now it isn't an option. Ah, well. If you want to try them, you'll just have to see us in person! We love that idea!

February is truffles and cheese month

2011-02-01T09:41:00.000-08:00

Photos by Oregonian photographer, Ross Hamilton.

Just in time for Valentine's Day: more truffles! I really do make more things beyond these delicious, chocolate goat cheese truffles. Perhaps some nice fresh chevre to go with your dessert wine? But I'm not going to deny the world of these silky morsels of chevre and chocolate.

Tami Parr writes the cheese column for Portland's Mix Magazine, a bi-monthly magazine published by our local paper, The Oregonian. February features Briar Rose Creamery and our truffles. Yay! Tami came out to the creamery the same day we had a tornado touch down five miles away in Aumsville, Oregon. Also feature on that day: an inspection by the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture - we're doing fine! How's that for timing? Is there a message from the Universe in there somewhere?

Forever plagued by weighty issues, I look at these photos and see the need to go on a diet. But, my-oh-my! Don't those truffles look good! Nice shots of Shawn's bucks, and a group shot of the does in the dairy barn.

Here's the link to the article in the February 2011 issue of Mix Magazine.

Chocolate goat cheese truffles are catching on!

2010-12-06T11:16:00.001-08:00

Got a nice write-up on the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project. Our truffles are addictive. And they're selling fast!

I learned how to make them while at Goat Lady Dairy. I made lots of them while I was there. Since then I've made them from time to time to give as gifts to friends. I even made them for classes at the Cheese School of San Francisco.

I loved tweaking with the recipe. Mom was very opinionated when I was shopping around for chocolate to test. She wrote a book about chocolate in the '70s called "The Chocolate Bible", so she knew what she was talking about. We tried several different chocolates and several different cocoa powders to get the exact flavor profile that I was looking for. It had to be a rich, dark chocolate, but not bitter. The sweetness from the chocolate had to marry well with the acidity of the goat cheese. The cocoa powder had to hit the palatte with hints of smoke, and savory chocolate. Yes, they're really good.

Right now you can only find them where ever we are personally selling them, so a few holiday markets around town. We're looking for more retail outlets, but our production is small, so I've got to make sure they're in places where they'll sell.

They make great hostess gifts if you really feel like sharing.

Award!!! and looking back

2010-10-26T09:12:00.000-07:00

Chocolate goat cheese truffles - photo by Angelina Williamson.

Briar Rose Creamery got its first award this weekend! We entered cheese and truffles into the cheese competition of the American Dairy Goat Association annual meeting. The meeting was held in Tuscon, Arizona this year. Since we couldn't attend, we Fed-Ex'ed a couple of boxes full of samples and ice packs to a hotel near the airport in Tuscon. We simply wanted to get feedback and see how our stuff holds up to critique.

The results came back and we got a 2nd Place ribbon for our Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles! I'm still jumping up and down with excitement. I can't wait to see the notes from the judges and see what they thought of our fresh chevre.

Tami Parr was one of the judges and posted the list of winners from Oregon on her website: Pacific Northwest Cheese Project.

If you want to buy some truffles, you're in luck. They're available only at The Cheese Bar in Portland, Oregon, or Sundance Natural Foods in Eugene, Oregon. We also had them at our farmer's market booth, but that's over for the season. Stay tuned to our Facebook Page. I'll post more locations as we get them. We're pretty picky about who sells our truffles.

Looking back, the first seven months:

This first year of production has been full of trial and tribulations for Jim and me. Not a week goes by that I don't question my sanity. Why am I doing this? How am I going to pay for all of this? Will my building ever get finished? Will I survive this start-up phase? How am I going to get everything done that needs to be done?

Receiving an award for my truffles validates my work and reasons for making cheese. People like us! I make tasty truffles!

I've never seen myself as an entrepreneur. I've always worked for others, and try to do the best that I can in any given situation. Starting my own business is completely out of my comfort zone. I'm getting a knot in my stomach right now as I write about it. I took classes offered by the Small Business Administration in San Francisco but I still feel totally out of my element and not as well prepared as I should have been. I'd like to find a mentor who knows all about starting and running a small food production business. That might ease my anxieties. I really am better at handling my anxieties these days. I try to take a few minutes each day to clear my head. I even meditate. My spiritual practices support me, too. I try to see the bumps in the road as learning tools. Each lesson is making me a stronger person and a better business woman. We're following our hearts and going for our dreams. This is a great thing!

Farmer's Market Season:

We made it through our first Farmer's Market season. I still can't believe they end so early, around here. But that seems to be a good thing because the rains came this weekend and things are very wet and soggy, not good outdoor shopping weather.

Jim handled the markets and we did pretty well. The crappy economy did keep some shoppers away. Sales were down in McMinnville, the one market we worked last year (for Silver Falls Creamery.) Our Portland Farmers Markets were pretty good. We sold cheese at Pioneer Courthouse Square, on Mondays, Moreland Market in Southeast Portland on Wednesdays, and in McMinnville on Thursdays. In September, we were also at a market on NW 23rd in Portland on Thursdays, too. Folks were excited to see a new cheesemaker and try our cheese. As new vendors, we were testing the waters and we did OK for our first year. Next year we hope to add some weekend markets to our roster. And next year people will be able to buy cheese directly from our farm (come Hell or high water!)

Photo: Sarah and Jim at Provvista's Open House.

We knew this first year would be about building a customer base and getting our name out there. At each market folks would flock to our tent and try our cheese. Many would take one home with them. It was fun to see which cheese would sell the best at a market. There were seasonal winners, too. Lemon Dill Chevre is a summer cheese. When the weather was nice, it would outsell everything else. When the thermometer dips below 65 degrees, Garlic Herb Chevre was a clear favorite. When the leaves started to turn color and the crisp air of Autumn set the tone, Rosemary Peppercorn emerged as the crowd-pleaser.

We're also getting on the menu at a bunch of local restaurants. The local chefs are really happy with our cheese and are putting it into some fantastic dishes. I still get a huge thrill to see Briar Rose Creamery called out on a menu. Jim likes dropping by restaurants and meeting with chefs. He'll give them a pound of chevre to play with and checks up on them the following week. Most chefs have been glad to get good cheese for free. Who wouldn't? We then encourage them to place orders from our distributor, Provvista or buy directly from us if they're nearby.

Shameless plugs:
If you want to be inspired and see how local chefs use our chevre, we're on the menu regularly at some of our favorite local restaurants like Subterra in Newberg. In Dundee, you can't go wrong at any of the local eateries: Dundee Bistro, Tina's Restaurant, Farm to Fork, Red Hills Provincial Dining, in McMinnville, stop by Nick's Italian Cafe or Nick's Backroom, La Rambla, or Crescent Cafe. In Portland, I'd love it if you would swing by Ned Ludd or the Cheese Bar, as they both use our cheese. The Cheese Bar also is one of the few outlets for our AWARD WINNING Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles! Going skiing? You just might find our cheese on the menu at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.

Follow me!

2010-09-07T00:38:00.001-07:00

Jim and I are luddites. We have six year old cell phones, my laptop has seen better days, and our desktop computer is pretty ancient, too. Yet, we're cutting edge in cheesemaking circles.

Why? Because we're on Facebook and have been for a while. I'm also on Twitter. Briar Rose Creamery has a pretty good following on Facebook. We've seen a good response at our farmer's markets when we promote a flavor. We've been able to get into supermarkets that way, too. A cheese buyer told me that they had customers demanding our cheese because we asked folks to request Briar Rose Creamery's chevre at their favorite cheese counters.

The power of social media is pretty strong and Jim and I seem to like the immediacy of it.
It works!
Power to the people!

So if you're so inclined, please follow Briar Rose Creamery on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Briar-Rose-Creamery/112348448790151?ref=ts
or find us on Twitter: BriarRoseCheese

I've also added those widget thingies to the right-hand column of this blog so you can sort of keep track of me.

On the radio TODAY!! and now, Retail outlets!

2010-05-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Photo: Briar Rose Creamery's Classic Chevre.

Today I'm going to be interviewed on the radio. A Portland community radio station is hosting a food show every Wednesday from 11am - Noon. Today's topic: CHEESE! I'll be the featured start-up cheesemaker. Listen in if you can!
They stream on the web. http://www.kboo.org/node/21552

I know I'm still very behind on my blog. So much to update and so little time right now to do it. Building is still being built. I'm driving 55 miles to make cheese in Stayton at the goat dairy. Yes, I'm making cheese. Fresh chevre to be exact. We're starting to take our cheese and sell it around Portland and around the Oregon Wine Country. So far we're getting some great responses. Yay!

You can find our cheese at these fine retail locations:

Abbie and Olivers Cheese Shop, Inside Wednesday Wines, 250 NE 3rd St, McMinnville, OR 97128, 503-583-0367
Foster and Dobbs Authentic Foods, 2518 NE 15th Avenue at NE Brazee Street, Portland, OR 97212, 503.284.1157
Cheese Bar (nee Steve's Cheese) 6031 SE Belmont Street (at 61st near Mt. Tabor), Portland, OR 97215
503-222-6014
Square Deal Wine and Cheese, 2321 NW Thurman Street, Portland, OR 97210, 503.226.9463

The Horse Radish, Downtown Carlton, Oregon, (503) 852-6656

Amity Foods and Coffee House, Downtown Amity, Oregon
615 South Trade Street, Amity, OR 97101, (503) 835-5600

Also, the farmer's market season has started for us. We're at three of them. Please stop by and say hello! Jim will be there.

Moreland Farmers Market, Wednesdays 3:30 to 7:30, May 12th - Sept 29th 2010, Located at SE Bybee/14th with free parking across the street at SE 14th/Glenwood. Westmoreland/Sellwood neighborhood, Portland, Oregon

McMinnville Farmer's Market, Thursdays from 1:30 -6:00, May 27th - October 7th. On Cowls St. btwn 2nd and 3rd. Downtown McMinnville, Oregon.

Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmer's Market, Mondays from 10:00 - 2:00, June 21 - October 25. Downtown Portland, Oregon.

Please support these folks who are taking a chance and selling our cheese! We really appreciate their faith and hope that it pays off for everyone.

Want another way to see what we're up to? We're on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Briar-Rose-Creamery/112348448790151

Shine on sweet spotlight!

2010-04-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday featured Briar Rose Creamery on Examiner.com . The column focuses on small businesses. My dear Jim got to answer their questions and here are the results. Thank you Delida Costin.

Woo hoo! Shine on, sweet media spotlight!

Coming soon: more photos of our construction. We have a nicely sloping floor now, and the initial plumbing is in. Electrical activities are on deck. Lots happening.

More updates:
We're just waiting on our labels now. I'm busy making cheese in Stayton at the facilities of Silver Falls Creamery. As soon as we get our labels, we can start selling cheese. Yay!

We've been accepted to two farmer's markets. McMinnville Farmer's Market on Thursday afternoons starting May 27th and Pioneer Courthouse Square Farmer's Market in Portland starting Monday, June 21st. Still looking for one or two more. Who's got room for my cheese?

Onward and upward, here we go!

I am an Artisan Cheesemaker! With a logo!

2010-02-19T00:56:00.000-08:00

Christine Hyatt, the Cheese Chick, shot a video at Portland's Wedge Festival in October. Here I am holding cheese from Silver Falls Creamery. I was bundled up for the crisp, Autumn weather.

Yes, indeed, I am an artisan cheesemaker. Ripening soon!

Our logo was designed by Annette Orban of Orban Ranch in Portland, Oregon. We've been having fun coming up with our "look", labels, and packaging. I gave her the rough idea of what I saw in my head, a wood cut rose.
http://www.orbanranch.com

Building a strong foundation

2010-02-19T00:22:00.000-08:00

Why should I let a little thing like my mother's death stop me from continuing with my plans for starting an artisan cheese business? I've been trying to find a balance between dealing with upheaval withing the family following Adrianne's passing and knowing that my dream hasn't changed. Today, my feet are even more firmly placed on this path, as I move forward with a conviction and a burning desire to manifest this new life.

You can plan forever, but you can also get so caught up trying to anticipate every detail that you might never get started. My dream has felt like a pool of water sitting behind a dam, building up pressure, the potential for all that I can be in this next stage of my life and career. Suddenly there's movement and the floodgates begin to open and the water, my creative drive begins to pour out. The water cascades down the face of the dam, slowly at first and then in a torrent, crashing on to the rocks below. Another pool begins to fill and the water begins to flow into channels that have always been there, but they've just been waiting for the water to remember where it is supposed to go. Sometimes I forget it is easiest to just go with the flow.

Here in Dundee, Oregon, a new building is rising up out of the red dirt. The foundation for our cheese palace has been cast. A wooden frame is being erected. A roof has been set in place. Holy cow! This thing is really happening!

Here's a slideshow that shows our progress over the past 2.5 weeks. Photos are mostly taken by Jim.

There's a lot going on around here. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and just want to cry. Other times I'm just amazed at how much my life has changed over the past few years.

The Wedge, Portland celebrates cheese this weekend!

2009-10-02T08:25:00.001-07:00

THE WEDGE

If you should be near Portland, Oregon tomorrow, Saturday, October 3rd, 2009, perhaps you might want to head over to the Green Dragon Pub at SE 9th and Hawthorn. Why? It is time for The Wedge, a celebration of cheese from all over the Northwest, and a couple from Northern California.

Jim and I will be there representing Silver Falls Creamery. Please stop by and say hello. I'd love to see some friendly faces.

There will be lots of cheese to taste, beer to drink, other food to sample, as well as some cheese-centric seminars to enlighten you. Plus you can buy some cheese from some of the best cheesemakers in the country.

Cost: A mere $5. Or you can bring a can of food to donate to the Oregon Food Bank. Such a deal! Bring the kids!

Where: 928 SE 9th Ave. in Portland, Oregon in front of the Green Dragon Pub (Google Map here)

When: From 10:00am - 4:00pm, Saturday, October 3rd, 2009.

Lots more info about it is on the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project Blog.

Should be fun!

More memories of Adrianne

2009-09-12T09:41:00.000-07:00

A video of my mother, Adrianne Marcus reading her poem "The Resurrection of Trotsky" in Ventura, CA appears on YouTube.

The Dublin Writers Workshop has a few of Adrianne's poems on their online magazine Electric Acorn 10

The Absinthe Literary Review from Summer 2001.

From her book, Magritte's Stones:

La Legende des Siecles
A stone table has less thought than an ordinary (wood) table. —Rene Magritte

A chair on a chair. And no table in sight. This is the meal
Of the uneaten. We are waiting for the table to be set, for
The roast to release its hearty juices, for the vegetables to
Shine in all their oranges and reds. There are dark shadows
On the legs of the chair. Perhaps the cat is waiting there
For scraps. And at each corner of the table, a dog lies,
Perfectly still, looking up at its owners. Now there are four dogs.
Now there are three, but the absent one is always there, patient,
Unspeaking, and the owners who are owned themselves
Smile at the corner, and wait for the meal to end.

Adrianne Marcus

Adrianne Maris Marcus

2009-09-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Photo: Adrianne Marcus in Finland, Sept. 2008

My mother passed away early this morning. At 12:38am, to be exact. She died peacefully, her chest rising and falling, movement gradually becoming more of an afterthought, until she breathed no more. The cell phone by my bed woke me up as the doctor called to give me the news. She apologized and said words of condolence as I listened to what she had to say. I replied with words coming out of my numb mouth. There wasn't much left to reply.

I got up, Jim and I got dressed and went upstairs to tell the rest of the family. Aunt Judy was first. I pushed open the door to my old bedroom and she was up in an instant. I began to tell her but she already knew what I had to say as soon as I knocked on her door. Alix, Ian's daughter was the next one to wake up. She broke the news to Ian. I called my sisters, Shelby and Stacey. We piled into the family minvan and drove the 17 long mile to Kaiser Hospital in San Francisco to say goodbye. We have been driving back and forth to the hospital every day for two and a half months. I knew every inch of the route. I drove it every day. I sat in her room every day. I held her hand every day. This would be the last time I had to drive to the hospital.

Mom obviously wanted to spare us the heartache of being there at the moment of her passing, but we saw her shortly afterwards. She was so still, so quiet. We wiped our tears on Kaiser's Kleenex, more like sandpaper. We left her an hour later. As we were walking out of the hospital, a young couple were being escorted inside. They were having a baby. The woman looked apprehensive, not knowing quite what to expect. Her husband was nervous and elated, carrying their bag as she was wheeled off to the third floor. I looked at my family and we laughed. There is balance in the world. The circle of life keeps on turning. Mom's left us, and a new life is on its way.

Her death wasn't unexpected, just extremely painful for me to witness and sad. I was there for her, giving her my strength so that she could fight this disease and come home. I was there for her, so that she didn't have to worry about Ian, my stepdad, who has his own medical issues. I was there for her so that she could relax and try to focus on healing. I promised her I'd take care of her dogs. She would do the same for me. She was fierce and someone you wanted to have on your side. She was the strongest woman I've ever known. This is why I cannot believe she could be gone. So quiet. So beautiful, looking like she was truly at peace, having finally won her last fight.

She had ovarian cancer which led her to get a hysterectomy. Complications gave her one setback after another. Her body was weakened by over two years of malnourishment. She had lost her appetite. This is a woman who lived to eat. She loved food and the enjoyment of cooking and sharing a meal with friends. We knew something was wrong. She knew something wasn't right for over a year. Her diabetes, congestive heart failure and irregular heartbeat all added dimensions to her complex case and she didn't have the strength to overcome her numerous problems.

My mom and I were very close. She drove me crazy at times, but I loved her just the same. She would pick up the phone and call me at least once a day. "I just wanted to see how you are," she'd say. She's never say who was calling, she'd just launch into her thought as soon as you answered the phone. She just wanted to hear my voice.

She had a tremendous passion for everything that interested her. She loved her writing, her poetry, a good meal, and her dogs. She surrounded herself with intelligent people, loving a good discussion about art, music, or books. Her insatiable curiosity lead her to travel across the country and around the world seeking the hidden pleasures of local diners, hand crafted chocolates, and hand-blown ornamental glass birds. If you had the honor of being her friend, she'd give you anything you could ever want or need. It made her happy, knowing that she could take care of you. She had a huge heart.

She satisfied her curiosity for the world around her by writing about it. She was published in newspapers and magazines such as The San Francisco Chronicle, Food & Wine, Town & Country, Parade Magazine, and Travel and Leisure. She also published several books including, "The Chocolate Bible," "The Photojournalist: Mark & Leibovitz," and "Carrion House World of Gifts." There are works of unpublished fiction sitting in boxes in her workroom. "Morrigan's Crow" was a contemporary fantasy novel set in Ireland. "Chefs," was a scathing look at the world of celebrity chefs and the food world.

She was a food and travel journalist by trade but her true love was poetry, having published over 400 poems. She was an amazing poet who knew how to stitch words together in such a way that each word tugged at the other words, line after line carried you into the raw emotions that she wanted to explore. She would often reduce an audience to tears. She published many books of poetry such as "Magritte's Stones, " "Child of Earthquake Country," "The Moon is a Marrying Eye," and "The Resurrection of Trotsky." To read some of her poetry, you can find it at her website: Double M Sighthounds.

For the last few years she turned her attention to her dogs, Silken Windhounds and Borzois. She had seven of them. She became involved in the dog world, building friendships with in the dog breeding and lure coursing community.

I love my mother. I cannot imagine life without her. I know I she was proud of all that I've done. She could not wait to try my own cheese. I will not disappoint her. She was 74.

Here is the poem that my mother wrote for our wedding.

Wedding Poem
For Sarah and Jim, May 2, 1999

Here, in this season of flowers, your faces bloom
With love. This, your beginning, is a journey of roses,
Without thorns. The mutual air is filled with the sweet
Scent of blossoms, the perfume spilling out into
Each room where you are, pledging love, a lifetime
Together. All those delicate promises, pledges of spring.

Soon it will be summer. In that time, your faces will
Alter under the warm sun. Eating the fruits of the ripe
Nectarine, peaches, you will offer each other a taste,
A sharing. Your mouths will be honey and cinnamon as
You learn to invent delights
In more ways than you ever thought possible.

When autumn comes, you will change again, and there
Will be days when thorns and small hurts
May seem more important than they really are.
As the leaves turn, remember the blaze of color
Yellow and red, the amber fire that needs to be
Fed in order to continue to burn.

Speak to each other, let no night fall on
Sadness; remember to say I love you before
The day closes. Each morning is both a
Closing of time and a beginning of another.
Take nothing for granted.

When winter arrives, with its grey, dormant season.
Remember the bare branches are only
Illusion. Deep inside the pruned limbs, buds are
Dreaming their forms, taking the sweet shape of roses.
Wait for spring; and you will taste these blooms again,
Like love, with lavish familiarity.

Adrianne Marcus

Cat's out of the bag

2009-06-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

I've been mighty silent for a while. I've been talking to some folks about working together. Just didn't want to reveal too much while I was in sensitive negotiations. I think I can talk about things more freely now.

I has always been hard for me to keep a secret for too long and the cat's outta the bag, now. Briar Rose Creamery just got it's first mention in the online version of the Oregonian, Portland's morning paper. Woo hoo! Last Wednesday, I participated in an event called Oregon Cheese Stories sponsored by Oregon State University's Food Innovation Center. Cheesemakers got to tell their stories to cheeseshop owners, distributors, and food writers. I went with Silver Falls Creamery to reveal my new partnership with them and our plans for the future. We also got to talk to lots of folks about our cheese, let them try it, and hopefully get them to order it.

Photo: Cheese tasting at the Food Innovation Center.

What am I doing with Silver Falls Creamery? If things continue along this merry path, this summer I will begin to make cheese with Shawn, the herdsman, cheesemaker, teacher, and father of four youngsters. He's a very busy guy with hardly enough time to breathe, let alone make cheese. I'm going to drive to Stayton a few days a week to make cheese. If you are eager to try some pretty tasty fresh goat cheese, Jim and I are currently selling Silver Falls Creamery chevre at the McMinnville Farmer's Marke t every Thursday afternoon. Stop by and say hi!

Photo: Shawn milks a doe at Silver Falls Creamery.

While all this partnering is happening, we'll be building out our creamery on our property. Once the structure is complete, I will make cheese in Dundee. Briar Rose Creamery will produce aged cheeses, Silver Falls will have fresh chevre. Both will be made here. At least that's the plan right now.

We've found our milk supplier! Plus I've been approached by a gentleman in Clackamas County who is building a goat dairy and want to sell his milk to me. There have even been conversations with another person who has a flock of dairy sheep. Keep 'em coming!

I am amazed, thrilled, and grateful with the way things are really falling into place. I'm really living the dream! Please don't pinch me, I don't want to wake up.

Like a fine cuppa coffee

2009-03-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Photo: I get to ham it up with Ig Vella at Vella Cheese Company

Lots of stuff percolating around here. Not much time to blog about it.

My bad! The Sonoma Cheese Conference went really well. Got to see lots of friends and make some new ones. Both good things in my estimation. My panel went off really well. Three of us got to talk about blogging basics and how a blog can be a wonderful dynamic form of writing. I had my fill of excellent cheeses from across the country and some great wines and beers were served as well. It is a nice, intimate gathering of cheese professionals. A highlight for me was going to the Vella Cheese Company with fellow Oregonians Pat Morford and her daughter Astraea from River's Edge Chevre, and Tami Parr of the Pacific Northwest Cheese Project. I bought some extra aged Dry Jack from Ig Vella himself. It is a nice excuse to spend a few days in the beautiful town of Sonoma.

Photo: a princess cake.

I did manage to visit my sister in Santa Rosa. Brought her a piece of Princess Cake for her birthday. Scandia Bakery on Napa Street next to the Sonoma Market that makes an excellent Princess Cake. It is a family tradition. Must have this sweet cake with layers of cake, custard, cream, and raspberry jam smothered with green marzipan frosting. Heaven! I wish I could have taken more time to visit more friends. It will have to wait for another trip back to the Bay Area.

This weekend we're off to the Oregon Cheese Festival. It is held in the parking lot at Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon. It should be about a four to five hour drive from here. It is pretty far south, practically in California. The sun is out and the rain might hold off until Saturday or Sunday so I hope the drive is easy.

When the sun shines, Oregon's natural beauty is breathtaking. The locals perk up, too. Yesterday I was driving back home, headed north on Wallace Road a.k.a. Highway 221 from Salem. The rural highway connects Dayton, just south of Dundee, to Salem and cuts through farmland and tiny hamlets like Lincoln and Unionvale. The Eola Hills and the red hills of Dundee rise gracefully up from the floor of the Willamette Valley to the west and off in the distance are the snow capped Cascades to the east. It was a cloudless sky and the sun was warming the fertile earth all around me as I sped along past countless farms and semi-dormant fields. The grass alongside the road is bright green with fresh spring growth. A few of the trees are starting to show the early signs of bud break, with a green glow tracing through their naked branches. Spring is breathing down upon this patch of earth. It was a great 50 minute drive home. Must try to remember to take some photographs of this stuff. My words cannot capture the beauty that surrounds me.

Photo: Jim holds a chick.

Speaking of signs of spring, we have chicks! Five of them. So cute. Araucanas, the kind that lay green and blue tinted eggs. Sweet little birds that will grow up to be nice egg layers. They're a little over a week old.

Jim has completed three raised beds for our veggie garden. Now we need to fill them with dirt and we'll be off to the races. Or we'll be ready to plant lettuce, carrots, leeks, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, and other herbs.

In other news, I've posted an ad on Craigslist looking for cheesemaking equipment. Got some pretty interesting responses to it. We'll see what happens! It really feels like things are starting to gain momentum and move forward. We filed for building permits with the county planning department and I'm going over the plans with our contractor. Groundbreaking may happen sooner rather than later.

Whew! First thing's first. Gotta get ready to drive to Central Point.

Come and celebrate cheese!

2009-02-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

Feeling like eating lots of cheese? Want to learn about how it is made? Fascinated by dairy goats? Want to have more inspiration in the kitchen with your cheese? I bet there's a festival or conference coming up that might be of interest.

I've already mentioned the Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference. I'm very excited to be on a panel. Anything you'd like me to talk about? The focus is on blogging and I'm open to ideas and suggestions. February 21-24th are the dates. It starts off with a gathering at the Cheese School of San Francisco from 5pm - 8pm on Saturday the 21st of this month. For $25 you get to eat some exquisite cheese from some of my favorite producers and wash it down with some great wines and beer. The party moves to Sonoma on Sunday where you can eat more cheese, drink more beer and wine and meet more cheesemakers. Monday and Tuesday is the working part of the conference. Panels, guided tastings, workshops, and great networking opportunities. See Sheana's website if you want ticket information.

If that's not enough to satisfy you, there's the Fourth Annual Oregon Cheese Festival happening in March. Head to Central Point, home of Rogue Creamery on Saturday, March 15th. It is sponsored by the Oregon Cheese Guild and features my friends and neighbors and some damn fine cheese. I hope to make it this year. The cost is quite affordable and open to the public. $5 for cheese tastings and demos, $5 for wine. Wow! There's also a dinner in Ashland for $70 on Friday night. I'm checking my calendar right now.

In Petaluma, there's another cheese festival in March. California's Artisan Cheese Festival is happening March 20th-23rd. This is a big cheese appreciation event. There will be a marketplace, chef's demos, and seminars. The California Artisan Cheese Guild is playing a major role in the festival this year.

Looking ahead: May will feature the Seattle Cheese Festival May 16 & 17th at Pike Place Market. The American Cheese Society Conference will be in Austin, TX this year August 5th - 8th. Woo hoo! Good beer, good barbecue, and good cheese. Works for me!

I can't go to them all, but I'll try to hit a few of them. I've got some building about to commence around here. My $$$ will be ear-marked for other cheese endevors, namely our business. I can't say when ground breaking will be, but I'll looking at weeks rather than months at this point. This is BIG news!!!

There's no place like home

2009-02-10T12:04:00.000-08:00

Photo: View of the Sunset District, Golden Gate Park, and Mt. Tamalpais.

I really miss the cultural diversity of the Bay Area. Why? Because most of my life seems to center around eating. I love the variety of cuisines that are available in and around San Francisco. We used to live in a neighborhood that was culturally mixed. The fringe benefit of this melting pot is the fact that I had lots of options when I went grocery shopping. When I craved good olives, I went to the Parkside Farmer's Market on Taraval. Their olive selection and feta selection cannot be beat. They used to be self serve, but now they tub them for you. I guess too many folks were grazing. Parkside also had the best milk prices and a great selection of fruits and veggies. I loved browsing through their aisles looking at the different spices, canned eggplant, and olive oils. The family that owns it is from Jordan, so I could find lots of middle eastern items without going far from home.

I often shopped in the central part of the Sunset District. This area is an eclectic mix of Asian, Eastern European, Irish, and all other ethnic groups that call San Francisco home. Parking was a nightmare in the area, and the stretch of Irving between 19th Ave and 26th Ave was/is always congested. Too many cars trying to skirt around double parked cars and lots of pedestrians. This is where I did a lot of my grocery shopping. I'd often park along Lincoln, next to Golden Gate Park and walk over one block to do my shopping. I loved looking at the fish swimming in tanks waiting to become someone's supper. Sunset Super, an Asian market, often had a good price on live Maine lobster, so I grab a pair for dinner if they were less that $7/pound.

As a treat I'd often grab a bubble tea at one of several local bubble tea outlets. Bubble tea, tapicoa drink, boba drinks, all the same thing and all tasty if they're fresh. My favorite was the Double Rainbow Ice Cream Parlor, but they went out of business and were replaced by an Asian chain called Quickly. Inferior bubble tea IMO. I'll still get bubble tea from Wonderful Foods Company. Or if I was on Clement Street, there's a candy shop across from my fave book store, Green Apple Books that makes great bubble tea (forgot the name.) Oh bubble tea. I love those tapioca pearl balls swimming in a milky tea bath. The texture isn't for everyone. My eldest sister has lived in Hong Kong and all over southeast Asia. She can't stand the drink. I love it. My favorite flavors are Green Tea with Milk at Tapioca Pearls and Mango Tea with Tapioca Pearls. I don't go for the jelly cubes or other options.

What do I do now that I'm living in rural splendor? I've gotta get into my car and drive. I've been slowly exploring my options around here and in Portland. Harder to find, I must admit. I'm looking for good Indian markets, Asian markets, and Middle Eastern markets. I love the Barbur World Foods in southwest Portland. They make pita bread to order! Heavenly. I'm still looking for a good Indian market.

Then there's H Mart. Shortly after we moved here, a huge Asian grocery store opened up in Tigard. This made all of the local papers. There was a lot of TV coverage, too. This store makes me feel right at home. It is a Korean chain based out of New Jersey. They cater to many styles of Asian cuisine. There's a huge bakery, sushi counter, noodle bar, and kim chi bar that takes up the front third of the store. They've got a great fish counter (yay!) and there's an entire aisle devoted to soy sauce, fish sauce and assorted high sodium delights. One section featured Asian housewares. I can replace my miso soup bowls here. They had special refrigerators aimed at Koreans. I've never seen a fridge that looks like a chest freezer with a button on it that says "ferment." Ferment? Oh! It is a kim chi fridge, I guess. Fancy!

I felt like I was back in San Francisco except that everyone was very polite and the place wasn't crowded. They even had a bubble tea bar! Now, when I feel homesick, I can jump in the car and wander through the aisles at H Mart. I'm not homesick as much as I used to be. I guess I'm getting used to this place. The stuff I used to think was weird and strange seems more normal now.

Also want to find a good place for dim sum. I'm told to head for the border. The Canadian border. The closest dim sum of quality is in Vancouver. If you know of anything closer, like in Portland, please let me know!

Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference, a panelist, and a cheese

2009-02-05T00:40:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentlemen and children of all ages! We have achieved a milestone. The cheese is ready to be eaten!!

This cheese was born on Halloween 2008. I just cut into it on January 4th.

I just cut the second one on Feb. 1st.

I'm a very proud cheesemaker. These wheels turned out great! Good texture. Good moisture. Good flavor. The current wheel is better than the first. Yay!

If you want to try some of this fine cheese, you might have to stop by and say please.

If you happen to be around the town of Sonoma from Feb. 22 - Feb. 24, you'll find me at the Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference. Stop by and say hello! If you're lucky, I might let you try some of my cheese.

Even better than just eating my cheese, I'm on a panel. I get to discuss the finer points of blogging about cheese. Come and ask questions. Feel free to heckle, I'll only blog about you.

I attended the Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference last year and loved it. It is like a mini American Cheese Society conference with informative workshops, discussion, great networking opportunities, and a great gathering of cheese professionals. I love the town of Sonoma, so this is an added bonus. My friend Sheana Davis is the organizer. She pours her heart into making this happen and she does a great job. There is always lots of cheese, plenty of local beers, and a nice selection of wine to be consumed. Not a bad way to spend a few days. I hope the weather is nice and warm. I could use some more sunshine. Please find me and say hello.

Here's a brief description from the website:

The 7th annual Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference. Hosted by Sheana Davis & Ig Vella. Guest Keynote Speakers include Rob Kaufelt, Murray’s Cheese Shop, New York, Sid Cook, Carr Valley Cheese, Wisconsin, Petra Cooper, 5th Town Artisan Cheese Company, Ontario. Speaker Coordinator Gordon Edgar, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative. Conference Receptions Host, Rainbow Grocery, Cheese Plus and Bi Rite Market. Advisory Committee includes Ig Vella, Gordon Edgar, Sid Cook, Judy Creighton, Dee Harley, Harley Farm; Ray Bair, Cheese Plus; Sam Mogannam, Bi Rite, Mark Todd, The Cheese Dude. A very special Sonoma Dairy and Vineyard Tour, hosted by Levoroni Dairy & Vineyards. The Conference will be held at Sonoma Valley Inn & Conference Center.

A fine, three month old aged goat cheese. Semi-firm. Made in Dundee, Oregon.