Say Cheese! The 17th California Artisan Cheese Festival is March 24-26— new events and locales

Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese Company’s “Tuscano” will have its debut on March 26, at Sunday’s Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace.  So new its label hasn’t been formalized yet, it will be available in very limited quantity.  This wine-marbled beauty is an Italian-style cheese made with pasteurized cow’s milk, combines wine and cheese all in one bite.  It sports an elegant red rind from soaking in wine and pumice. Image: Stuyt Dairy

Love cheese? It’s front and center at the 17th California Artisan Cheese Festival (CACF), March 24-26, taking place all around rural Sonoma County and beyond. After pared-down pandemic versions, this year marks the return of the full experience—farm and producer tours, seminars and pairing demos, marketplace, and a new event on Saturday evening, the cheese crawl—all geared towards tasting and celebrating cheese and having some fun after the storms.  From new small-batch and very rare artisan cheeses to those that have already garnered international recognition, the spotlight is on the vibrant hues, bold aromas, and surprising new flavors of cheese. Sunday’s marketplace will include the debuts of a few new cheeses and will introduce people to a myriad of new gourmet products that pair with cheese. All tickets are sold individually on the website: https://www.artisancheesefestival.com/

This year’s events have been curated by executive director, Judy Groverman Walker, who’s been running the event for the past 11 years and has strong roots in Sonoma County agriculture.  “The goal is to bring all these great California cheeses together, to help promote artisan cheese making, and to keep our diaries alive,” said Groverman. CACF is a 501c3 non-profit and proceeds support the California Artisan Cheese Guild which provides training for cheesemakers and helps them through the hurdles of establishing their businesses. People who attend the festival come from all over the country. Groverman estimates that only about 35 percent are from the Bay Area. “Now that we’re back to three days, we hope to see a lot of people back who haven’t traveled due to Covid 19.” If you haven’t been to the festival before, Groverman recommends Sunday’s Marketplace. “I really enjoy pulling all these cheeses together and the great products that go with cheeses and being able to showcase them all under one roof. ”

Friday, March 24, Farm and Producer Tours:

“Cows, Goats, Cheese and Wine!”(Tour A), is one of four local tours, and includes a visit to The Achadinha Cheese Company (Osh-a-deen-a) on the 230 acre Pacheco Family Dairy on Chileno Valley Road, West Petaluma.  It’s owned and operated by Jim and Donna Pacheco along with their four children William, Daniel, Elizabeth and David.  You’ll taste their specialty cheeses, like the nutty caramel flavored “Cowpricious,” made from pasteurized cows & goats milk, handrolled and aged for 6 to 12 months. And you’ll meet and snuggle with their girls—50 goats and 100 cows. Image: Achadinha

This year, five full-day themed tours are offered, including one out of the area to Anderson Valley. Each tour has three stops—local farms, creameries and artisan purveyors. Besides having fun and tasting, the emphasis is getting a personal glimpse into the vital role of the farmers and producers in our rich Northern California farming area, hearing their stories first hand and learning techniques of artisan cheese making.

Saturday, March 25: Seminars and Pairing Demos

The seminars and pairing demos, a convergence of expertise and passion, offer an opportunity to learn from some of the industry’s most knowledgeable experts at great wine country destinations and to enjoy generous samples of elite cheeses, wines and accompaniments. Expect to make friends: the mutual love of cheese can be a great bonding experience. Photo: CACF

The seminars, a 75 minute blast of education, tastings and ideas for inspired pairings, have traditionally been held at a hotel, most recently Santa Rosa’s historic Flamingo Hotel.  This year, there are four seminars and they are at wineries, all with gorgeous settings. “This is not cheese school; it’s a lot of fun,” says Groverman, “it’s the wine country experience people are looking for—tasting cheeses and drinking wines in the country.” This years offerings—“Cheese and Wine Pairing” at Kendall Jackson Wine Center with KJ Chef and cheese expert, Tracey Shepos Cenami ; “Cheese and Wine Pairing” Bricoleur Vineyards with cheese expert Laura Werlin; “Cheese + Charcuterie Cone Building Workshop”at Baletto Vineyards with Alyssa Gilbert, Owner of Graze + Gather Co; and “Cheese and Chocolate” at the new Sugarloaf Wine Company with chocolatiers Jeff and Susan Mall of VOLO Chocolates.  New: each seminar features an add-on experience at the winery, such as wine tastings, a gourmet lunch with wine pairings, or wine club privileges.

Tracey Shepos Cenami, Kendall-Jackson Chef and cheese expert, specializes in wine country cuisine and artisanal cheeses.  She will lead a seminar on the ins and outs of pairing different wine varietals with different style cheeses. A three-time winner of Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, she rose to national prominence with the award-winning cooking and lifestyle book, Season: A Year of Wine Country Food, Farming, Family and Friends (2018), co-authored with JK’s Justin Wangler.  Her personal favorite pairing is Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir with bacon almonds and Valley Ford Cheese and Creamery’s handmade Estero Gold cheese.  Photo: Kendall Jackson

Charcuterie Cones are trending for good reason: sophisticated looking, they can substitute for laid out cheeseboards and are safely-contained individual servings.  Alyssa Gilbert, owner/founder of Graze + Gather Co.,will lead the festival’s first “Cheese + Charcuterie Cone Building” seminar at Balletto Vineyards’ beautiful new event center in West Sonoma County.  You’ll learn how to craft your very own Instagram-worthy cheese and charcuterie cone along with Gilbert’s tried and true techniques for slicing, arranging, plating, and garnishing.  Gilbert’s  artisan cheese shop and catering company in Downtown Oakland specializes in 100% American-made cheeses from small batch makers and local charcuterie.  Throughout the workshop, you’ll be enjoying seasonal ingredient pairings with Balletto Vineyards estate grown and bottled wines.  Image: Graze + Gather Co.

Saturday afternoon, 4 to 6pm: Cheese Crawl

In this new event, participants receive a treasure map and set off across Sebastopol’s Barlow complex in search of cheese booty.  Each designated stop has a cheesemaker offering samples of their precious handcrafted cheeses plus a featured snack or beverage from one of festival’s non-cheese creators, and an additional special.  Crawlers who check in at all 11 stops along the two hour crawl will be entered to win even more treasure—2 tickets to the 2024 Sunday Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace. 

Sunday, March 25: Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace

The heart of the festival remains Sunday’s Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace at Sonoma County Fairgrounds’ Grace Pavilion which always concludes the weekend of cheese, offering a chance to taste and buy the cheeses presented in the various events and all sorts of fabulous accompaniments, including wine, craft beers, cider, spirits. “I really enjoy being able to bring this together under one roof,” said Groverman, who added that the vibe is special, like a big friendly farmer’s market. Upon entry you’re given an insulated tote bag and a wine glass and you’ll meet and talk with the cheesemakers themselves, most of whom work behind the table selling their cheeses. This year, over 15 cheesemakers are participating, offering dozens of award-winning cheeses and new small batch offerings for tasting and sale, along with all sorts of accompaniments and artisan products from Argentinian alfajores to wood cutting boards. This year’s participants are listed here.

Cheese debuts: Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese Company, of Escalon, is bringing “Tuscano,” their new wine-infused Italian Style cheese, from cow’s milk, which is marbled throughout with a red wine blend. Tomales Farmstead Cheese Company will be debuting “Out Like a Lamb,” it’s fresh, seasonal all sheep’s milk cheese. Cypress Grove will be sampling its new Meyer Lemon and Honey goat cheese, released in the summer of 2022. After a several year absence, Occidental-based Bohemian Creamery is back for the first time with their fabulous small batch cheeses.  

“Out Like a Lamb” is Tomales Farmstead Cheese Company’s latest fresh, seasonal all sheep’s milk cheese—rich, creamy, nutty and spreadable.  Tomales Farmstead Creamery has won competition medals from the American Cheese Society and the Good Food Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization that honors the nation’s organic and sustainable producers. The farmstead’s “Atika,” a Manchego-like aged cheese named after the Coast Miwok word for “two,” is a regular winner and can be sampled at the Sunday Marketplace. Image: Tomales Farmmstead Creamery

Humboldt County-based Cypress Grove will be bringing its popular Meyer Lemon and Honey chevre, released last summer, to Sunday’s Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace. “Floral Meyer lemon slightly sweetened with delicate alfalfa honey mixed into our fresh goat cheese— tangy with a balanced sweetness and the brightness of California sunshine.”  Image: Cypress Hill

Occidental-based Bohemain Creamery, one of our area’s most creative artisanal creameries , which will offer a variety their goat, cow, sheep and water buffalo milk cheeses. Their their inspired descriptions are musings which ignite the imagination: “La Bomba” (pictured above) is a “nugget of stink and ooze that is loosely fashioned after the (in)famous French Époisses soft-paste cow’s milk cheese.  As this cheese ages, it is carefully washed in Russian River Consecration Ale, promoting a custardy texture and powerful flavor that fills the aging room with its signature odor. Some freshly-torn baguette should temper the assault. The average weight is one-quarter pound per lump.” Image: Bohemian Creamery

Having recognized how wonderfully their two products pair, Bohemain Creamery and Big Spoon Sauce Company, both from Occidental, will have tables beside each other at the Marketplace and sample some bites incorporating both their products. Big Spoon Sauce Company, a first time participant, is the creator of a line of spicy sauces which are vegan, gluten and MSG-free and pair especially well with cheese.

 
“Farm to table, spoon to face” is Big Spoon Sauce Company’s catchy motto.  A first time participant, the company of two, Lani Chan and Nate Bender, produces a line of crunchy, savory go-with-everything olive-oil based sauces that have a cult following among those in the know. “Dragon’s Booty” is a chile crisp meant to light a fire under your booty —it’s loaded with habanero peppers for a base heat, then topped with a touch of Carolina Reapers and Chili de Arbol for a more complex burn that evolves over time, while guajillos add earthiness and depth. Apples and orange zest counter the dragon’s burn with a soft citrus and floral sweetness.  This “super hot” sauce screams for grilled cheese and is the perfect accoutrement for any cheese or charcuterie board.  If mild to medium heat is more your speed, “Chile Crisp,” Big Spoon’s flagship sauce, is a crunchy, salty, sweet, smoky, tingly, all-purpose burst of flavor with a mild tingling heat from Sichuan peppercorns that pairs exceptionally with cheese. In addition to peanuts and roasted garlic, they layer in smoky and sweet flavors with four varieties of dried ground chiles. Photo:  Nathan Bender

New wineries and breweries:  Adobe Road Winery, Anderson Valley Brewing Co, Bricoleur Vineyards, Golden State Cider, and Goldeneye Winery.  

Golden State Cider, a new participant, will bring a variety of its apple-driven dry ciders. “Save the Gravenstein” is a full bodied, aromatic unfiltered cider made exclusively from Gravenstein Apples sourced from Randy Robert’s 65 acre Sebastopol apple farm, “Lyngard Orchards.”  Bold, juicy Gravenstein apple notes are supported by orange blossom honey and citrus with mineral complexity from the terroir, creating a long, refreshing finish. In the 1940’s there were over 9,700 acres of Gravenstein apples; today, there are less than 600.   Golden State Cider’s mission is to educate the public on heirloom varieties, support farmers, and keep apple trees in the ground.  Image: Golden State Cider

Sweet tooth?

Mara Promanzio and daughter Melissa. “We had a beautiful experience last year,” says Mara Promanzio of Amapola, who specializes in Argentinian Alfajores and will be bringing all her flavors—pistachio, limonata, pb&j, pink lotus and more—to the Marketplace. “Argentinian alfajores are the perfect sweet treat to balance savory cheeses and fine wine.  Our homemade buttery cookies filled with creamy dulce de leche are a great addition to your next charcuterie board.” Image: Amapola

Amapola’s Argentinian alfajores. Image: Amapola

Charlotte Walter of Charlotte Truffles, will be returning this year. She specializes in delectable chocolate bites, truffles and bon bons, many of with flavors representative of different cultures—Vietnamese Coffee (dark chocolate with a forward flavor of coffee and a sweet finish from condensed milk); Kiss Me I’m Irish (the creamiest of Irish cream ), Raspberry Yuzu (yuzu, the citrus used in Japan cuisine, helps accentuate the sourness of the raspberries); Rose Water Saffron (a flavor combination is commonly found in Indian sweets is enhanced by warm notes from green cardamom); Hibiscus (inspired by hibiscus tea typically served in Mexican restaurants with the flavors highlighted in a soft jelly and a caramel).  Image: Charlotte Truffles

Details:

California’s 17^th Artisan Cheese Festival is March 24-26, 2023 at various locations throughout cheese country.  Tickets for all festival events are sold individually online and are capped, so buy early to lock in your experience.  Do not show up at an event without a ticket, with the exception of Sunday’s Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace where tickets ($65) can be purchased at the door.   Fifty early entry (11 a.m. vs. noon) tickets have been released and are available online now for no additional charge.   For more information and to purchase tickets, visit: https://www.artisancheesefestival.com/