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Full 3 Day ScheduleFriday, March 25Farm Tours |
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Sponsorship opportunities for 2011 are still available.
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SOLD OUT
Tour A Description Weirauch Farms Straus Family Creamery Tour A begins with a with a visit to Craig Ramini's farmstead to meet the farmer and his herd of water buffalo. Ramini makes the only farmstead buffalo mozzarella this side of Italy, and we'll get to taste a freshly-made batch. Next we'll head to the ranch of another newcomer: Weirauch Farm. Joel and Carleen Weirauch have worked their land for six years, but are just now starting to make sheep's milk cheese with the aid of a homemade mobile milking machine. Our final stop will be at the famed Straus Family Creamery. Practically synonymous with Marin agriculture, Straus Creamery has become the milk of the local food movement and is the basis for most of Cowgirl Creamery's extraordinary cheeses.
SOLD OUT
Tour B Description Toluma Farms Tour B is a whopper! We'll begin the day at Toluma Farms. A favorite from last year, owners Tamara Hicks and David Jablons are kindly welcoming us back this year to show us their farmstead goat milk dairy and creamery. Next we stop by the Valley Ford Cheese Company in Sonoma. Valley Ford is located on the grounds of the Mountain View Jerseys farm, home to 400 Jersey cows. Cheesemaker Karen Bianchi-Moreda will show us around and give us a taste of their premier cheese, Estero Gold. Lunch will be served at Devil's Gulch Ranch: a veritable Noah's Ark with pigs, rabbits, sheep, quail, even quarter horses. We'll end the day with Nicasio Valley Cheese Company and the Lafranchi family. We'll visit the Lafranchi farm, learn about the extraordinary work they're doing in creating a sustainable family farm, and taste some of their Old World style cheeses.
SOLD OUT We are thrilled to offer a new kind of tour this year. The Giacomini family has kindly opened the door to their farm and new culinary center, The Fork, for an entire afternoon and early evening event. We'll begin with an extensive tour of the family farm and cheesemaking operation. We'll then join Chef John Ash for a cooking demonstration using the Giacomini's own farmstead cheeses and other local ingredients. As we wouldn't dream of sending you home hungry, we'll all sit down for a multi-course dinner prepared by Chef Ash and accompanied by local wines. Talk about farm to table! *This is an afternoon and evening tour departing at 1:00 p.m. and expecting to arrive back at the hotel at 8:00 p.m. Friday Evening Petaluma Dine Around Start your festival weekend with a glass of wine and, of course, a nibble of cheese in the Sheraton lobby before heading off to one of downtown Petaluma's excellent restaurants. Pure Luxury Transportation will run a continuous shuttle from the Sheraton to locations downtown. Leave your car at the hotel and grab a coach ride for a carefree, cheese-filled evening. Participating restaurants will be announced in January with links for booking your reservation. Saturday, March 26Schedule at a glanceThe Saturday Day Pass allows you to choose 3 different seminars in 3 timeframes: 10:15am, 12:45pm and 2:15pm. The Seminar Day Pass ticket includes the General Session, lunch, and choice of 3 additional seminar selections. When purchasing your ticket, you will be prompted to select one seminar in each of 3 timeframes. The Saturday Farm to Table is sold out. At this time we are unable to take wait list names or add additional tours. If we are able to add additional tours in the future, we will notify all subscribers. SOLD OUT Farm to Table: Part One: Lunch Break Part Two: Seminar Day Pass General Session Morning Seminars Lunch Break Early Afternoon Seminars Late Afternoon Seminars The Seminar Day Pass ticket includes the General Session, lunch, and choice of 3 additional seminar selections. When purchasing your ticket, you will be prompted to select one seminar in each of 3 timeframes. The Farm to Table All-day Seminar is a full day 2 part series. The Seminar Day Pass and the Farm to Table All-day Seminar tickets include lunch at the hotel. The All-Day Seminar and the Seminar Day Pass $135
8:00 – 8:45 a.m.
Check-in and registration.
Both All-day Seminar and Seminar Day Pass ticket holders Saturday Day PassGeneral Session 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. So You Want to Be a Cheesemaker? Moderator: Gianaclis Caldwell, Co-owner Pholia Farm, Rogue River Oregon To kick things off we want to answer the question on many of your minds: what does it take to make cheese? Cheesemaker and author Gianaclis Caldwell will talk about why she and others have chosen this path, and how they make it work. She will also explore the viability and attractiveness of farmstead cheesemaking for future generations. Morning Seminars 10:15 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. California's Rare Beauties Presenter: Lassa Skinner, Culture magazine and Oxbow Cheese Merchant Some of California's best cheeses don't venture far from home. Lassa Skinner of Culture magazine and Oxbow Cheese Merchant will guide you on a tour of California's hidden cheeses and expose the quiet cheesemakers that stand behind them. Get Vertical Presenter: Anthea Stolz, BiRite Market Have you ever wondered what distinguishes goat from sheep or cow's milk? This seminar is designed to satisfy your curiosity (or relieve your confusion). Taste goat, sheep and cow's milk cheeses side-by-side with the guidance of BiRite cheese buyer Anthea Stolz and guest, Bellwether Farms cheesemaker Liam Callahan. The Wonderful World of Mold Presenter: Jana Werner, The Pasta Shop For many of us, just hearing the word ‘mold' makes us want to get out rubber gloves and a tub of bleach. But mold and its relationship with cheese is a whole other matter. Cheesemonger Jana Werner will introduce you to the different types of molds used in cheesemaking and explain how they make for wonderful cheese flavors. You'll also discover the secrets to pairing these acidic lovelies with wine and other accoutrements. Cheese Essentials Presenter: Laura Werlin, Author and Educator To many people, artisan cheese can be intimidating. In this seminar, author Laura Werlin will replace the fright factor with the fun factor. You'll leave with a basic understanding of any cheese, no matter where it's from or what it's called. Studying never tasted so good! And by the time Werlin is done with you, you'll be able to approach a cheese counter with confidence. Cheesemaking: Curd Stretching Presenter: Mary Karlin, Elements of Taste Stretching mozzarella is a little like throwing pizza dough: Learning requires a mop, patience, and a whole lot of practice. Let chef and author of Artisan Cheese Making at Home, Mary Karlin get you started with the right technique. Lunch Break 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Lunch buffet provided by Petaluma Market Catering Early Afternoon Seminars 12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Cheese and Wine Pairing 101 Presenter: Kirstin Jackson, It's Not You, It's Brie Cheese and wine pairing can stump even some of the artisan cheese industry's finest. Cheese educator and blogger, Kirstin Jackson will teach attendees basic rules for pairing cheese and wine. You'll focus on six local cheeses and the wines that make them shine. After this seminar, expect to have a firm grasp of what to sip while slicing into that wheel of nutty sheep's milk or tangy goats' milk cheese. You Be the Judge: Learning to Evaluate Cheese Like a Pro Presenter: Janet Fletcher, Author and San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Never met a piece of cheese you didn't like? Perhaps it's time to become a little more discerning. Author and columnist Janet Fletcher will guide you through the criteria used by the American Cheese Society's competition judges in evaluating hundreds of cheeses. Educate your palate then apply your newly awakened taste buds to (a much more manageable) six cheeses in a range of styles. Enhance your critical tasting skills and appreciation for cheese quality at the same time. How'd You Come Up with That Cheese? Presenters: Sue Conley and Peggy Smith, Cowgirl Creamery Everyone's favorite cowgirls lead this seminar on new American artisan cheeses and the creative process that produces them. Taste new creations from some of the nation's best and brightest. And learn about the trial, error and inspiration that goes into their cheesemaking. Transhumance: A Seasonal Migration Presenter: Daphne Zepos, Essex Street Cheese Company While the term transhumance might be Greek to you, the cheeses produced from this seasonal practice might well be some of your favorites. For centuries farmers of the mountain regions of Europe have moved themselves and their livestock from the valley up the mountainside and back down again in pursuit of greener pastures. Cheese educator and importer Daphne Zepos and guest Professor Sandra Ott of the Center for Basque Studies at the University of Nevada will take you on a tasting journey through this fascinating and, sadly, disappearing phenomenon. Late Afternoon Seminars 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Grilled Cheese Presenter: Laura Werlin, Author and Educator In this ooey-gooey seminar author Laura Werlin will take you on a tasting of grilled cheese sandwiches and the cheeses that fill them. You'll sample tried-and-true recipes Laura has created in her kitchen in a sneak peek into her new book, Grilled Cheese Please. Be prepared for some outrageously good wine pairings. Grilled cheese? Wine? More cheese? You betcha! This ain't the Lettuce & Legumes Festival after all. Bubbles and Brie Presenter: Colette Hatch, Madame de Fromage A festival favorite! What is more indulgent and luscious than the paring of sparkling wine and brie? How about tossing in a triple creme or two?! But this seminar is more than just hedonistic imbibing. Presenter Colette Hatch will discuss each cheese's cultivation, history and flavor characteristics as well as make suggestions for serving them. Be warned: This seminar fills up fast. Cheese and Beer Presenter: Andy Wild, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone Another festival favorite! Why? Because some folks still haven't heard the beautiful music cheese and beer can make together. There's no better maestro to this symphony than Chef Andy Wild of the CIA Greystone in Napa Valley. Cheese and wine purists, be prepared for a change of heart. A Day in the Life of a Cheesemaker Presenter: Gianaclis Caldwell, Pholia Farm If you've ever day dreamed of trading your cubicle for the cheese room, cheesemaker Gianaclis Caldwell is the woman to talk to. Author of The Farmstead Creamery Advisor, a how-to guide for would-be and already-in-it cheesemakers, she will either inspire you to put on your mud boots or scare you back to the old 9-to-5.
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