YouTube - Wrapping Cheese 3

YouTube - Wrapping Cheese 3

Cheese in Austin

The American Cheese Society (ACS) conference was held this year in beautiful downtown Austin. Walked every morning to the conference at the Hilton from across the Congress Bridge which connects to the bustling downtown. The bridge is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Yes, at 7 a.m the bats make it back to the bridge to rest before forging out for food around 7 p.m. No mosquitoes here in Austin!

Michell Buster from the Forever Cheese Company showing the wonderful small farm cheeses that she and Pierluigi Sini find in Spain, Portugal and Italy. Your probably asking why they are there-well they kinda started the cheese revolution and the artisan movement in 1998 by bringing in such wonderful cheeses from small farmers in Europe. They have the best marcona almonds, carmelized walnuts, fig cakes and mostarda that compliments your cheeses. Forever Cheese was the only imported cheese company allowed at the Festival of Cheeses which showcases all the American cheeses for us to sample at the end of the Conference.

This is Forever Cheese table in the ballroom full of Mediterranean

specialities which they do so well.

Its me after one of the great seminars on cheeses ranging from

affinage to microbrew and cheese tasting. I wasbeing good as I let

Helen go to the beer tasting and Joyce indulge in the chocolate seminar. Was I crazy?

This seminar brought a panel of Mexican cheesemakers to the conference, and through an interpreter, they told us about their artisan cheesemaking companies. Only three producers got visas to come here out of seven, and their cheeses were pretty interesting. Right now, there are two markets in Mexico for cheese and one is imitation cheese for the millions of its people, and the other is its traditional handmade cheeses for the local folks. The competition they face is from the us (Kraft & Nestle) who export millions of tons of so called cheese to Mexico. As consumption is up with cheese South of the border, am hoping the cheeses and their cheesemakers win over the big bad guys!

Did you know Mexico makes a cheddar? Tasted a 6 mo cheddar which I thought was pretty darn good.

Ah, the famous Stubbs Barbeque Restaurant in downtown Austin.
My, at 100 degrees, the beer didn't stay very cold. Our party was outside...

Waiting for the country music band from Dallas.

Barbeque, potato salad, coleslaw and of, course white bread.

Our friend Maria Walley just launched her new biscuits which compliment all cheeses. Great going Maria!

The Festival of Cheese which is what everyone waits for on Saturday showcases the cheeses sent in by cheesemakers to be judged. Over 1,300 entries this year.

You can only eat so much.

The best of show, raw cow's milk "Rogue River Blue" from Oregon.

Good luck trying to find this wonderful blue as it is only made at a certain time of year. Hopefully we will see more of it.

The displays were awesome. Lots of volunteers from all over

Texas coming to cut cheese. You guys were awesome.

Flavored cheddars, in fact, lots of cheddar cheesemakers.

Can't say we have very many here in Texas. Tough work

milking and taking care of cows! Goats are much easier.

Our favorite guys from Utah, Beehive Cheese Company and their

Barely Buzzed Cheese which has won three year in a row for its

wonderful cheddar rubbed with expresso grounds and lavendar.

I'm a Aggie graduate (Utah State), and its agriculture department helped these guys with their cheese making.

Come on Texas A & M, we need another awesome cheese here in Texas with your help.....

Being from Iowa, I was so excited to see Milton Creamery win 1st in their category. Its a wonderful raw milk cheese made using thistle as its rennet. The cow's are hand milked by five Amish farms, and milk is delivered three times a week to the creamery.

Congratulations to Kathleen Shannon Finn for winning the lifetime achievement award from ACS. Don't think there was a dry eye in the room as her daughter accepted the award and told everyone how she aspired to be just like her mother. Kathleen works for the Columbus Distributing Company which makes great artisan salames.

See ya next year in Seattle!