Grape Stroll and a Few Mentions

This past Friday evening, I had the pleasure of working the Minnesota Grape Growers Association Wine Stroll in Bloomington. In all, 28 wineries were represented. It's heartening to see such amazing growth in an "industry" so similar to artisan cheesemaking; perhaps there will be a Minnesota cheese stroll one day.

The night flew by. With an attendance of over 500, I was on my toes all night passing out samples and discussing the finer points of Bent River with the knowledgeable crowd. I hope I'm invited back next year.

And, a couple of nice mentions in the blogosphere:

http://heavytable.com/crispin-and-cheese-anatomy-of-a-pairing/

Vicki is a great patron and huge fan of local cheese. Get yourself to Grass Roots Gourmet as soon as you can--she knows her stuff and has an amazing gift for food and drink pairings, as this post demonstrates. Also, if you are an aficionado of things epicurean and live anywhere near the Twin Cities, you should be reading The Heavy Table. Also:

http://www.vegetarianperspective.wordpress.com/

I ran into Sarah and her husband this Saturday at the Linden Hills Co-op. She tells the rest of the story...

Le Cordon Bleu

This Monday I was invited to speak at Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in the Twin Cities. Fred Stenborg, one of the instructors, is a friend of the Minar's. On a visit to Cedar Summit, he asked Dave and Florence if they'd like to speak to his students, and perhaps "that fledgling cheesemaker" could come along too.

Alex and Mari had the day off, so they consented, with a couple of gentle nudges, to come along for the day.

Fred met us at the school and showed us around a bit. We really enjoyed seeing the "classrooms" devoted to baking and various forms of cookery. From what I understand, the curriculum is 15 months long, followed by a six-month "externship" at a restaurant.

At 10, Dave and Florence took the floor and spoke about Cedar Summit Farm. I've gone on and on about what an amazing operation they run, but it never gets old for me. They emanate integrity and passion, and the students of Le Cordon Bleu, along with Alex and Mari (my master plan revealed), had the chance to hear first-hand from two pioneers of Minnesota sustainable and organic farming. A tough act to follow.

I walked the students through a day in the life of a cheesemaker. They were respectful and attentive throughout, and, after I'd completed my talk we took questions for a bit. The Minar's brought along some cream (used by many of the finest kitchens in Mpls./St. Paul) and milk to be sampled alongside my cheese. Lots of nodding heads and positive comments amongst the aspiring cooks made the trip worthwhile.