The Maine Cheese Guild - News & Events

The Guild invites you to purchase this attractive Maine Cheese poster. The poster design, commissioned by the Maine Cheese Guild, is by Nancy Montgomery, images © Russell French, 2004. Your purchase of this mouth watering poster will help support the Guild's work. See our Store page for ordering information.

Cheese Guild Label Look for this round black and gold seal of authenticity when you're cruising the cheese department. This exclusive label is reserved for products made by members of the Maine Cheese Guild.

Maine Cheese Garners Awards at American Cheese Society Competition

Appleton Creamery Award Winning Chevre Appleton Creamery and Silvery Moon Creamery at Smiling Hill Farm each received awards at the Society's Annual Competition, held in 2004 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This was a national competition against entries from well know cheese producing states like Vermont, California and Wisconsin. The awards garnered by these two Maine Cheese Guild members demonstrates that Maine artisanal cheeses can stand up there with the best cheeses produced in the US.

Photo: Appleton Creamery's Award winning Chevre Wrapped in Grape Leaf

Cheese Parings, The Official Guild Newsletter

Volume I Issue 1 of the Guild's hard copy newsletter Cheese Parings was first published in September 2003. Content is geared toward cheese makers and the allied small dairy industry in Maine and beyond. The newsletter is sent to all current members of the Maine Cheese Guild, and covers information not found on this site.

To become a member and subscribe to the newsletter see our Guild page.

To submit a news article to Cheese Parings, you may Contact the editor , Caitlin Hunter - of Appleton Creamery.

BRING ON THE NEWS!

To submit news or events for inclusion on this site, please Send news items here in plain text format.

PRESS RELEASES
2005 | 2004 | 2003

Photos of Guild Member's Cheese
courtesy of:
Russell French Studio
46 Romasco Lane
Portland, Maine 04101
207-874-0011
© 2004 Russell French

Maine Cheese Guild Workshops and Events:

Guild Events Being Planned for 2008:

UMO Cooperative Extension will hold a one day HACCP workshop on April 4th, 2008
Marc Druart from VIAC will give a workshop on April 12-13, 2008 at State of Maine Cheese Company in Rockport
Open Creamery Day, October 12th, 2008; read here about last year's Open Creamery Day

Contact the Maine Cheese Guild for more information on these events if not found below at this time.

Advanced Cheese Making Class - April 12th and 13th, 2008

Marc Druart of Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese (VIAC) will be conducting a two-day advanced cheesemaking workshop at the State of Maine Cheese Company April 12 and 13. Each day Marc will provide hands-on cheesemaking technique as well as in depth presentations on the following technical aspects of cheesemaking:

----Saturday A.M (from 9-12):
1/Technological overview of Reblochon type cheese.
2/Overview of Affinage
Lunch: 45min to 1 hour lunch break.

----Saturday P.M (From 1to 4) :
3/ Hands on: Reblochon type-cheese-Cheesemaking practice.
4/Finish the Affinage lecture + Question Answer session

----Sunday A.M (from 9-12):
5/ Technological overview of Tomme de savoie type cheese
6/ Dry vs. Brine salting
Lunch : 45min to 1 hour

----Sunday P.M( from 1 to 4):
7/ Hands on : Tomme de Savoie type cheese-Cheesemaking practice.
8/ Draining of the coagulum: What are the effects of different factor on draining + Question answer

Marc Druart is the master cheese-maker at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese (VIAC), one of the leading cheese institutes in the country for artisan cheese producers. Marc received his Brevet de Technicien Superieur from the National Dairy School of Poligny (France) in 2000. After graduation, Marc traveled the world working for various cheese and dairy companies in the U.K, New Zealand, and the USA. In 2004, Marc joined the VIAC as an instructor and technical consultant. Additionally Marc serves as cheese-maker and technology advisor on raw milk research projects.

Class will begin promptly at 9 a.m. each morning. Lunch will be provided. Class size limited to 20 participants. $150 for both days. $100 for one day.

To register, please send $100 non-refundable deposit to Mark Whitney, Treasurer, Manager of Cheese Operations, 32 Farm View Drive, New Gloucester ME 04260

Appleton Creamery Workshops

December through April

Maine Cheese Guild member Caitlin Hunter at Appleton Creamery is offering Home Cheesemaking and Goats Cheese 101 as workshops on various dates from December 2007 through April 2008. Caitlin has been making cheese for over ten years and has won many awards for them. She has also taught cheesemaking at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese. Visit the links above for the latest information on these workshops and/or to sign-up.

Info on the 2007 Open Creamery Day in October

OTHER REGIONAL WORKSHOP INFORMATION:

CROWN OF MAINE ORGANIC COOPERATIVE

is sponsoring a workshop by Peter Dixon:

Hands On Artisan Cheesemaking
March 14 & 15, 2008 -- 9am to 5pm
at the Sonnental Dairy in Smyrna, Maine
Call Jim Cook -- (207) 895-5234 -- for more information
or download a PDF of the brochure here.

"This two day class is designed for people who have never made cheese before, those who want to improve their skills in order to enter the cheese business, and those who wish to expand their skills. Peter Dixon, one of the world's premier cheesemaking instructors, will teach participants about milk quality, ingredients used in cheesemaking, processes for making a variety of cheese, techniques and requirements for aging cheese, and pointers for establishing a business as a farmstead or artisan cheesemaker."

"The workshop is a hands-on opportunity for participants to make a number of different cheeses themselves, and to discuss the realities facing artisan cheesemakers today. Cheeses you'll make yourself: Gouda, Havarti, Lactic, Tomme and other Alpine, Caciocavallo (like Provolone), Ricotta, and Fresh Mozzarella. Whether you're interested in working with milk from cows, sheep, or goats, this is the workshop for you!"

Peter Dixon operates the Center for Farmstead Milk Processing in Vermont, where he teaches workshops for farmstead cheesemakers. He has farmed all his life - in the late 1970s his family bottled Jersey milk in glass, and then in the 1980s Peter started making artisanal cheeses in the family's Guilford Cheese Company. He earned his Masters degree from the University of Vermont with a thesis on "the effect of seasonal milk production on farmstead Cheddar cheese composition and quality."

Peter's experience includes training with fourth-generation French cheese makers; working as cheesemaker and quality control manager at Shelburne Farms and Vermont Butter and Cheese; consulting in international development projects to create farmstead cheese cooperatives, improve product quality, and develop brand recognition for local sheep cheeses; developing and operating food safety (HACCP) programs for Vermont Butter and Cheese Company and the Vermont shepherd cheese producers; and teaching workshops like this one all around the country.

Download UVm Small Ruminent and Dairy Project Newsletter:

October 2006 (MS Word DOC format - 171Kb)
February 2007 (MS Word DOC format - 167Kb)
May 2007 (Acrobat PDF format - 87Kb)

For more information and to register for classes:
Contact: Jody Farnham: Program Coordinator for VIAC
255 Marsh Life Science Building UVM ~Campus
109 Carrigan Drive
Burlington,VT 05405-0044 E-mail: jfarnham@uvm.edu / Phone 802.656.8300/ Fax 802.656.00

The Training Center for Farmstead Milk Processing

2008 Schedule

May 19-20
June 9-10, 21-23
July 28-29
Sept 1-2, 29-30

Presents:

A series of two-day workshops in making cheese on the farm, taught by Peter Dixon and special guests. Classes are held at Woodcock Sheep Cheese Farm in Weston, Vermont and Taylor Farm, makers of Farmstead Gouda in Londonderry, Vermont. Through making cheese and other dairy products and receiving classroom instruction at these licensed Vermont farmstead cheese businesses participants will learn the fundamentals of farmstead cheese making and how to set up and improve their own farmstead cheese businesses. During the two days, we will learn to use starter and ripening cultures and make at least two varieties of cheese. There will be a strong focus on the technical aspects of cheese making and affinage as well as information on facilities, equipment, marketing, and operations. Participants are encouraged to bring any of their cheeses to the class for all to try. Lunches and course materials, including many tried and true recipes, will be provided. A separate pair of clean water-resistant boots or shoes is required. Cost is $250; a $50 deposit is required and the remainder is payable on arrival. Classes are from 9 am to 4 pm each day.

Contact Peter Dixon at Tel. 802-387-4041 or
Email pdixon@sover.net for further details and to register and receive directions.
Send deposit to Peter Dixon, PO Box 993, Putney, VT 05346.

AMERICAN CHEESE SOCIETY CONFERENCE AND CHEESE COMPETITION

July 31-Aug. 4

Sheraton Hotel, Burlington Vermont

Enjoy the world of quality cheese-making by taste and by workshops! Contact: Go to www.cheesesociety.org

CHEESE MAKING CLASSES FROM AG-INNOVATIONS

2007 SCHEDULE

May 18-20
June 22-24
Sept 21-23
Sept 28-30
Oct 12-14

Three Shepherds of the Mad River Valley, Warren, Vermont

Three-Day Cheese-making classes: Ag-Innovations’ cheese making courses are designed for those who have a sincere interest in cheese, especially those who are pursuing cheesemaking either as a career or as a serious hobby. The courses are unique in that they emphasize a hands-on approach with individual instruction. Class sizes are kept small to ensure a rich, hands-on learning experience. Course fees: $500 for the three-day course includes all materials, lunches, Vermont farmstead dinner, and cheesemaking manual.

Contact: Call 802-496-4559 or 802-496-3998 (evenings) and talk to Linda or Larry or email localfood@msn.com

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