The country's premier artisan cheese event, the 6th Annual California’s Artisan Cheese Festival, has released the list of participants for the weekend-long affair taking place on March 23-25, 2012.
Bringing together artisan cheesemakers, chefs, restaurants, brewers, master sommeliers, wineries, cheese shops and passionate guests, the Festival is a gastronomic tour de force unlike any other. During the event, guests will be able to not only taste the offerings of each participant, but interact with the people who make them as well as cheese industry experts.
The 2012 event brings together a dazzling array of styles and taste opportunities from pairing beer with certain cheeses to exploring how this versatile ingredient works in various dishes.
Cheesemakers who will be showcasing their products at various events throughout the weekend include:
Achidinha Cheese Company (Petaluma, CA)
Barinaga Ranch (Marshall, CA)
Beehive Cheese Company (Utah, UT)
Bellwether Farms (Tomales, CA)
Bleating Heart Cheese (Sebastopol, CA)
Central Coast Creamery (Paso Robles, CA)
Cowgirl Creamery/Tomales Bay Foods (Point Reyes Station, CA)
Cypress Grove Chevre (Arcata, CA)
Laura Chenel’s Chevre (Sonoma, CA)
Marin French Cheese Company (Petaluma, CA)
Nicasio Valley Cheese Co. (Nicasio, CA)
North Bay Curds and Whey (Tomales, CA)
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. (Point Reyes Station, CA)
Ramini Mozzarella (Tomales, CA)
Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery (Sebastopol, CA)
Snowy Mountain Sheep Creamery (East Eden, UT)
Spring Hill Jersey Cheese (Petaluma, CA)
Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese (Petaluma, CA)
Valley Ford Cheese Co. (Valley Ford, CA)
Weirauch Farm & Creamery (Petaluma, CA)
Willapa Hills Farmstead (Doty, WA)
March is also “Cheese Month” and the participating restaurants in the Artisan Cheese Festival will also celebrate with special cheese-centric menus in their dining rooms.
Joining the Festival for this year’s event include:
The Ahwahnee Dining Room (Yosemite National Park, CA)
Balboa Café Mill Valley (Mill Valley, CA)
Brasserie (Santa Rosa, CA)
Cakebread Cellars (Rutherford, CA)
Carneros Bistro & Wine Bar (Sonoma, CA)
Corks Restaurant (Forestville, CA)
Della Fattoria (Petaluma, CA)
Dempsey’s Restaurant & Brewery (Petaluma, CA)
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (Half Moon Bay, CA)
John Ash & Co. (Santa Rosa, CA)
Kendall-Jackson Winery (Santa Rosa, CA)
Korbel Delicatessen and Market (Guerneville, CA)
Mustard’s Grill (Napa, CA)
Nick’s Cove Restaurant, Oyster Bar & Cottages (Marshall, CA)
Olive & Vine (Glen Ellen, CA)
Patisserie Angelica (Sebastopol, CA)
Peloton Catering (Healdsburg, CA)
Quince (San Francisco, CA)
Rocker Oysterfeller’s Kitchen + Saloon (Valley Ford, CA)
Rosso Pizzeria & Wine Bar (Santa Rosa, CA)
Taste of Perfection Catering (Santa Rosa, CA)
Tolay Restaurant (Petaluma, CA)
Zazu Restaurant (Santa Rosa, CA)
Breweries and Wineries pouring their products include:
Acorn Winery/Alegria Vineyards (Healdsburg, CA)
Black Kite Cellars (Anderson Valley, CA)
Cakebread Cellars (Rutherford, CA)
Clif Family Winery & Farm (St. Helena, CA)
Dempsey’s Restaurant & Brewery (Petaluma, CA)
Dutton-Goldfield (Sebastopol, CA)
Gloria-Ferrer Caves and Vineyards (Sonoma, CA)
Half Moon Bay Brewing Co. (Half Moon Bay, CA)
Hoppy Brewing (Sacramento, CA)
Iron Horse Vineyards (Sebastopol, CA)
Kaz Winery (Kenwood, CA)
Keller Estate Winery (Petaluma, CA)
Kokomo Wines (Healdsburg, CA)
Korbel Champagne Cellars (Guerneville, CA)
Kunde Estate Winery (Kenwood, CA)
Lagunitas Brewery (Petaluma, CA)
Monk’s Kettle (San Francisco, CA)
Moonlight Brewing (Windsor, CA)
Paul Mathew Vineyards (Forestville, CA)
Russian River Brewing Co. (Santa Rosa, CA)
Russian River Vineyards (Forestville, CA)
Sonoma Valley Portworks (Petaluma, CA)
Artisan food-related participants and other vendors include:
Black Pig Meat Co. (Healdsburg, CA)
California Artisan Cheese Guild (San Francisco, CA)
Cassata-Sonoma Olive Oil (Glen Ellen, CA)
Cheese School of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
Clover Stornetta Farms (Petaluma, CA)
Creminelli Fine Meats (Salt Lake City, UT)
Delk Bees Infused Honey (Santa Cruz, CA)
Della Fattoria Bakery (Petaluma, CA)
Friend in Cheeses Jam Co (Santa Cruz, CA)
Jimtown Store (Healdsburg, CA)
Kidding Around with Chocolate (Sonoma, CA)
La Saison (Napa, CA)
Les Vignobles Gourmet Specialties (Roseville, CA)
McEvoy Ranch (Petaluma, CA)
Mugnaini Wood Fired Oven Pizza (Healdsburg, CA)
Napa Cookie Company (Napa, CA)
Petaluma Market (Petaluma, CA)
Oren’s Kitchen (San Francisco, CA)
Rustic Bakery (Larkspur, CA)
The Beverage People (Santa Rosa, CA)
The Cheese Shop of Healdsburg (Healdsburg, CA)
Ultra Crepes (Santa Rosa, CA)
Valley Fig Growers(Fresno, CA)
Vignette Wine Country Soda(Napa, CA)
Tickets for all events can be purchased at www.artisancheesefestival.com.
Generous sponsors of the Artisan Cheese Festival include Bellwether Farms, Cowgirl Creamery, Cypress Grove Chevre, Marin French Cheese, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Laura Chenel’s Chevre, All-American Printing, American AgCredit, Bank of Marin, Basin Street Properties, Beehive Cheese Co., Clover-Stornetta Farms, Culture Magazine, Copperfield’s Books, The Donald and Maureen Green Foundation, Exchange Bank, Lagunitas Brewing Co., Mike Hudson Distributing, Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, Petaluma Market, Petaluma Post, Pisenti & Brinker, Pure Luxury Transportation, Relish Culinary Adventures, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma, Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau and Vision Media Consulting.
About California’s Artisan Cheese Festival
A 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, California’s Artisan Cheese Festival strives to increase cheese appreciation, educate consumers about artisan cheeses, support the cheesemaking community and its sustainability and celebrate the creations of California’s many farmers and cheesemakers. The festival began in March 2007 as the first-ever weekend-long celebration and exploration of handcrafted cheeses, foods, wines and beers from California and beyond. In keeping with its dedication to the community, the Artisan Cheese Festival will donate 10% of all ticket proceeds to Sonoma Land Trust, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Petaluma Future Farmers of America, California Artisan Cheese Guild and Redwood Empire Food Bank. To date the Artisan Cheese Festival has contributed more than $35,000 to these non-profit organizations that work to support the artisan cheesemaking community and its infrastructure in California. For more information, visit www.artisancheesefestival.com.
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