Beerball Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Chef Jim please report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 If you ever get to go on a tour like these take it. They are very fun. They are geared toward producers/farmers/ag folks, but they can usually be attended by anyone. If Mead is listening they often do these with the vineyards, just use the claim you're aspiring to start production on a small plot of land you're looking to buy and trying to find out more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Funny you should post this. We've done the annual Sonoma Artisan Cheese fest every year since we moved up to the Bay Area 4 years ago. It's a blast. We've done a cheese tour to Redwood Hill and Bleating Heart. Two completely different operations. Redwood had been around for a long time and is almost like a factory (albeit a small one) whereas Bleating Heart is a small time operation. When we went to Redwood Hill we had to wear hair nets and booties and at Bleating Heart we pulled up and the employees (the owner and 3 helpers) were sitting outside drinking beer. I follow California Cheese Trail on Facebook and they posted a note about a very small cheese maker in the North Bay. I called them and said we had friends coming up in a couple of weeks and could they do private tour and they said sure. Can't wait. BTW they mention Matos Cheese and it is really really small. When you open the door a buzzer goes off and this Mexican girl comes out, gives you a taste and asks you how much you want. We usually get a lb for about $8 (most artisan cheese runs at least $25) and the stuff is fantastic. Edited May 31, 2013 by Chef Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Funny you should post this. We've done the annual Sonoma Artisan Cheese fest every year since we moved up to the Bay Area 4 years ago. It's a blast. We've done a cheese tour to Redwood Hill and Bleating Heart. Two completely different operations. Redwood had been around for a long time and is almost like a factory (albeit a small one) whereas Bleating Heart is a small time operation. When we went to Redwood Hill we had to wear hair nets and booties and at Bleating Heart we pulled up and the employees (the owner and 3 helpers) were sitting outside drinking beer. I follow California Cheese Trail on Facebook and they posted a note about a very small cheese maker in the North Bay. I called them and said we had friends coming up in a couple of weeks and could they do private tour and they said sure. Can't wait. BTW they mention Matos Cheese and it is really really small. When you open the door a buzzer goes off and this Mexican girl comes out, gives you a taste and asks you how much you want. We usually get a lb for about $8 (most artisan cheese runs at least $25) and the stuff is fantastic. What do you say if you get a cheese sample from these artisans and it tastes like crap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Also for those of you in WNY this creamery is in East Bethany a few miles south of Batavia. It's not far from where I grew up. As a matter of fact their step father used to be married to my cousin. http://first-light-farm.com/ What do you say if you get a cheese sample from these artisans and it tastes like crap? That has never happened and probably never will. They're really that good at what they do. Edited May 31, 2013 by Chef Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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