Given that California is the second largest U.S. cheese producer (after Wisconsin), it’s not surprising that artisan cheesemakers have flourished in the Golden State. For anyone who has yet to discover the magic that is cheese—here comes the opportunity.
“We were fortunate to have participated in this event from the very beginning,” says Achadinha Cheese Company’s Donna Pacheco, who along with her husband, Jim Pacheco, a third-generation dairy farmer, will join more than 20 fellow cheesemakers to sample their singular cheeses at the 19th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival, March 21-23. Having long outgrown its original location in the Sheraton Hotel in Petaluma, the premier event has morphed into a three-day festival that now includes seminars, workshops, tours and even a cheese crawl in The Barlow.
Valerie Miller, executive director of the California Artisan Cheese Guild, notes, “Last year, over 2,000 cheese lovers from 28 states and four countries, including the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Indonesia, attended.”
This year, the festival kicks off on Friday, March 21 with farm and producer tours throughout Sonoma, Marin and Mendocino counties. Sonoma County tasting rooms will host multiple seminars and workshops. And finally, the festival culminates on Sunday, March 23 with the Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace, showcasing more than 80 food and beverage vendors at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds.
Names like Cowgirl Creamery, Marin Cheese Company and Straus Creamery have become well known. But, of course, this wasn’t always the case. Early pioneering milk and cheese producers like Sue Conley and Peggy Smith from Cowgirl, Albert Straus and Jennifer Bice of Redwood Hill are the reason Marin and Sonoma counties have literally put this world-renowned cheesemaking region on the map.
Speaking of maps, Vivien Straus and her brother, Michael Straus, have created a Cheese Trail map that showcases more than 40 cheesemakers throughout the entire state who are open to visitors—and many of them will be participating in the festival. Their website includes features that allow visitors to search for their favorite cheeses and even select destinations by milk type and location. One may stop by the Cheese Trail booth at the Marketplace on Sunday and meet Marin dairy royalty (Vivien Straus and Michael Straus) and pick up a map. They also promise samples and merch. Learn more on their website, CheeseTrail.org.
“We will have our full line of organic, farmstead all-cow’s milk cheeses at the Marketplace,” says Rick La Franchi, whose award winning Nicasio Valley Foggy Morning Fromage Blanc-style cheese is a beloved staple for many. His own pasture-fed cows, the freshest milk and recipes handed down from his grandfather are the reasons La Franchi says his variety of artisan cheeses, including soft ripened, washed rind and a Swiss Italian mountain cheese, are like no other.
La Franchi also points out how the cows’ diets affect Nicasio Valley’s soft cheeses and describes how the Foggy Morning reveals threads of gold throughout the delicate rounds in the springtime.
Cheesemaker Omer Seltzer of Mt. Eitan’s, who makes semi-firm and soft ripened goat cheeses in Bodega, also notes how the milk changes throughout the seasons and impacts the cheeses he makes. Seltzer learned to make cheese on his family farm in Israel and in Provence—and studied the traditional methods. His interest in understanding the chemistry behind the craft led him to take on a visiting scholar role at CSU, San Luis Obispo.
While his academic training explained much, Seltzer still refers to “those in-between places where the magic happens.” He also gives credit to the winds, fog and spores in Bodega for changing the flavor of his cheeses. He plans to have Ady—his unique salt-brined goat milk cheese, at the Marketplace for sampling on Sunday.
Much like Seltzer and La Franchi, Donna Pacheco celebrates the differences in the flavors of her cow’s milk cheeses, kefir and curds every year. “We feed our girls brewers grain from Russian River Brewing Company and Seismic instead of corn, as we have found their bodies can’t digest it,” she explains. The cows are also pastured all year long. “The season completely affects the flavors in the cheeses, due to what the girls are eating. In the winter months, you can taste the sweetness from the grass; in the summer, there is a bitterness from the brewer’s grain,” adds Pacheco.
Their dairy, Achadinha, named for a small town in Portugal’s Azores Islands where Pacheco’s father-in-law was born, produces a variety of seasoned cheese curds, Fromage Blanc and a tangy feta that Donna Pacheco salt-brines by hand. The family farm also makes kefir, butter and handmade goat’s milk soap. One may stop by her booth at the festival for a taste or two.
Flavor nuances these cheesemakers celebrate are sure to be on full display at this premier spring festival. And, while many of the tours and classes are filled to capacity, attending the Marketplace is a way to support local cheesemakers, taste their world-class products and learn directly from these makers about the magic of all things cheese.
The weekend of farm tours, workshops and tastings celebrating Northern California’s cheesemaking traditions includes a bevy of activities—here’s a partial listing:
Farm & Producer Guided Tours
Cheese takes center stage on guided tours through Marin, Mendocino and Sonoma counties, where guests visit creameries, farms and artisan producers. Stops include cheesemakers, cider houses and distilleries, with tastings and conversations along the way. Highlights include “Goats, Vineyards, Orchards and Cheese,” featuring Redwood Hill Farm with Mt. Eitan Cheese, Balletto Vineyards, Ambix Spirits and Wm. Cofield Cheesemakers, and “Petaluma to Pt. Reyes,” featuring Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, Pt. Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., Heidrun Meadery and Goat Rock Cider Company. Friday, March 21. $175.
Seminars & Workshops
Industry experts and cheesemakers lead sessions on pairing cheese with wine, beer and chocolate, alongside hands-on workshops on cheesemaking and charcuterie board design. Among the offerings—Miss Cheesemonger Sings—a not-to-be-missed cheese pairing and classical music recital by Vero Kherian at the Balletto Vineyards Reserve Room in Santa Rosa; ditto, Cheese & Beer: Better Together with Janet Fletcher at HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol—and much, more more. Saturday, March 22. $80-$125.
Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace
The festival closes with a tasting event at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, featuring more than 100 cheesemakers, winemakers and food producers. Early entry with Bubbles & Bites begins at 9:45am ($125); general admission runs from 12-4pm, Sunday, March 23. $69. Attendees receive an insulated cheese tote and wine glass.
Sonoma County Fairgrounds, 1350 Bennett Valley Rd., Santa Rosa. Full schedule and tickets at artisancheesefestival.com.
