Farm to Factory to Farm

Yesterday evening we did a presentation for Slow Food Gainesville about our cheese research. Great fun! About 40 people attended, a nice mix of ages and interests. We selected six cheeses for tasting. People brought wine to share.

Melissa, another Slow Food member, hosted it at her business, The Yoga Sanctuary, close to downtown. It was a wonderful venue. Usually no shoes or chairs are allowed on the yoga floor. Everyone was okay with the shoes part, but several people thought sitting on the floor, even on cushy blankets and pillows, just wasn’t viable. So, the chairs came out of the closet to many smiles.

We talked about cheese history, cheese making, cheese types, and about our interviews with cheesemakers, cheese shop owners, and cheese enthusiasts. We had a bag prepared for each person with each cheese in a little cup with a lid, so people could lift the lid and smell it before tasting for the differences. There was a fresh goat cheese, a bloomy-rind goat cheese, a washed-rind cow cheese, a blue-veined cow cheese, an aged cheddar cow cheese, and an aged sheep cheese. Based on how little was left at the end, they liked them all.

We were happy it was so well received.