Join Sara Hill from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board on Wednesday, April 10, at the Oakland Cafe for Cheese 101 - a class for cheese lovers who want to find out more about Wisconsin Cheese - how it is made, the categories, the trends, and why Wisconsin wins more awards than any other state. Class begins at 6:30 p.m.

Class size is limited. Cost is $25 for one class; $20 per class when you sign up for two; or $15 per class for all three. Pay in advance to reserve your spot. Each class includes great Wisconsin cheeses and beer/wine for the pairings.

See the Events Calendar for information regarding the other two classes mentioned above - Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Pairing, February 27, Milwaukee Public Market and Wisconsin Wine & Cheese Pairing March 21 at Milwaukee Public Market.

Join Sara Hill, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and Andy Kerstin,  Door County's Stone's Throw Winery on Thursday, March 21, and learn which local cheeses go well with light to full-bodied wines.  The pairing will be held at Milwaukee Public Market beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Class size is limited. Cost is $25 for one class; $20 per class when you sign up for two; or $15 per class for all three. Pay in advance to reserve your spot. Each class includes great Wisconsin cheeses and beer/wine for the pairings.

See Events Calendar for the other two classes referred to above - Wisconsin Beer & Cheese Pairing on February 27 at the Milwaukee Public Market and Cheese 101 on April 10 at the Oakland Cafe.

Wisconsin is home to many of the most innovative cheesemakers in America, and on Thursday, March 14, we’ll taste four original cheeses dreamt up by cheesemakers either through sheer genius or, more often, by mistake. Hear the stories of what it takes to create an award-winning American Original. Limited to 25 attendees.

For more information go to www.wicheesefest.com/store/cheese-classes.

Join the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and Wisconsin Cheese manufacturers at Minesota Monthly's 19th Annual Food & Wine Experience on March 2-3, 2013, from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. at Target Field.

Visit www.foodwineshow.com frequently for more information and tickets.

Door County Wine & Cheese Gala, a unique event benefiting the Southern Door FFA members through the alumni funding of scholarship and leadership training, will be Friday, March 1, 2013, at The Lodge at Leathem Smith in Sturgeon Bay from 6-9 PM. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, and are available at both Renard's Cheese locations - 2189 Cty. Trk. DK, Sturgeon Bay, and 248 Cty. Trk. S, Algoma.

For more information go to www.doorcountywineandcheese.com. All proceeds from this event benefit Southern Door FFA members.

On Thursday, Feburary 27, at the Milwaukee Public Market Sara Hill from the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board with the help of Chris Johnson of Lakefront Brewery will be pairing great Wisconsin Cheeses with the following beers - Kilsch Pilsner, Riverwest Stein Amber Lager, Fixed Gear American Red, 25th Anniversary Belgian Peach Trippel and My Turn Chad American Barleywine.

The complex, piquant flavors of rich, handmade Wisconsin Artisan cheese are perfectly complemented by the toasty malt and bright hop flavors of Wisconsin Craft brews. Come to learn why Beer is the "New Wine" when it comes to pairing with award winning local cheeses.

Class size is limited. Cost is $25 for one class; $20 per class when you sign up for two; or $15 per class for all three. Pay in advance to reserve your spot. Each class includes great Wisconsin cheeses and beer/wine for the pairings.

See Events Calendar for other two events mentioned above - Wisconsin Wine & Cheese Pairing on March 21 at the Milwaukee Public Market and Cheese 101 on April 10 at the Oakland Cafe.

A new era of Wisconsin Cheddar has emerged in the past decade, with more cheesemakers moving to artisan aged and bandaged Cheddars. Come to Glorioso's on Thursday, February 21 where we’ll taste four Wisconsin Cheddars, aged from one to 12 years, as well as a reserve Bandaged Cheddar, made in the Old World English style. Limited to 25 attendees; tickets are $25 each.

For more information go to www.wicheesefest.com/store/cheese-classes.

On Thursday, January 31, Old World Italian favorites vs. New World upstarts at Glorioso's in Milwaukee.  Attendees will judge whether Wisconsin artisan cheesemakers are holding their own, or may we daresay winning, the race in crafting world-class Italian-style cheeses. Attendees will taste six cheeses, three Italian and three American, hear the stories of each, with the opportunity to purchase each at evening’s end. Limited to 25 attendees.  Tickets: $25.00 each.

For more information go to www.wicheesefest.com/store/cheese-classes.

What better way to celebrate this winter than tasting some of the best beer and cheese Madison has to offer?  Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2013, at the Alliant Energy Center from 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Visit www.thedailypage.com/beercheese for more information.  Tickets are limited.

As part of a new “Cheese Geek & Cheese Guru” class series at Fromagination, Jeanne Carpenter, Wisconsin Cheese Originals (license plate CHZ GEEK) and Sara Hill, Wisconsin Milk Marketing board (license plate CHZ GURU) team up to lead a fun fall class series at Fromagination.  On November 14, we talk Old World favorites vs. New World upstarts. You’ll get to judge whether Wisconsin cheesemakers are holding their own, or may we daresay winning, the race in crafting original cheeses. Taste eight cheeses, four European and four Wisconsin, hearing the stories of each, with the opportunity to purchase each at evening’s end.

Cost to attend is $30 and limited to 15 attendees.  Sessions start at 7 p.m. and seats must be reserved in advance at www.wicheeseclass.com.

Wine & Dine Wisconsin, Milwaukee's "grand tasting event" returns for its fourth big year on Saturday and Sunday, November 10-11, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Frontier Airlines Center.  This year's event is almost 50 percent bigger, and now includes The Wine Gallery - a 20,000-square-foot wood and stone arbor, home to 200 wines being poured throughout the weekend.

Your main event ticket includes:

100+ exhibitors sampling food, wine, craft beer, spirits

200 wines

100 craft and imported beers

50 artisanal Wisconsin cheeses

35 restaurants (including Critic's Choice)

40 chefs, vintners, craft brewers, mixologists on FOUR demo stages

Plus special areas, including Stella Artois Belgian Beer Garden, Leinie's Lodge, The Club by Potawatomi, Critic's Choice, featuring many of Carol Deptolla's Top 30 restaurants and chefs.

For more information visit www.wineanddinewisconsin.com.

Join the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and Wisconsin Cheese manufacturers at the Isthmus Food and Wine Show at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison for cheese sampling on Friday, October 19 from 5 - 9 p.m. and Saturday, October 20 from 2 - 6 p.m.

The new Isthmus Food & Wine Festival offers more of a focus on the local food and dining culture, bringing in adventurous chefs, bartenders, and wine experts to share samples and secrets, highlighting products and techniques for the "at-home" chef. Isthmus is working with local restaurants to line up a showcase of the talent from their kitchens, and the masterpieces they create. The festival also features the finest regional food and drink, much made right here in Wisconsin, as well as wines from across the country and around the world. The festival is planned as a two-day marketplace for products both new and familiar, as well as a delicious learning experience.

For more information go to www.isthmusfoodandwine.com.

Cheese Cheese Cheese!!  Shullsburg will host Cheese Fest on Saturday, October 6.  Musical entertainment, hayrides, scarecrow contest, arts & crafts fair, antique and flea market, cheese curd eating contest, cheese bake-off, food booths and lots of cheese!

For more information contact Cheryl Fink at 608-965-4579.

www.shullsburgwisconsin.org

As part of a new “Cheese Geek & Cheese Guru” class series at Fromagination, Jeanne Carpenter, Wisconsin Cheese Originals (license plate CHZ GEEK) and Sara Hill, Wisconsin Milk Marketing board (license plate CHZ GURU) team up to lead a fun fall class series at Fromagination. On October 4, we'll ask: Who does craft beer and artisan cheese better than Wisconsin? Our answer: no one. We’ll taste four Wisconsin craft beers, expertly paired with four Wisconsin artisan cheeses, hearing the behind-the-scenes-stories of each beer and cheese.

Cost to attend is $30 and limited to 15 attendees.  Sessions start at 7 p.m. and seats must be reserved in advance at www.wicheeseclass.com.

The Wine and Cheese Place, along with Barrie Lynn - The Cheese Impresario presents "A Surprising and Delicious Pairing; Exotic Dark Sipping Rums and Fine Artisanal Cheeses on Thursday, September 27 starting at 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

Barrie Lynn – The Cheese Impresario has just re-located from Los Angeles to St. Louis.   She has been pairing artisanal cheeses with all kinds of libations for the stars of Hollywood via her inclusion in the Oscars famed goodie bag.    She'll be conducing her Artisanal Cheese & Rum Pairing Adventure Class for the first time in this area at The Wine and Cheese Places's Clayton store.  

"This is a pairing that will make people drop to their knees when they taste these flavors together" says The Cheese Impresario.   And, she knows what she's talking about.  She's been pairing rum with cheese at the Ministry of Rum's Rum Festivals around the country and has witnessed how blown away people are by this surprising and delicious pairing.  Six exotic rums from Guatemala, Antigua, Trinidad, Haiti and Barbados, and six fine artisanal cheeses from Wisconsin will be featured.

Dark sipping rums which are meant for drinking neat, not mixing in most cocktails, can deliver the flavors of roasted nuts, smoky oak, vanilla, cocoa, fruit and spices, just like wine.  Paired with the perfect cheeses made by the award-winning cheesemakers of Wisconsin, Barrie Lynn has a real treat in store for you.  We can't wait for you to experience The Cheese Impresario's entertaining education.  

As part of a new “Cheese Geek & Cheese Guru” class series at Fromagination, Jeanne Carpenter, Wisconsin Cheese Originals (license plate CHZ GEEK) and Sara Hill, Wisconsin Milk Marketing board (license plate CHZ GURU) team up to lead a fun fall class series at Fromagination. On September 25, having just returned from the 2012 American Cheese Society Conference, the pair will bring back five of the best new cheeses made in America. Attendees will taste five award-winning cheeses from around the country, learn their stories, and get the opportunity to purchase up to one-half pound of each to take home.

Cost to attend is $30 and limited to 15 attendees.  Sessions start at 7 p.m. and seats must be reserved in advance at www.wicheeseclass.com.

Green County will host Cheese Days September 14-16, 2012.  In addition to parades, family activities, live music and entertainment on three stages, here are some of the cheese and dairy highlights you'll enjoy at the oldest food fest in the Midwest:

NATIONAL HISTORIC CHEESEMAKING CTR. - Guided tours on the hour showcasing the legacy of cheesemaking industry. Discover cheesemaking equipment & treasures of the past, including Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory. Great history lesson; a must-see while in Monroe! 2018-6th Ave. (Daily 9 am-4 pm)

CHEESE TENT - Try cheese, buy cheese & meet cheesemakers! West of Courthouse. (Friday 11am-7 pm, Saturday 10 - 8 pm, Sunday 9 am - 6 pm)

FAMILY FARM ADVENTURE TENT - Sponsored by Green Co. Farm Bureau, in partnership with 4-H, FFA and other ag groups. Check out how YOU measure up to cows & other farm animals, learn what they eat & drink, test your skills at “milking” a cow! Play in the famous “crop boxes”. You may also be asked to take part in “Ag on the Street” interviews to test YOUR knowledge of agriculture! Also Milk Mustache photos! Near library. (Friday 2-8 pm, Saturday 10 am - 8 pm, Sunday 10 am - 5 pm)

BARN QUILT & DAIRY FARM TOUR – board a bus for a guided tour with stories about the quilts and the barns, plus stop at Triple T Dairy Farm on the way back to Monroe. Meet Lynn Lokken and Kris Winkler - the volunteers who developed the barn quilt project, and meet the Treuthardt Family and their herd at the farm. Admission charged – tickets near Wisconsin Community Bank. Approximately 1 hour and fifteen minutes long. (Friday 1 pm & 2:30 pm)

DAIRY FARM TOURS - board a bus for a guided tour into Green County countryside to visit a dairy farm, and to meet cows, calves & the farm families. Admission charged - tickets available near WI Community Bank sign. Tour approximately 1 hour & 15 minutes. (Saturday 9:30 am to 3:45 pm)

SARAH THE CHEESE LADY – creating a sculpture carved from a block of Cheddar cheese - sponsored by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. Learn fun facts about cheese and taste samples as she carves.  (Saturday 11 am-5 pm)

CHEESE SANDWICH CONTEST - meet the youth finalists who will be presenting the best sandwiches made with their favorite kinds of Green County cheese. (Saturday noon)

OLD WORLD CHEESEMAKING DEMONSTRATION - veteran cheesemakers create a 200-pound wheel of Swiss cheese the old fashioned way in a giant copper kettle. Take a turn with the “Swiss harp.” North of Courthouse. (Saturday noon-4 pm)

CHEESE 101 - taste different styles from the eight “families” of Wisconsin cheese. Led by Sara Hill of WI Milk Marketing Board, joined by guest cheesemakers from Green County.  (Saturday 1 pm)

COW MILKING CONTEST - An “udderly” good time thanks to area dairy farmers & their happy herds! Watch as royalty, local celebrities, & teams compete for prizes. Also open to the public – limited spaces available - arrive prior to the contest to get your name on the list. In front of the post office. (Saturday 1 pm)

ARTISAN CHEESES & PAIRING PARTNERS - discover artisan cheeses, what makes them special, and how to pair them with other tastes - fruits, nuts, chocolates - to bring out their best flavors. Led by Sara Hill of WI Milk Marketing Board, joined by guest cheesemakers from Green County. (Saturday 3 pm)

CHEESEMAKER & CHEESE DAYS ROYALTY BALL - at Turner Hall, with old time music by Greg Anderson Band. Program at 9 pm: presentation of Cheese Days royalty past and present, dignitaries; recognition of Grand Champion Cheesemaker, & Big Cheese Award presented by Foreign Type Cheesemakers. Open to the public - $7. Lederhosen or Swiss attire optional! (Saturday 8 pm-midnight)

DAIRY SPECIALTIES ON THE MENU - gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, cheesecake on a stick, hand-battered/deep-fried cheese curds, cream puffs, and ice cream. 

Go to www.cheesedays.com for a complete schedule of events.

Holland's Family Cheese will be celebrating its third Annual Open House on Saturday, July 28 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at their family farm located at N13851 Gorman Avenue, Thorp, WI 54771.

Attendees can enjoy:

• Tours of Holland's Family Cheese and Dutch Dairy

• Cooking demos with Gouda Chef Molly

• Free food and beverage samples from more than a dozen local vendors

• Live auction

• Appearance by Alice in Dairyland

• Petting zoo, corn maze, bouncy house, coloring contest and clown entertainment for children

• Bob Bosold from WAXX 104.5 broadcasting live until noon

For more information on Holland's Family Cheese Third Annual Open House, please visit: www.hollandsfamilycheese.com

The Elegant Farmer will host its annual Blue Ribbon Cheese Fest June 23 and 24, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. featuring more than 20 award-winning cheeses, tastings and information.  Come taste the best the state has to offer including award-winning cow, sheep, goat and mixed milk cheeses.   Crafted and aged to perfection, these cheeses delighted the palate of the U.S. Championship’s judges. In addition to the tastings happening throughout The Elegant Farmer’s Farm Kitchen Bakery, Deli & Market, all are invited to meet three of the cheesemakers on the Wisconsin Blue Ribbon Cheesemakers’ Train June 23, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

Come ride the rails on the Cheesemakers’ Train in air-conditioned comfort on the beautifully restored, vintage East Troy Electric Railroad’s Dinner Car.  The two-hour round trip departs and returns to The Elegant Farmer Depot, Hwys ES & J, Mukwonago traveling through the picturesque woods and charming towns settings of Mukwonago and East Troy, Wis.

The award-winning cheesemakers who will be sharing their stories and cheeses on the train this year will be: Tony Hook, Hook’s Cheese, Mineral Point, Wis. showcasing his aged cheddars, Marieke Penterman, Holland’s Family Cheese, Throp, Wis. sampling her Gouda-styled cheeses and Bartlett Durand, Otter Creek Organic Farm, Black Earth, Wis. featuring their seasonal cheeses.  Come to the Blue Ribbon Cheese Fest and taste Wisconsin’s simply the best cheeses.

All are invited to attend free of charge the Blue Ribbon Cheese Fest.  Tickets for the Wisconsin Blue Ribbon Cheesemakers’ Train are $39 and include hearty on-board samplings of the award-winning cheeses, cheesemakers' talk, accompanying beer, wine and soda, and a dessert tasting with a slice of The Elegant Farmer's famed Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag.  The train is available for boarding at 1:30 p.m. and departs promptly at 2:00 p.m.  Parking is free and ample at The Elegant Farmer.  For more information visit www.elegantfarmer.com or call Debby at 262-363-6770.

For more than 60 years, The Elegant Farmer continues to be one of Southeast Wisconsin’s family destinations for events, simply the best food favorites and the vintage East Troy Electric Railroad train rides. The Elegant Farmer offers a wide array in its Farm Kitchen Bakery, Deli & Market including its Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag, CiderBaked Ham, Jumbo Muffins & Cookies, Popcorn, Blue Ribbon Cheeses and seasonal fruits & vegetables.  The Elegant Farmer is open daily 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.  Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.