Last week I hit up New York City. I visited friends, ate pizza (whoa, Don Antonio), went to Russ & Daughters, scouted out Cato Corner in the Union Square farmer's market and tasted everything they offered, ate at Katz deli twice, and consumed my fair share of rye cocktails. Now that I'm back in California, I'm eating vegetable soup, hitting up a pilates and yoga class or two, then....

Planning to fill my fridge with the rich, rich cheese I'm making in preparation for March and April's cheese classes Bay Area.

Below are some of my favorite classes I'll be teaching the next couple months. Also, even though my name is "It's Not You, It's Brie," and I have made such rich wheels with cheesemakers, I am teaching my first brie cheesemaking class in April! Yeah, I'm kinda stoked. In addition to these classes, I'll also be selecting and serving the cheese for Ridge Winery's two upcoming Montebello releases in April and May, and a May Kermit Lynch wine tasting, so please stop by and say hello if you're attending!

As always, the public classes fill up fast, and you can contact me with private class requests at kirstin@itsnotyouitsbrie.com

PUBLIC CHEESE CLASSES BAY AREA

Cheese & Wine Pairing 101

 Tuesday, March 15th, 6pm, Solano Cellars

Tuesday, March 15th, Kirstin and Julie will break down the rules of cheese and wine pairing for a taste-on intensive class. You will learn. And you will eat and drink.... Many of you know by now: Cheese and wine are delicious together. But let's admit it, like Kim & Kanye or Liz and Richard Burton, the two can be a finicky pairing.

New California Cheese and Wine: The Modern Movement

Saturday, March 19th, 10am, The Sonoma Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma

Presenters: Kirstin Jackson, Author of “It’s Not You, It’s Brie: Unwrapping America’s Unique Culture of Cheese,” Dan Petroski, Winemaker, Massican and Larkmead Vineyards: California’s wine and cheese scene is at the height of deliciousness and sophistication, but things have changed dramatically since the founding dairy families cut their first curd and the grand families of California wine made their names with rich Cabernets........

Cheesemaking: Mozzarella, Burrata, Ricotta

Saturday, March 26; Sunday, April 24th; Wednesday, May 18th, Sunday, June 26th, The Cheese School

Mozzarella on nearly every aspiring home-cheesemaker’s to-do list. Yet, it’s not easy to get it right. Why won’t your curds form a ball? When you do get the ball to form, why is it hard enough for a game of hacky-sack? These are the mysteries of mozzarella....

It's Not You, It's Brie. Brie at Home

Wednesday, April 6th, 6pm, 18 Reasons

A hands-on cheesemaking class culminating in dinner served with wine and beer. Smooth, rich and decadent, bloomy-rinded cheeses like brie engage senses in a special way. They also lend themselves to a wide variety of pairings and cooking methods. And you can make them at home!....

Spring Sparklers, 

Wednesday, April 20th, 6:30pm, The Cheese School

Prosecco, cava, California sparkling wine, champagne. If you ask us, everything tastes better with bubbles. But some cheeses really do sing to the tune of fruity, floral effervescence....

Hope you're able to make a few!