Hello readers, it's educational sipping and eating time again! I'm very happy to share some newly posted classes I'll be teaching in San Francisco this summer (and, yes, September counts as summer in the bay area- it's when the locals really get in thick of complaining about the 86-90 degree weather). All classes are open for registration.

Please join if you can! And keep posted. I'm very excited to share future classes like the beer-pairing one I'll be teaching with Master Cicerone Nicole Erny once the dates are set (yup, consider me awed). Plus, I'm packing the classes and events in for my book's release and will list them here. Full calendars, coming at ya.

A little warm-up:

Here's an article about one of the co-owners of the Cheese School of San Francisco. Along with Kiri Fischer, Daphne Zepos organizes all classes at the school. Not to mention she also runs one of the top cheese importing companies in the country, she's the best teacher I've ever been blessed with the opportunity to learn from and teach alongside, and she's one of the most beautiful, lively, and inspirational people around. She does more in a week than most of us do in 3 years and has done more for the artisan cheese industry in the United States than butter has done for toast. In short, there's no shortage of what we can learn from this woman, and I dream of being even half as awesome as her when I grow up. Read about her here.

CHEESE CLASSES

California Cheese & Wine: Tuesday, July 31st (6:30-8:30pm), The Cheese School of San Francisco

The story of California as told through the microcosm of vine and dairy: It started as the anything-goes wild west, became the promised land, and still churns out hits. In this class you’ll taste the cheeses and wines that have trail-blazed their way onto the tables of food-lovers across the country and discover why they have inspired incredible growth, excellence, and influenced the very identity of West Coast cuisine. Your host and historian is the ‘It’s Not You, It’s Brie,’ blogger and oenophile Kirstin Jackson; and your class companion will be a full tasting of California’s most delicious cheeses and wines.

Pink & Beyond: Tuesday, September 18th (6:30-8:30pm), The Cheese School of San Francisco

Not to be confused with the jug wines of yesteryear, the beauty and delightful flavor of pink wines can be enchanting. Instructor and wine maven Kirstin Jackson will explore how Rosé is made and discover the flavors of strawberries, minerals, rose petals and cocoa powder that characterize the very best of this style. Pair the pinks with carefully selected cheeses and you have the perfect formula for outdoor summer entertaining.

Some other knock-out cheese & wine/beer/spirits classes in the area that I'm eyeing: