Cheese Blog

In attempt to thwart a cold before it hits full force, I'm taking a brief blog brake. I have to rest up so I can teach a couple classes this week, plus, save my energy for eating the next batch of Rush Creek when it's shipped to work in a few days. Priorities. Priorities.

The Fancy Food Show rolled it's huge, convention center self into San Francisco this week, bringing with it Guy Fieri, a demonstrator or two wearing skirts shorter and heels higher than Tom Cruise standing next to Nicole Kidman, and... amazing cheese. There were all types of cheese.

When I heard that dairy farmer and veterinarian Dr. Noreen Dmitri, the sister of NYDairyFarmer (lawyer, dairy farmer and activist Lorraine Lewandrowski) recently attended a specialty dairy conference to study cheesemaking with the milk of heritage cows, my heart did a little dance. And by little, I mean a choreographed Flashdance number that was complete with a torn sweatshirt and leg warmers.“Use it or lose it” is applicable to heritage breed cattle. Consumer interest in products produced from the milk of endangered livestock breeds is essential for breed survival.

When I was a child I always demanded to know people's favorites- my mother's favorite color, whether she preferred me or my father more, my dad's favorite number, my friends favorite cheese, my aunts favorite fruit, my dad's favorite cheese, Santa's favorite cookie, my uncle's favorite cheese (and maybe he could tell me my aunt's while he was at it).

When the weather gets frosty and the flurries start swirling, I start to get readers and student requests for cheesy holiday gift ideas. Because I have not yet trademarked my idea for a cheeseball Christmas sweater and wouldn't want to walk past Stella McCartney one day and see a walnut-rolled Fourme D'Ambert ball/cashmere pashmina before I have time to register my notion, I'm going to stick to recommending cheese products and cheese lit. I hope you wont be disappointed.