Fresh burrata and mozzarella can be notoriously fussy to make. Cheesemaking teacher Kirstin Jackson will guide you along the fun process of stretching bocconcini, ovolini, and their cream-filled cousin, burrata. We'll start with a mozzarella and burrata cheese tasting, then jump into making it ourselves. You'll learn the basics of cheesemaking science, which ingredients to use and why, the ins and outs of stretching cheese curd, and get advice on some simple ways to eat your newest cheese creation.

We'll end the class with a light dinner consisting of our own cheeses, a seasonal vegetarian salad, locally baked bread, and a glass of wine or beer!

Ricotta, queso fresco, and cultured butter are three of the most delicious things in the dairy case. And if someone is showing you the way, they're also some of the easiest to make! In this beginner-friendly class, cheesemaker teacher Kirstin Jackson will teach you how to master the trio so you can make them in your own kitchen. You'll learn about milk types, how to culture milk, where to buy supplies, cheesemaking science, and taste samples. Then you work in teams to make your own ricotta and queso fresco, watch a creme fraiche culturing demo, and learn about queso fresco seasonings and how to make compound butter. At the end of the class we'll enjoy our cheeses and butters together over a seasonal vegetarian salad, locally baked bread, and light snacks.

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Ricotta made from whole cow's milk

Queso fresco, blanco, and with seasonings

Cultured butter, salted, and compound

Creme fraiche

Cheese & Wine Pairing 101

Legend has it that cheese and wine are the ultimate power couple, but if you’ve ever had a pairing bomb, you know that the two can be a tricky duo. Don't worry, it's not you! Wine and cheese are actually harder to pair together than they seem. To start, tannins, oak, acid, fruit flavors, funky notes, and molds often compete with each other, and it's common to end up with a combo that just doesn't click. In this class, cheese and wine expert Kirstin Jackson will divulge her pairing secrets so that you have the tools to harmoniously enjoy the two at home without fear. You'll learn tricks of the trade, "rules" that make pairing easy, and she'll share her go-to wines and cheeses that pair well with pretty much anything. The class will taste through 7 cheeses and 4 wines.

Read more here.

Uptown Funk Cheese & Beer Pairing for SF Beer Week

Embark on a beer and cheese adventure with Drake’s Brewing Barrel Program Manager Travis Camacho and cheese expert Kirstin Jackson on Saturday, February 10th from 6-8PM. Explore the art of pairing and indulge in limited releases, Sours, Stouts, and more. Limited seating for this educational event. Tickets cover a 4oz pours of brews paired with unique cheeses. 21+ only.

In time for seasonal festivities and winter's rich cheeses, this class will teach you how to expertly pair the season's best cheeses with sparkling wine from around the world. It's Not You, It's Brie author, cheese and wine expert, and cheesemaking instructor Kirstin Jackson will lead you through a delicious and educational tasting of 4 wines and 7 cheeses to explore her favorite pairings and tried-and true combos. Expect buttery triple-cremes, aged tommes, seasonal wheels, and sparklings of all different hues. You'll leave the class happy and equipped with the tools to pair at home for friends, family, or just for yourself!

Bottles of wines sampled in class will be available for purchase, so bring a credit card and a bag to take home your favorites.

That impressive, expensive goat cheese you admire at the cheese counter? You can make that yourself. Join Kirstin Jackson, the passionate cheesemaker behind It's Not You, It's Brie, for a small group workshop where you’ll learn to make your very own goat cheese. That’s right: you don’t have to be beholden to the selection available at the grocery store! With Kirstin as your guide, you’ll get comfortable with the cultures, rennets and friendly molds that you need to turn a humble jug of milk into decadent cheese that will earn you serious bragging rights.

More here!

Have you ever looked at a wine list and wondered, "Have they always made wine in Slovenia?", “Is this the name of the winemaker or the grape?" or "What is an orange wine anyhow?" Or, just wished you could better express to sommeliers your likes and dislikes so they'd bring you the wine you actually want?

If so, you are not alone. In this class, wine and cheese expert and former wine bar manager of ten years, Kirstin Jackson, will break down the baffling wine list. We'll dissect a few of the wine lists of the best restaurants in town, sample some current wine darlings, learn about popular "somm darlings," also known as the the wine trends you'll see on BTG (by-the-glass) lists, and discuss how to use a common wine language to order the wines you really want. To illustrate all points, of course, we will drink wine. Expect to leave informed, refreshed, and able to order like a true wine geek.

Celebrate the season’s rosés and the cheeses that love them. This class is made for spring and summer sipping. New rosés are just being released, it's light and bright cheese season, and goat and sheep milk cheeses are in their prime. Think pink and salmon-colored rosé or bubbles, paired to bright, freshly-made softies, and a maybe an aged wedge or two.

In this class, cheese and wine expert Kirstin Jackson will lead you through a delicious tasting of 4 wines and 7 cheeses that will leave you inspired for the season.

An ancient Cyprus cheese from the Byzantine era, halloumi is one of the most popular Mediterranean cheeses around. It's one of the rare cheeses that doesn't melt when seared, it grills like a dream, and it transforms into beautiful mezze and appetizer plates. Yet it's somehow still underutilized in our American kitchens. The class will kick off with a halloumi tasting and breezy lesson of the cheese's rich history and tradition. Then you'll make your own halloumi by-hand, and master searing it to golden perfection. Using store-bought versions while your own halloumi cures, you’ll also learn how to incorporate this versatile cheese into three easy summer dishes. We’ll enjoy the bounty together at the end of class! Every student will leave with their own piece of halloumi that will be ready to eat the next day.

Fresh burrata and mozzarella can be notoriously fussy to make. Cheesemaking teacher Kirstin Jackson will guide you along the fun process of stretching bocconcini, ovolini, and their cream-filled cousin, burrata. We'll start with a mozzarella and burrata cheese tasting, then jump into making it ourselves. You'll learn the basics of cheesemaking science, which ingredients to use and why, the ins and outs of stretching cheese curd, and get advice on some simple ways to eat your newest cheese creation.

We'll end the class with a light lunch consisting of our own cheeses, a seasonal vegetarian salad, locally baked bread, and a glass of wine or beer!

It’s spring, and the green Sonoma hills are dotted with wildflowers and baby animals bouncing about their pastures. Spring is when young goat and sheep’s milk cheeses are their liveliest, and buttery cow’s milk cheese reflects the freshness of the fields. In other words, it’s the best time of year to enjoy these young and creamy cheeses - and the wines that love them! 

We’ll use spring as a touchpoint for talking about cheese seasonality and feeding versus breeding. Come taste fresh local cheese from as close as Point Reyes, as well as international wheels that can’t help but charm. As for wine, we’ll pair our selections to un-oaked whites, crisp rosé, and lighter red wines that have been waiting all winter for their time to come. You’ll enjoy 7 cheeses and 4 wines that sing the song of springtime! 

Fresh burrata and mozzarella can be notoriously fussy to make. Cheesemaking teacher Kirstin Jackson will guide you along the fun process of stretching bocconcini, ovolini, and their cream-filled cousin, burrata. We'll start with a mozzarella and burrata cheese tasting, then jump into making it ourselves. You'll learn the basics of cheesemaking science, which ingredients to use and why, the ins and outs of stretching cheese curd, and get advice on some simple ways to eat your newest cheese creation.

We'll end the class with a light dinner consisting of our own cheeses, a seasonal vegetarian salad, locally baked bread, and a glass of wine or beer!

Drake’s Brewing Barrel Program Manager Travis Camacho is teaming up with local cheese expert and "It's Not You, It's Brie" author Kirstin Jackson on February 15th, to take you on a journey through beer and cheese magic. You'll learn how cheese is made, what styles of beer and cheese blend best, and leave with the power to pair your own at home.

We're talking buttery triple cremes, aged sheep's milk cheeses, goat cheeses, or pungent blues, paired with a curated selection of limited releases along with Sours, Stouts, and other barrel-aged favorites. Grab a friend or bring a date to this cheese and beer love fest at Drake’s Dealership!

This is a private, educational event with limited seating. Tickets include one (1) 4oz pour of five different brews, paired with 5 unique cheeses. Tax included. Must be 21+ to attend.

Kirstin has learned a lot in the seventeen years she's worked in the cheese and wine industry. Not only does she know how to make burrata and which sparkling wines give Champagne a run for its money, but she also has consumed massive amounts of cheese and wine. She is so excited to share the fruits of this studious research with you! In one of her favorite classes ever, Kirstin will introduce you to her most loved cheese and wine pairings. You’ll learn what she pairs together at home, which wedges and bottles she serves to her friends and family, her top party wines, and a few budget-friendly cheese plate tips. Expect eight cheeses, four wines, and lots of stories.

A limited number of bottles of the sampled wines will be available for purchase at the end of class. Bring a credit card and a reusable shopping bag, if you're interested!

"Feta. "White cheese." Peynir. Whatever you call it, this lively, versatile cheese is one of the most beloved in the world! In time to use the creamy, crumbly one with Bay Area's best summer produce, this class will teach you how to make feta at home. You will learn the basics of cheesemaking and where to find supplies, we’ll start a batch of feta together and talk feta history, we'll taste three very different international and local versions, and you’ll learn how to turn your own feta into the most decadent marinated cheese you’ve ever had. At the end of the class we'll sit down to a light dinner of salad, and enjoy two feta dishes we made together.

Note: Students will take home a container of curd home to finish making feta at home.

Celebrate the season’s rosés and the cheeses that love them. This class is made for spring and summer sipping. New rosés are just being released, it's light and bright cheese season, and goat and sheep milk cheeses are in their prime. Think pink and salmon-colored rosé or bubbles, paired to bright, freshly-made softies, and a maybe an aged wedge or two.

In this class, cheese and wine expert Kirstin Jackson will lead you through a delicious tasting of 4 wines and 7 cheeses that will leave you inspired for the season.