Cheese'n Shmooz Calendar

Honestly, there are so many opportunities coming up to talk cheese, eat cheese, and meet cheese lovers that my calendar is beginning to look as scribbled upon as a 7th-grade Trapper Keeper. Here are some dates for dairy entanglements in the Philadelphia area:

October 3, Slow Food “Dig In”, noon-3 p.m., World Café Live

The Philadelphia chapter of this artisanal food alliance hosts an afternoon of culinary demos and tastings by local food producers and chefs. Tickets are a mere $10. Dock Street provides the brew, and live music is on the menu, too. I will be there with Debbie Mikulak of Amazing Acres Dairy. Join us for some goat cheese’n chat.

October 16, Cherry Grove Cheese Tour

Check out one of the area’s most interesting sustainable dairies, Cherry Grove – makers of Maidenhead. The Fair Food Farmstand leads this excursion. Lunch is included, and so is a tour of Griggstown Quail Farm – yup, you can reserve your Heritage breed turkey. The whole shebang is only $20 – you’ve got to get yourself to Princeton, NJ, but then you’re golden. For more info, contact Christina@fairfoodphilly.org, or call 215-386-5211, ext. 106

October 28, The Big Cheeses of 2010, Tria

This is just one of two cheese classes that Tria has on offer in October. Cheesemonger Rich Morillo highlights the best cheeses in America, showcasing recent winners of the American Cheese Society Awards. Don’t forget that Tria has a “Sunday School” menu every Sunday to feature a great cheese, wine, and beer pairing – all at a deep discount. Alas, this class is sold out, but you can still get on the waiting list: (215) 972-7076

Beer’n Cheese Happy Hour, Di Bruno Bros. (South Philly)

It happens every Wednesday, from 5-8 p.m. – where have you been? Free brew, free cheese, and if you ask nicely, you just might get to see some skin (meaning: cheese tattoos). These pairings are often exquisite – stop in for a minor revelation. I’m usually there, moaning audibly near the olive bins.

Ohhh, and I almost forgot to mention...the list of tastings I co-host at Quince, my neighborhood cheese shop, is posted on the store's website. On October 23, we'll be baking with cheese. Join us for hot cheese appetizers and conversation. More on this later.