Past Events

I am thrilled to be hosted by one of Portland's best known and most loved specialty foods stores, Zupan's. I will be joined at the Zupan's Burnside location by the Zupan's in-house cheesemonger and wine steward, who will be cooking up informal cheese and wine pairings. Of course, I'll be there signing books and talking cheese.
Zupan's Markets
2340 West Burnside
503-497-1088

Few places are as exciting to teach as Beecher's Handmade Cheese. First of all, Beecher's make the award-winning Beecher's Flagship cheese and Flagship Reserve cheese. The Reserve just got first-runner up in the American Cheese Society annual competition. Not bad for a competition boasting 1,200 cheeses. More than that, Beecher's, located at the famous Pike Place Market, has become a must-visit for any cheese loving Seattle visitor because of the magnificent array of cheeses sold there as well as the opportunity to watch them make cheese through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Their nearby classroom is a perfect place to impart all kinds of cheese information, which is what I'll be doing this evening. Join me for my two-hour class where I'll be teaching "cheese essentials" through an extensive tasting followed by a cheese and wine pairing journey in which you will get even more cheese paired with Pacific Northwest wines.
104 Pike Street (corner of 1st and Pike)
One block from Beecher's Handmade Cheese in the Pike Place Market

If you like wine; if you like cheese; if you like good food; and if you have always wanted to see Santa Fe, do NOT miss this spectacular event. The Santa Fe Wine & Chile Fiesta is unquestionably one of my favorite events all year, and I know that executive director, Greg O'Byrne, has some amazing things in store for this, the Fiesta's 17th year. I'll be doing a cheese and wine seminar with wine man extraordinaire, Tim Gaiser. This year, "Say Sí to Spanish and Portuguese Cheeses and Wines" on Wednesday, September 26th. On Thursday, I'll be teaching at the renowned Santa Fe School of Cooking. There, I'll take attendees through "cheese essentials" and will also impart guidelines for pairing cheese and wine through tasting. Saturday is the always-fun Grand Tasting, where New Mexico chefs try and out-do each other with some of the best eats I've ever had at this type of event.

I will join many of my fellow foodies in one of the most beautiful parts of the country for the fourth annual Traverse Epicurean Classic. Billed as "A Celebration of Wine & Food Artisanship," the Traverse Epicurean Classic is just in its fourth year, but it's an event that is fast becoming a hot food and wine destination. I can think of no place I'd rather give a cheese and wine seminar, which is, of course, what I'll be doing. No doubt, a few products from the local area will appear at my seminar, and I'm not just talking cheese. This part of Michigan is known for all types of fruit, including special cherries, to name just one. Mark your calendar and plan your trip now.

Once again, I'm thanking my lucky stars to be part of this fantastic event, held in my favorite above sea level city. This year is Food & Wine magazine's 25th anniversary in Aspen, so the Classic promises to be even more spectacular than ever before (if that's possible).
This year, I will be joined by Brian Duncan, wine director at Chicago's fantastic Bin 36 restaurant (www.bin36.com), for The Cheese Course seminars, being held at 2pm on Friday and Saturday. I'll continue with the cheese theme in a couple of solo stints featuring "The World's Best Cheeses." These will be held at 3:30pm on Friday and Saturday, following The Cheese Course seminars. Be sure to join me at both my seminars for this veritable cheese (and wine) extravaganza, which are, of course, punctuated by wine tastings throughout the day and long into the night as only the Classic can offer. Check out the website for registration and seminar locations as well as a whole lot of other Classic information.

I, along with Seattle's Beecher's Handmade Cheese founder, Kurt Dammeier (www.beechershandmadecheese.com), will be conducting a focused cheese and wine seminar exclusively centered on Pacific Northwest cheeses and wines as part of the third annual Seattle Cheese Festival. This cheese festival is a don't-miss for anyone that loves cheese and wants to learn more about it through nonstop tasting and educational seminars.

What better audience than a group of butter and cheese people to talk to about cheese and wine? The esteemed organization will be holding its 42nd annual convention this year at the beautiful Resort at Squaw Creek in Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, and I'm lucky enough to get to join them this year. Check out their site and the organization itself. Maybe you're even eligible to become a member.

Anyone who knows me knows of my attachment to Aspen, so to be asked to conduct a cheese and wine pairing there is not exactly a hardship. Lucky for me, I get to do so for a group of people who have been helping the not-so-privileged learn about life, providing them with opportunities and most of all hope for the future. Check out this magnificent group, and if you happen to be in the Aspen area, call the Ritz-Carlton Club and see if you can sit in on the cheese and wine pairing.

I will be speaking on Tuesday, March 6th, but the entire conference promises to be interesting and educational for aspiring and established cheesemakers as well as retailers and anyone that wants to learn more about cheese.