One of the perks of helping organize cheese events is learning about them before anyone else. And that means I get to share that information with my friends! Here’s a look at three stellar cheese-themed events being planned for this summer – each is open to only a limited number of attendees, so if tickets are on sale, act now.
June 25: Wisconsin Blue Ribbon Cheesemakers’ Train, Mukwonago, Wis
The Elegant Farmer is combining cheese, trains and apple pie in a brand new event on Saturday, June 25 from 1 to 3 p.m. You’re invited to ride along with three 2011 U.S. Champion Cheesemakers on the beautifully restored, vintage East Troy Electric Railroad’s Dinner Car. The two-hour round trip departs and returns to The Elegant Farmer Depot in Mukwonago, traveling through the woods and charming town settings of Mukwonago and East Troy, Wis. On board sharing their stories and cheeses will be: Katie Hedrich, LaClare Farms, showcasing her U.S. Champion goat’s milk Evalon; Paula Homan, Red Barn Family Farms, sampling Heritage Weis Cheddar; and Brenda Jensen, Hidden Springs Creamery, sampling her soft and hard sheep’s milk cheeses. Tickets are $35 and include on-board samplings of cheeses, cheesemakers’ talk, accompanying beverages, a dessert tasting featuring Red Barn’s signature milk paired with a slice of The Elegant Farmer’s famed Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag, and a take home goody bag including cheeses and an individual apple pie. Learn more and buy tickets here.
June 24-25: Audacious Beer and Cheese Celebration, Delafield & Hartland, Wis.
Organizer Mike Brown is taking one of the Midwest’s most renowned artisan beer and cheese festivals to a whole new level by introducing a new event called Friday Flights, an exclusive meet-the-maker beer and cheese pairing. Each Friday Flight event will feature an award winning artisan cheesemaker and world class brewery expert who will present beer and cheese pairings. Cheesemakers include Bob Koenig, Carr Valley Cheese; Jerry Heimerl, Saxon Homestead Creamery; Chris Roelli, Roelli Cheese; Bruce Workman, Edelweiss Creamery; and Ron Roethlisberger, Seymour Cheese. Tickets are $25 a person, and with limited attendance of only 20 attendees at each Flight, these are sure to sell out. If you can’t make it on Friday night, the festival continues with the Premier Tasting on Saturday with nearly 100 world class beers and more than 30 different artisan cheeses. Hundreds of attendees discover their next favorite beer and cheese at this annual charitable event, and you could be one of them. Purchase tickets here.
July 16: All Star Blue Ribbon Tasting, State Fair Park Expo Center, West Allis, Wis.
The Wisconsin State Fair Park Foundation is hosting its first-ever All Star Blue Ribbon Tasting, celebrating dozens of Wisconsin specialty meats, artisan cheeses and award-winning spirits from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Expo Center at State Fair Park. Only 400 tickets will be sold. Attendees will taste more than 30 Wisconsin State Fair blue-ribbon specialty meats and cheeses, paired with complimentary award-winning Wisconsin beers and wines, plus a special State Fair dessert table featuring the fair’s world-famous Cream Puffs. The All Star Blue Ribbon Tasting is a fundraiser for the Wisconsin State Fair Park Foundation. Proceeds help support youth programming and scholarships. Tickets are $35 in advance, $40 at the door. Purchase tickets here.
All three of these events will be sure to sell out, so if you want to attend, make sure to purchase tickets early. See you all there!
