|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
Cheeses on display before the start of a seminar.
The Artisan Cheese Festival welcomes Culture, Sponsor and Official Magazine of the festival. |
|
|
Creamery Tours SOLD OUT
Rise and shine early Friday morning to meet the cheesemakers on the farm. Excursions will leave and return by shuttle bus to the Sheraton in Petaluma. Be aware that return times are approximate. Please consider wearing your least-cherished rubber-soled shoes and long pants, and bring a jacket as it may get cold. Tours A and C please pick up your lunch boxes at the Sheraton prior to departing. Tour A: McClelland Dairy, Barinaga Ranch and DeBernardi Dairy Our first destination on this tour is the morning milking at McClelland Dairy. Founded in 1938 the McClellands are one of Sonoma's deep-rooted dairy families. They recently made the transition to organic, and just last year they began to produce European-style butter. Next stop is Debernardi Dairy, best known for their quality cow's milk and more recently for a small production of aged goat's milk cheeses. Don DeBernardi modeled his cheese after the varieties made by his forefathers in Europe. Our last stop is at Barinaga Ranch in Marshall. Cheesemaker Marcia Barinaga learned to make cheese from her Basque relatives. We'll visit the ranch just in time for lambing season. Tour B: Toluma Farms, Point Reyes Farmstead Before Marin was "Marin" is was one of this country's most renowned dairylands. We'll take a scenic drive up the coast and back to the future to visit two Marin county families still living that dream. First stop is a dairy goat farm on its way to making artisan cheese. After that, we head to Point Reyes to hear the story of how a traditional cow's milk dairy was able to make the transition to an organic farmstead cheese business model. We'll meet the cheesemakers, visit the animals, and taste why Northern California has become a hotbed of artisnal cheesemaking. Tour C: Bellwether Farms, Canvas Ranch, McEvoy Ranch
Depart at 9:15 AM, Return at 3:30 PM We'll begin our tour at Bellwether Farms. Cheesemaker Liam Callahan will talk us through the cheesemaking process and introduce us to their herd of East Friesian sheep. Then we're off to lunch at Canvas Ranch, a diversified farm featuring home to Babydoll sheep, cashmere goats and outstanding seasonal produce. We'll wrap up the day at McEvoy Ranch to learn about the horticulture of olive trees, their milling techniques and how they extract that delicious, green gold from their olives. Note: Tour C will begin later in the morning than our other tours, leaving the Sheraton at 9:30 a.m. |
