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An Insider’s Guide to the California Artisan Cheese Festival

“If you’re a Bay Area resident, consider yourself lucky to live in the backyard of pioneering artisan American cheesemakers.

While not all local cheese producers are open to the public, many of the legendary ones—Laura Chenel, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese, Cowgirl Creamery, and Cypress Grove, among them—participate in the annual California Artisan Cheese Festival and even hold behind-the-scenes tours. One of the longest-running artisan cheese festivals in America, the must-attend event is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and cheese lovers are flying in from 25 states just to get a taste.”

February 18, 2026