Artisan cheese-making classes coming to Marin

Did you know that Northern California, and Marin and Sonoma specifically, have the largest concentration of artisan and farmstead cheese makers second to Vermont?

Perhaps this is a growing field because it’s such a natural fit for the premium milk we produce in the North Bay and all those cheese enthusiasts who want the fabulous handmade artisan cow, sheep, and goat cheeses made right here.

As part of this growth, the California Artisan Cheese Guild (CACG) education committee, fueled by Cowgirl Creamery’s Sue Conley, Maureen Cunnie, and Lynn Giacomini Stray pushed for the creation of a College of Marin Artisan Cheese Certificate Program modeled after the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese.

The first courses are filling up quickly, so if you or an apprentice or others you know are interested, you need to apply and register soon!

(1) A Full Introduction to Artisan Cheese and Its Traditions with Daphne Zepos - 5 Monday evenings starting 9/13

(2) Milk Types and Quality with Dave Potter - October 28
all day

For main website: http://www.marin.edu/CommunityEducation/

For the application/class procedure: http://www.marin.edu/CommunityEducation/ce-reginfo.html

See page 27 of the Community Education fall catalog for a more detailed description of the classes.

If you miss these two, they will be repeated in the winter session in January.

Stay tuned for an Artisan & Farmstead Cheese Survey/Report I am preparing about this exciting new field and certificate program. -- Ellie Rilla, UCCE Marin