13th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival Announces Participants for Artisan Cheese Tasting & Marketplace

SANTA ROSA, Calif.— California’s premier cheese event, the California Artisan Cheese Festival, is pleased to announce the participants for its signature event:Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace taking place Sunday, March 24. The popular weekend festival, taking place March 23-24, attracts more than 2,500 guests, and brings together the top California cheesemakers, artisan producers, authors, chefs, brewers, winemakers and turophiles for two days of cheese tasting, education and celebration.
 
“The Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace is a truly unique opportunity for attendees to taste, sip, savor and purchase delectable cheeses, and products that complement cheese, all in one place,” said Judy Groverman Walker, executive director of the California Artisan Cheese Festival. “With over 100 total vendors at this year’s Marketplace, we are delighted that this year’s festival brings 25 new purveyors to the Marketplace, making it our biggest event ever. Attendees can not only taste an incredible array of delicious offerings at the event, but also buy cheese and artisan products and store them in a complimentary, insulated tote for the ride home. It’s definitely a not-to-be-missed event for all cheese lovers.” 
 
Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace
Sunday, March 24
12 to 4 p.m.
Grace Pavilion, Sonoma County Fairgrounds
1350 Bennett Valley Rd.,
Santa Rosa, CA
$50 per person, $25 for kids 12 and under
 
In this banquet for the senses, the Artisan Marketplace brings together more than 100 artisan cheese and specialty food producers, winemakers, brewers, cider makers, distillers and chefs – each offering attendees the opportunity to sample and shop among a wide variety of hand-crafted cheeses, artisan food products, delectable wines, beers, and ciders. Guests are invited to taste, sip, explore and discover the next wave of interesting cheeses and complementary products. Every guest brings home an Artisan Cheese Festival insulated tote bag as well as a festive wine glass. Live entertainment includes Miss Moonshine, an alternative folk band comprising multi-instrumentalists performing traditional and original music.
 
Cheesemakers showcasing their products at the Marketplace include: Achadinha Cheese Company, Beehive Cheese Company, Bellwether Farms, Central Coast Creamery, Chevoo, Cowgirl Creamery, Cypress Grove, Fiscalini Cheese Co., Laura Chenel’s, Marin French Cheese Co., Moonside Creamery, Nicasio Valley Cheese Co., Nicolau Farms, Orland Farmstead Creamery, Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese Co., Pennyroyal Farm, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, Rumiano Cheese Co., Sierra Nevada Cheese Co., Stuyt Dairy Farmstead Cheese Co., Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Two Rock Valley Goat Cheese, Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery, and Wm. Cofield Cheesemakers.

Beverages, including breweries, wineries, cideries and distilleries pouring their products include: Ace Cider, Alley 6 Craft Distillery, Alpine Springs Water, Benovia Winery, Black Kite Cellars, Black Oak Coffee, Boochcraft, High-Alcohol Kombucha, Estate 1856, Gordian Knot Winery, g’s hard ginger beer, Heidrun Meadery, Jardesca, Jaxon Keys Winery & Distillery, Joseph Jewell Wines, Kelley & Young Wines, Kokomo Wines,Korbel Champagne Cellars, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Little Apple Treats, Merriam Vineyards, Monarch Bitters, Pampelonne Sparkling Wine Cocktails, Paul Mathew Vineyards, Rabbit’s Foot Meadery/Red Branch Cider Company, Revive Kombucha, Seismic Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Sonoma Coast Spirits, Sonoma Portworks, St. Francis Winery & Vineyards, Stringer Cellars, Tipp Rambler, Trione Vineyards & Winery, Venus Spirits, VML Winery, and Young & Yonder Spirits.
 
Artisan food purveyors and other vendors include: 3DCandies, Baci Chocolatier, Beaujolais Panforte, Black Pig Meat Co., Bryerton’s Roasted Almonds, California Artisan Cheese Guild, Chef Josef’s Seasoning Blends, Chico Honey Co., Copperfield’s Books, Cult Crackers, Culture Magazine, Dark Heart Chili Sauce, Diane’s Sweet Heat, Farm Chocolate, Farm Fresh to You, Friend in Cheese Jam Co., Golden State Pickle Works, Humboldt Hot Sauce, Jamnation, Jimtown Store, Journeyman Meats, Kelly’s Jelly, KL Keller, Lucero Olive Oil, Mi Distinctive Tastes, MoJo Bakes SF, Natureland Farm, Oh Bees,Pacific Culture, Petaluma FFA, Petaluma Visitors Program, Pip & Eva, R & J Toffees, Revolution Bread, Rustic Bakery, Ryan Creek Root Cellar, Sinful Salt, Sola Bee Farms,Sonoma Brinery, Sonoma County Tourism, Sonoma Land Trust, Sonoma Shipping, Tahoe Kitchen Co., TCHO Chocolate, Tea & Crumpets, The Baconer, The Garden Wild, Visit Santa Rosa, Volo Chocolate, zazu kitchen + farm.
 
Note: New purveyors to this year’s Marketplace are referenced in bold font.
 
Baby strollers are not permitted in the Marketplace. 
 
Other Festival Events
Beyond Artisan Cheese Tasting and Marketplace, attendees can partake in Saturday night’s not-to-be missed event, Cheese, Bites & Booze!  This grand tasting event, held inside the Jackson Family Wines Airplane Hangar located at the Sonoma Jet Center, features legendary cheesemakers, cheesemongers, and chefs collaborating to create their “best bites” of California’s artisan cheesy goodness. Throughout the evening, guests can sample delectable creations while sipping on regional artisan wines, ciders, spirits, and beers, and get in on the action by casting their vote for their favorite bite in the People’s Choice Awards for Cheesemongers and Chefs; then see how their vote compares to the judges’ selections in the same categories. Cheese, bites & Booze! is held from 6 – 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 23. $80 per person; 21 and over only, no children will be admitted.
 
Other festival events include seminars, farm and producer tours, and the sold-out Bubbles & Brunch, all of which are held at various locations in Northern California March 23-24, 2019. Tickets for the various events range from $25 to $150 per person and are available for purchase now by visiting, www.artisancheesefestival.com.  Please note all ticket sales are final and all events will take place rain or shine.
 
Sponsors
Generous sponsors of the California Artisan Cheese Festival include American AgCredit, Beehive Cheese Company, Bellwether Farms, Central Coast Creamery, Clover Sonoma, Cowgirl Creamery, Culture Magazine, Cypress Grove, Dairy Connection/GetCulture, Donald and Maureen Green Foundation, Edible East Bay, Edible Marin & Wine Country, Ellipses Public Relations, Exchange Bank, Fiscalini Cheese Co., Flamingo Conference Resort & Spa, Formaticum, Fromagex, Jackson Family Wines, John Boos/Boos Boards, Lagunitas Brewing Company, Laura Chenel’s, Marin French Cheese Co., Mike Hudson Distributing, Nicasio Valley Cheese Co., Oliver’s Markets, Pennyroyal Farm, Pisenti & Brinker LLP, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company, Pure Luxury Transportation, Qualtech, Real California Milk, Rumiano Cheese Company, Rustic Bakery, Seismic Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, Sonoma County Tourism, Sonoma Jet Center, Tahoe Kitchen Co., Tomales Farmstead Creamery, Tony’s Fine Foods, Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery, and Visit Santa Rosa.
 
About California Artisan Cheese Festival
A 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, the California Artisan Cheese Festival strives to increase cheese appreciation, educate consumers about artisan cheeses, support the cheesemaking community and its sustainability and celebrate the creations of California’s many farmers and cheesemakers. The festival began in March 2007 as the first-ever, weekend-long celebration and exploration of handcrafted cheeses, foods, wines and beers from California and beyond. In keeping with its dedication to the community, the Artisan Cheese Festival has donated more than $120,000 in grants to local nonprofit partners that support local sustainable agriculture including the California Artisan Cheese Guild, Sonoma Land Trust, Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT), the Redwood Empire Food Bank and the Petaluma Chapter of the Future Farmers of America. For more information about the California Artisan Cheese Festival , visit www.artisancheesefestival.com or follow them onFacebook, Instagram and Twitter.