Central Point, OR – Oregon-inspired culinary events, including a farmer’s market-style artisan food, beer and wine festival, will kick off with the Meet the Cheesemakers and Winemakers Dinner @ the Oregon Cheese Festival during the third weekend in March. For tickets go to http://oregoncheesemakersdinner.bpt.me/
To commence the festival, a sumptuous meal introducing guests to participating guild cheesemakers will be held Friday night at the Inn at the Commons in Medford, OR on March 17th from 6:00 P.M. – 9:00 P.M. The dinner is held for the benefit of the non-profit 501(c)(6) Oregon Cheesemakers Guild. Each course will spotlight a cheese made by one of the festival's artisans, paired with a local wine, beer or cider.
We are excited to announce our Special Guest for the dinner and festival! Brian Keyser is the founder of Casellula Cheese & Wine Café, a tiny restaurant with a huge cheese selection. He opened the restaurant in New York City in 2007 and Casellula at Alphabet City in Pittsburgh in 2016. Together with Chef Leigh Friend he is the co-author of Composing the Cheese Plate, a book of easy recipes and creative ideas for fun and inventive cheese plates (Running Press, 2016). Brian is a Co- Chair of the 2017 (ACS)American Cheese Society Annual Conference and Competition in Denver, Chair of the ACS Scholarship Committee, and a board member of the American Cheese Education Foundation.
Saturday, March 18 & Sunday March 19th – Festival
At the festival thousands of visitors will sample cow, goat and sheep cheese from Oregon creameries, including Pholia Farm, Ancient Heritage Dairy, Oregon State University, Ochoa Creamery, Tillamook County Creamery, Willamette Valley Cheese Co., Fern’s Edge Goat Dairy, Oak Leaf Creamery, Rivers Edge Chevre, Briar Rose Creamery, Face Rock Creamery, Portland Creamery, Rogue Creamery, and many others.
The Oregon Cheese Festival will be open to the public Saturday, March 18th & Sunday March 19 th from 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. at Rogue Creamery, 311 North Front St. (Hwy. 99), Central Point, OR. Held under 2 large tents, 15,000 sq. ft. of space, at Rogue Creamery's Central Point facility, the thirteenth annual festival will invite guests to shake hands with cheesemakers & other artisans. There will also be baby cows on site to showcase the beginnings of great milk producers! Activities will also be provided for children including games, activity sheets, coloring, face painting and more.
"The farmer's market format will present an interactive experience between makers and visitors, giving everyone an opportunity to talk about the product, the process and learn each individual cheesemaker's story," says David Gremmels, President of Rogue Creamery. "It's a way to truly be connected with the source of the cheese being presented."
Southern Oregon & other local culinary artisans and beverage providers who are expected to participate include Lillie Belle Farms, Gary West Meats, Applegate Valley Artisan Breads, Ledger David Cellars, South Stage Cellars, Serra Vineyards, Caprice Vineyards, Willamette Valley Vineyards, RoxyAnn Winery, La Brasseur Vineyard, 30 Brix Winery, Wandering Aengus Ciders, Hot Lips Soda, Clear Creek Distillery, Bend Distillery, Wild River Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing and Rogue Ales. Samples and /or sales will be offered at each booth.
A $15 entry fee includes tastings and demonstrations; tickets purchased at the door will be $20. Entry tickets can be purchased in advance at http://oregoncheeseguild.org/event/13th-annual-oregon-cheese-festival/ . In addition, a $10 wine, beer and spirit tasting fee is available and includes a commemorative glass with the Oregon Cheese Guild logo. For more information contact the Oregon Cheese Guild website @ www.oregoncheeseguild.org, Rogue Creamery at 866-396-4704, or www.roguecreamery.com.
The festival would not be possible without the generous support of the City of Central Point, the Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Rogue Ales, Culture Magazine, Travel Medford, Cheese Connoisseur Magazine, Wandering Aengus Ciderworks, Umpqua Bank, Haggen Northwest, Face Rock Creamery, Rogue Credit Union, and the members of the Oregon Cheese Guild.
Source: Oregon Cheese Guild
