ABOUT THE EVENT

This virtual/online event is designed to provide exposure to new ideas and educational experiences for artisan cheesemakers – to help them advance their cheesemaking and business practices, as well as our industry as a whole.  While our content focuses on information to support professional cheesemakers, attendance is open to all, including other cheese industry professionals, amateur cheesemakers, the general public, and anyone who wants to dive more deeply into the world of cheese.

DATE

Friday, February 18, 2022

SPEAKERS

• Robert Aguilera FCE Account Manager/Cheese Educator (CHR Hansen)
• Dr. Hannah Davis Lecturer, Ruminant Nutrition (Newcastle University)
• Jennifer Kast Cheesemaker (Bwlchwernen Fawr/Holden Dairy Farm)
• Harold McGee  Food Writer/Lecturer (Author of “Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells”)
• Dr. Moshe Rosenberg  Professor (Department of Food Science & Technology, University of California, Davis)
• Brian Schlatter Northeast Rep & Resident Cheese Expert (Fromagex)

PRESENTATIONS

• Deep Dive:  Milk Nutritional Quality and Practical Guidance for Grazing Management.  This presentation will delve into how milk nutritional quality is defined and how animal management choices, grazing strategies, and sward (pasture) quality can impact milk. The research that Dr. Davis presents will be applicable for all milk types.  SPEAKER BIO:  Dr. Hannah Davis is a Lecturer in Ruminant Nutrition and Pasture Management at Newcastle University, UK. Her research aims to understand how dairy management practices affect milk quality, animal health and environmental impact with a view to optimizing sustainable farming systems. This has included studying fat composition of cow milk produced with different management practices, identifying breed combinations best suited to low-input dairy production and working with forage-based farmers to identify individual cows that are the most efficient converters of forage to milk while maintaining good health and fertility. In addition to being an educator, Hannah is also a rare sheep breeder (though she does also have a few goats too!).
• Virtual Tour:  Bwlchwernen Fawr/Holden Farm Dairy (Wales, UK).  Bwlchwernen Fawr is the Welsh farm home to Holden Farm Dairy, makers of Hafod cheddar. It comprises 300 acres of hilly pasture in the mid-section of Wales, about 10 miles from the Irish Sea (as the crow flies). The farm supports a mixed Ayrshire dairy herd of approximately 75 cows, producing the vast majority of feed and bedding for the herd and attending youngstock and followers. While the farm has been certified Organic since 1973, the central organizing principal guiding the decisions of owners Becky and Patrick Holden is that of harmony: living and farming in harmony with the land and environment. The Holdens are both active participants in the daily running of the farm and dairy, from milking to turning cheese, reflecting their emphasis on knowing through doing.  In this virtual tour – we will explore the farm and its cheesemaking efforts both, followed by Q/A with Holden Farm Dairy cheesemaker Jenn Kast.   SPEAKER BIO:  Currently a cheesemaker at Bwlchwernen Fawr, Jennifer Kast has been involved in the specialty food industry for over 30 years. Prior to her work with Bwlchwernen Fawr, she spent 8 years in the first of the new wave of urban micro-dairies, London’s Kappacasein, helped initiate the cheese/milk educational group MilkJamLondon, and coordinated cheesemaking classes for Neal’s Yard Dairy.
• Deep Dive:  Cheese Defects & Their Prevention. The evolution of desired cheese quality attributes is governed by an array of microbiological, biochemical and physico-chemical cascades. Deviations from/in these can yield cheese defects that adversely affect product quality and acceptability. This presentation will help cheesemakers acquire knowledge and skills to prevent, or at least minimize, the development of defects during cheesemaking and aging.  SPEAKER BIO:  Prof. Moshe Rosenberg teaches courses in dairy sciences and technology, cheese science and technology, and food forensics with the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, Davis.  In addition to providing training for cheesemakers, he researches topics related to milk processing; cheese science and technology; physico-chemical, and microencapsulating properties of bio-polymers; food forensics; terroir, and the authentication of dairy and food products.
• Renovate, Scale-up, and Streamline …Thoughts and Discussion about Options and Pitfalls   If you change from one mold/form to another, how will this affect draining?  If you change facilities, can that impact acidification?  This discussion focuses on the equipment and spaces we use – and how when we make changes to these, cheese production itself can be affected.  Brian and Robert will discuss/share information related to some common questions, problems, and topics they’ve been asked by cheesemakers.  We encourage you to come ready with your questions about changing equipment/processes/spaces and if/how they can affect cheesemaking processes (like acidification curves, timing, etc.).  SPEAKER BIOS:  This presentation will be shared by Robert Aguilera and Brian Schlatter.  CHR Hansen FCE Account Manager Robert Aguilera has been “in” cheese since 2001.  His background includes cheese retail (Formaggio), 9.5 years of production trade sales & support for artisan and industrial cheesemakers at Fromagex, that as a charter member of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild, founding Boston’s Bueno Queso Social Club, and support for artisan cheesemakers with cultures, equipment, designing/using aging room shelving and tools, packaging for better shelf life and product/process troubleshooting.  >>> Brian Schlatter’s cheesemaking career began in 2007, with the founding of Canal Junction Farmstead Cheese in conjunction with Canal Junction Farm (Ohio).  Brian’s passion for cheesemaking is rooted in a desire to preserve the methods of the past, while bringing back the seasonal flavors, textures, and styles of cheese for non-industrial cheesemaking. His experience includes cheesemaking with Gubbeen (Schull, Ireland); crafting sheep milk cheeses at Meadowood Farms (New York); starting Black Radish Creamery’s cheese shop (Columbus, Ohio); and managing Old Chatham Creamery’s move to their new facility while overseeing the production of their existing product lines and developing new products (New York). Brian holds Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, Certified Cheese Professional (CCP), Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator (CCSE) certificates and is Fromagex’s Northeast rep and resident cheese expert. 
• Sensory Analysis Happy Hour. For our Sensory Analysis Happy Hour, Harold McGee will dive into the diversity of cheese aromas, their place in the larger “osmocosm,” and their role in choosing good accompaniments for the cheese course.  Knowing what your cheese “goes” with can help you not only know more about how to enjoy it – but how to sell it (and help others do that too!).  SPEAKER BIO:  Harold McGee studied at Caltech and Yale, and since 1980 has been writing about the science of food and cooking. He’s the author of the award-winning book On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, a visiting lecturer in Harvard University’s course “From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science,” and a former columnist for The New York Times. He’s been named food writer of the year by Bon Appétit magazine and to the TIME 100, an annual list of the world’s most influential people. His latest book is “Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells”.

PRICING & REGISTRATION

Attendee Pass – $60

Vermont Cheese Council Members Discount 20% off (please reach out for this promo code or look for it in your membership e-news)

Please note that for guilds that assist us with outreach we are offering discounts for their own members.  If you belong to a cheese guild, please ask your guild leadership to see if they are participating in this program. Our current guild partners include California, Maine, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington!

We are also offering free conference access for anyone who registers for our online course, The Science of Farmstead Cheese (see next section on this page for more info).

*** SPECIAL OFFER WITH THE SCIENCE OF FARMSTEAD CHEESE ONLINE COURSE

For anyone who purchases our Online Course, The Science of Farmstead Cheese, between now and Sunday February 13, we will offer them one complimentary free attendee pass to this conference.  A great discount for those looking for both a fun conference experience and a deeper look at the science of cheesemaking.  (Does not apply with VCC member discount for course)

AN ENORMOUS THANK YOU TO OUR 2022 SPONSORS

WHO HELP THIS EVENT BE FINANCIALLY ACCESSIBLE FOR CHEESEMAKERS/KEEP OUR ATTENDEE PRICING DOWN!

SILVER LEVEL SPONSORS

INTERESTED IN JOINING OUR SPONSORS?

Sponsors play an important role in our event, in that they become part of our team by helping to make the event affordable for all who attend. Many cheesemakers are still facing a mix of challenges related to the impacts of COVID.  Our goal is to continue to offer access to world class knowledge at an affordable price – and every sponsor who supports us can help with that. We hope you will join us in this effort!  We hope you will join us in this effort!

We are offering sponsorship levels for organizations big and small!  If interested in more information, please reach out to info@vtcheese.com.

INTERESTED IN OTHER LEARNING RESOURCES TOO?

Visit our learning resources page…