education

Building a Practical Food Safety Operational Plan for Small Cheesemakers

Tom Bivins2015-12-01T13:30:38-05:00

This workshop, sponsored by the Vermont Cheese Council, will share information, forms and tools from the Center for Food Safety & Regulatory Solutions (CFSRS) and Allen Sayler that will allow small cheesemakers to work in teams and build their own food safety plans. The workshop will be made up of short presentations followed by working projects that will provide an opportunity for attendees to immediately apply the presentation information and build their own written operational sanitation programs, product descriptions, flow diagrams, risk-based hazard analyses for their cheeses. Written and implemented food safety plans are a basic requirement for cheesemakers trying to expand market for their cheeses outside of Vermont and are a public health requirement of the State of Vermont and the US Food & Drug Administration as well as many cheese buyers and cheese mongers. Get your food safety plan operational and functional so your company can grow, while minimizing the risk of food-borne outbreaks from your cheese.

Instructor: Allen Sayler

Building a Practical Food Safety Operational Plan for Small CheesemakersTom Bivins2015-12-01T13:30:38-05:00

Sensory Evaluation of Cheese

Sensory Evaluation of Cheese

Tom Bivins2016-10-31T09:21:35-04:00

Instructor:
Montserrat Almena-Aliste, Ph.D.
One of the main factors driving consumer choice is the sensory quality of the final product. This one-day workshop will provide you with the fundamental tools to control and define the sensory quality of cheese, offering basic sensory training to describe and record the sensory characteristics of your cheese, as well as resourceful information and quality control systems to prevent defects in cheese. This intensive course, offered by cheese technologist and sensory scientist Dr. Montserrat Almena-Aliste (former VIAC instructor), combines practical hands-on exercises with technical lectures, making it very interesting and enjoyable but at the same time offering very valuable information to prevent making, selling or buying defective products. The course is also an unique opportunity to improve your food sensory skills and the understanding of cheese quality to everyone involved with cheese, from beginners and advanced cheesemakers, marketing and sales representatives to quality managers, technicians, cheese mongers, chefs, and everyone else that would like to explore the fascinating world of cheese. Cheesemakers are welcome to bring samples of their products for evaluation to get practical feedback from Dr. Almena-Aliste.

Sensory Evaluation of CheeseTom Bivins2016-10-31T09:21:35-04:00

Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses: From Concept to Commerce

Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses: From Concept to Commerce

Tom Bivins2016-10-31T09:22:53-04:00

Instructor:
Montserrat Almena-Aliste, Ph.D
Artisan cheesemaking is a great fit for sustainable farming. As a value-added component of a sustainable farming plan, cheesemaking can be another step in the holistic cycle of land to food. Today, the United States has nearly 1,000 artisan cheesemakers, with more starting up each year. However, the path to success in is not always easy, in part due to the multiple factors involved in making good quality cheeses as well as the current competitive market.

Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses: From Concept to CommerceTom Bivins2016-10-31T09:22:53-04:00

Essential Principles and Practices of Cheesemaking

Essential Principles and Practices of Cheesemaking

Tom Bivins2016-10-31T10:01:40-04:00

Instructor:
Montserrat Almena-Aliste, Ph.D.
Chris Gray
This five-day course is a practical and comprehensive technical guide to cheese technology and the principles governing the quality of cheese. During this intensive course, participants will learn the fundamentals of cheesemaking, quality control practices, and useful considerations in starting a small-scale cheesemaking business. The first section focuses on the chemistry of milk and the different aspects defining the quality of cheesemaking milk. The second part describes the principles of cheesemaking and the different families of cheese and also includes comprehensive hands-on demonstrations in making three different cheese styles: a fresh acid-coagulated soft cheese, a bloomy rind variety, and a semi-hard cheese. The last section of the program focuses on how to monitor and control the fundamental factors driving the quality of the product. This course is taught by Dr. Montserrat Almena-Aliste and cheesemaker Chris Gray. All cheesemaking exercises will be completed at the Vermont Tech – Norwich Farms .

Please note there is the option to take this course for academic credit with an additional fee of $100.

Lodging is available on campus for an additional fee at a very competitive rate. Please inquire call Rachel at (802) 728-1677.

Essential Principles and Practices of CheesemakingTom Bivins2016-10-31T10:01:40-04:00