CHEESE! Slow Food's biennial event in Bra, Piedmont- Italy

In the words of Carlo Petrini; "The seventh edition of the event that brings together artisan cheesemakers and cheese lovers from around the world.The biennial event Cheese, organized by Slow Food and the City of Bra, is back for its seventh edition this year, being held over September 18-21, 2009 in Bra, in the northwestern region of Piedmont, Italy. The festival has become an international reference point for dairy artisans and cheese enthusiasts from around the world, with its presentation and exploration of the incredible diversity of cheese, through workshops, debates, tastings, educational activities and markets. Over its 12-year history, Cheese has changed consumers’ perception of the world of cheese, highlighting the diversity of artisan production and its fragility next to industrial producers. Since its first edition in 1997, Cheese has been restoring raw milk’s reputation, confirming its important role in the relationship between a product and the local territory and sensory quality of cheeses. This year, Cheese is focusing in particular on the issue of enzymes added during cheesemaking. As milk is today subjected to strict food-safety regulations, it is low in native bacterial flora and standardized laboratory-made artificial enzymes are used. This practice represents one of the most widespread and little-known standardizations of taste, leading to a progressive flattening of sensory qualities. Cheese promotes the production of milk or whey starter cultures directly in the dairy, preserving the local microflora and so also each cheese’s original characteristics."

Terra Madre & Salone Del Gusto Italy Trip

We are back just last week from a whirl wind trip to Italy having been selected by the Slow Food Organisational Committee, to attend Terra Madre 2008 in Turin, Italy.

What a trip! And what a mammoth task that now lies ahead of me as I endeavour to continue practising, preaching and implementing the Slow Food principles that have been refreshed and nourished through this meet.

For those of you not familiar with Terra Madre ‘mother earth’ this Slow Food movement brings together those players in the food chain who together support sustainable agriculture, fishing, and breeding with the goal of preserving taste and biodiversity.

Slow Food and the Terra Madre family works to defend local cultures and products, in order to make real the Slow Food concept of Good, Clean, and Fair quality. Good refers to the quality of food products and of their taste; Clean, to a production process that respects the natural environment ; and Fair, in which there is dignity and appropriate economic return for the people who produce, including respect from those who consume.

Terra Madre offered me a unique opportunity to spend five days with small-scale food producers and farmers, cooks and academics from 150 countries, attend workshops and conferences held every two years in conjunction with the Salone del Gusto, the largest artisanal food fair in the world held from 23 - 27 October 2008; staged in Turin to utilise the massive sports complex built to host some of the events at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

My personal highlights of the conference was the opening and closing ceremony of which we were addressed by Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini and other inspirational and notable food activists such as Vandana Shiva, Alice Waters, a bevy of Italian officials, as well as a pre-recorded video message from Prince Charles; a long time activist of the Slow Food Movement.

There is much that I have experienced and come to understand from my time in Italy at these two events to now pass on to my food community the ‘McIntosh & Bowman’ Food community.

I will endeavour to do so over the coming weeks to share the experience and the ideas and teaching I have gained.

Please share your thoughts on this topic and feel free to ask questions in the mean time.

Fort Denison Cheese Experience- The Best of Australia

Well, we are thrilled to be reporting back on the successful launch of our 'Best of Australia' Cheese & Wine experience.

This Australian Cheese & Wine Experience is a short course showcasing the best of Australia’s cheese
making talents alongside some great Australian wines. It is a fantastic introduction to the local and growing
boutique cheese industry.

Unbeknown to many, Sydney Harbour has a rich history in Australia’s milk and cheese industry being the location where cattle from England were off loaded from the First Fleet boats in 1788 onto the sandbank that is today famously known as Bennelong Point. Originally called Cattle Point, the cattle were held there in make shift enclosures in the area now home to the Opera House.

McIntosh & Bowman Cheesemongers & TE Catering are in association with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, bringing farmhouse Australian cheese back to Sydney Harbour.

Outcomes:
At the end of the experience you will:
• Have experienced 14 exceptional Australian Farmhouse cheeses
• Have experienced 4 premium Australian wines
• Be able to talk confidently about the different types and styles of cheese and the varieties tried
this afternoon.
• Have an understanding as to the background of cheese in general as well as specific to Australia
and how our local dairy industry has progressed over 220 years
• Have a better understanding of your own personal preference to various Cheese
• Understand basic pairing principals between cheese and wine.

Course Cost
The Australian Cheese & Wine Experience costs $130 inclusive of GST. This is an introductory offer for a limited time only.
An additional cost of $10 if participant would like to do the guided tour of the Martello Tower.
The ticket price is inclusive of transport to and from the island and a National Parks & Wildlife Service landing fee.
It is advisable to pre-book tours of Martello Tower as spaces can be sold out on the day.

Course Duration
The total time is 2.5 hours including transport. The course itself is 2 hours from 12:10 noon to 2:10 pm. If participants would like to do a National Parks and Wildlife Service tour they can stay on the island for a tour at 2:30pm with a duration of 25 minutes. A boat leaves at 3pm.

Transport
Participants are asked to arrive at Wharf 6 Circular Quay at 11:45am for a 12 noon departure on Matilda Ferries.

Cheeses of Chiapas- letter from fellow cheesemonger Carlos Yescas

Dear Cheese Aficionados.

How are you all?

I hope you are doing great and enjoying some nice summer cheeses during your many sunny picnics.
I'm here reporting on the cheese life in Mexico, as you have all wrote and asked.
I was in Chiapas last Monday and back on Tuesday after tasting 48 double-cream Quesos de Cuadro. It was a great experience, as I got to talk to all the producers, which included small family businesses and farm cooperatives. No cheese conglomerate there.

The experience started with my first trip to Chiapas. As you know, Chiapas is a very important place for me as is the only Mexican state with a sizable indigenous population that has not produced international indigenous migrants. There is still a lot of internal displacement of people due to the military intervention from back in the 1990s and the push from the para-military group. This, however, has made both the federal and state government to pay more attention to living conditions of Chiapanecos. For cheese producers this has meant an infusion of cash to modernize their facilities and ultimately to decide to grant a Denomination of Origin to the Queso de Cuadro.
Among Mexicans the yellow-foil wrapped cheese called "doble crema" is well known for its acidic taste. This cheese is used mostly in the south of the country to cook with, in Mexico city is known as a great way to stuff enchiladas, but little or nothing is known of its history, making, or of the producers involved in making it. Its real name is Queso de Cuadro and is produced by different cooperatives, farms and small family businesses.
Along "quesillo," "panela," "menonita," and "requeson" - Queso de Cuadro is among one of the most famous Mexican cheeses. Other mexican cheeses exist, such as "añejo," "de bola de ococingo," "enchilado,"
"fresco," and "cotija." But these are only eaten locally or found in Mexico city in one of the big Mercados like Sonora or Medellin. For the most part all Mexican cheeses are variations of well-tested European recipes, with some modifications for fat content and salt availability. Maybe the big exception is enchilado, which may resemble those cheeses from Portugal or the Balkans rubbed with paprika, but in the Mexican version it is rubbed with chilli powder.
The government of the state of Chiapas is now trying to better regulate the production of one of its best products, by granting a Collective Trademark to the Queso de Cuadro. This is the first step in the long process of awarding a Denomination of Origin (DO) to any product in Mexico. Currently, only Queso de Bola de Ocosingo has this distinction and the producers of Cotija are in a legal battle to be recognized as well.

Queso de Cuadro has many varieties, changing size, fat content, salt and acidity. However, amongst the various options all maintain a nice acidity, a very lactic smell and a sharp salty end. It is real nice cheese that can be eaten fresh (2 –3 days) during breakfast or matured (45 days) grated over enchiladas. It is mostly made with unpasteurized milk and turned with microbial rennet.
Tradition calls for unpasturized milk and the producers want to keep it this way. The Secretaria del Campo (Ministry of Agriculture) – my employer – also wants it this way, but the Ministry of Health and Walt-Mart wants it to be pasteurized. The debate is now on whether it’s possible to sell fresh cheese from unpasturized milk and the lawyers are saying no. Advocates are trying to change this rule and keep Queso de Cuadro as an unpasturized cheese.

On Tuesday, I was given the chance to talk to the producers and I addressed the issue of pasteurization. I obviously, want this cheese remain unpasturized, as it will open the way for other cheeses to enter the country in its original way. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture wasn’t happy with me taking a position but I had nothing to lose. Afterwards, during an interview with the local TV, I repeated my position and the Minister recognized that economic pressures were behind the push to pasteurize this cheese. I hope that this battle is well fought by others here in Mexico and I will continue speaking up about it.
The tasting was great. My approach was to not judge any cheese against each other, or even against a memory I had of this style of cheese. I instead tried every one with an open palate and made recommendations on how to improve each individual recipe. My biggest problem was the use of commercial salt, which gives most cheeses a metallic taste. I suggested changing salts to a better quality and in some cases adjusting recipes according to the amount of water expelled from the curd. The producers were receptive to my opinions, but some left angry because they felt I was being too harsh on their product. Others assured me that this would improve the overall quality of cheese produced in the state and only the best producers will remain. I also had issues with acidity and with those cheeses made with different milkings I found 8 excellent cheeses and will be recommending two as the standard for the others.

I plan to go back to Chiapas next summer and taste again all of the producers. But in the mean time, we will be approving guidelines based on the two I will be recommending.
Now, that I am back in DF, I am finishing the set up for my two cheese classes. I will be teaching at Endicott College / Mexico on Thursday, August 7 and Friday, August 8.

The classes will feature one Mexican goat cheese (that my mom has been selling for about a year), four imported cheeses (Brie, Raclette, Comte and Roquefort), two pates, Jamon Serrano and three wines. The classes are almost sold out, and I hope to start a real following for good cheese in Mexico.
Best, Carlos.

New York Cheese Tour July 2008

Armed with my Australian Government/Australian Trade Commission Directory of Specialty Food Store Locations in New York City we set about organising a full days cheese tour of New York City like no other.

This tour was our first oversea's tour. We had divided our tour into three groups and led the tour over three days....... that's three times round the cheese circuit......... only a cheese lover could do it!

Here I out line the tour we led, the stores we visited and the directions in the order that we recommend for you to experience on your next trip to the Big Apple.

Stores We Recommend From Our Tour:

Saxelby Cheesemongers

Murray's

Dean & Deluca

Gourmet Garage

Wholefoods

William Sonoma

Fairway

Citarella

Balducci's

Bedford Cheese Shop

Artisanal

We started from our Hotel on 34th Street.

1. Metro from 34 Penn St. "down-town" to W-4th St

Change onto Orange Line "F" "down-town"to Delancey St.
Saxelby Cheesemongers- Essex St Market: Offer a premier selection of American farmstead cheese, focussing on cheeses produced in the Northeastern United States. Anne Saxelby is a competant and cool cheesemonger and is the proprietor of Saxelby Cheesemongers. She has a strong background in American farmstead cheese.

2. Metro from Delancey St "up-town" to Bleeker St/ Broadway- Lafayette St. Murray's- 257 Bleeker St, NY 10014 (212)243-3289 : New York's self proclaimed 'oldest and best cheese shop'- there are certainly elements to this shop that make it one of the best. ASK FOR A TOUR OF THEIR UNDERGROUND CAVES!!

3. Walk "down-town" to Prince St 2 blocks. On the corner of Prince St and Broadway: Dean & Deluca- 560 Broadway (at Prince St), NY 10012 (212) 226-6800: This store occupies a busy corner in SoHo offering a previously never before see selection of European grocerie items, good service a clean posh environment and great displays.

4. Walk "down-town" on Broadway to Spring St West. Continue down Spring St until Corner of Mercer St on left hand side. Gourmet Garage- 453 Broome St (at Mercer St), NY 10012 (212) 243-3289

5. Walk to Metro on Spring St and 6th Ave "up-town" on Blue line to the 14th St Balducci's- 81 8th Ave (at 14th Ave), NY 10011 (212) 7413700

6. Metro from 14th Street across Manhattan on "L" line "Grey" line to Bedford Ave. First stop outside Manhattan. Walk two blocks South on Bedford Ave. Located on inside of Girdle Building between N 4th and N5th St. Bedford Cheese Shop-

7. Metro back into Manhattan on Grey Line "L". Change at 14th St.- Union Square onto Green Line. "up-town" on Green Line to Lexington Ave 51st. Walk to 2 Park Ave. Artisanal- Park Ave







8. Metro Yellow Line Lexington Ave NR 59th St West to 57th St/ 7th Ave. Walk to Columbus Circle: Wholefoods





9. Whilst your in the complex, head up stairs from Wholefoods up the escalator to William Sonoma

10. Columbus Circle Redline Metro "up-town" to 72nd St. Walk 2 blocks north to 74th St up Broadway. Fairway

11. Walk one block up Broadway (north) to 75th St.
Citarella- 2135 Broadway (at 75th St.) NY (212)874-0383





The End! Good luck to you!!

Fancy Food Show New York 2008

Hello there cheese enthusiasts, a post card from NYC where I am attending the 54th annual Fancy Food Festival. This, fellow cheese enthusiasts, is bigger than Ben Hur!

The Fancy Food Festival is a 3 day international trade show held over the next few days at The Javits Centre NYC.

The event is sponsored by The 'Speciality Food Magazine' a foodie mag that is big here in the States.

This trade show offers an unparalleled variety of appetising cuisine from every corner of the globe and there's no doubt about it..... The American's certainly don't do things in halves.

The gastronomic greatness of this event is so overwhelming I have twice been reduced to tears.

Surely this is where good gourmands get to go when they die....... and the bad ones are the poor people staffing the entire event or perhaps the exhibitors.

As I wondered around 3 levels of food and beverage I couldn't help thinking that if aliens visited earth today and happened upon the Javits Centre, with its 2,400 companies exhibiting over 345,000 square meters and the 25,000 buyers who will come through over then next few days, that these aliens would surely be impressed with all that we have achieved in the specialty food industry on earth

They probably, like me, would be rather disappointed with Australia's efforts however; out of 77 countries exhibiting here, I am one of a handful of Australians independently showcasing an Australian product- (Australia is not represented here neither is NZ?? Austrade wake up!!)

The product I have is The Pastilla Nash Prune & Walnut Log. (or sugar-plum & walnut as they say over here) Those of you who have experienced anything we do will be familiar with this product; our number one cheese accompaniment.

This event is rowing.... or rather growing and I am one of 250 first time exhibitors along with Egypt and Dubai. Can you believe that there are over 140,000 foods and beverages to be sampled here...... someone's got to do it!

This event kind of reminds me of the Italian Slow Food Festival I went to in Bra 'Cheese' but much more diverse. You know what these American's are like.... they take a concept and do it bigger and better than anyone else........ i really can't emphasise to you all just how completely huge this is. MASSIVE

Cheese is a huge industry here and growing exponentially as there legislation has been relaxed somewhat on raw milk importation and product experimentation here in the US. this has led to more creativity and interest in the cheese industry..... ( take note Australia)

In fact, the specialty food industry over here in the states took in US$47.9 billion in retail sales last year, a 23% increase from 2005.... that's how fast it is growing! apparently that figure makes for 12.5% of all retail food sales last year! obviously they are expecting that figure to have increased again by the end of this year!! amazing. (that is a huge amount of mulla- good if you are in the industry... Matt perhaps we need think about relocating to the busiest city in the world??)

This event is not just exhibitors, it is also workshops/seminars on everything food from cooking classes to business lessons to food industry tips and governmental import/export advise regarding the food industry.

The 25,00 that are expected through (based on last years attendance) are buyers all with food businesses around the world that are looking for the latest and greatest products to purchase.

Some of the countries exhibiting include;

Poland, Peru, India, Africa, Sth Africa, Morocco, Taiwan, Serbia, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Jordan, Korea, Tunisia, Costa Rica, Pakistan, Malaysia, China, Belgium, Brazil, Panama, Mexico, Caribbean, Germany, Great Britain, Chile, Turkey, Argentina, Greece, Austria, Thailand

Spain, Egypt, France, Canada

I will be sure to keep up updated with news from this international event and will post pictures at my earliest convenience.

Claudia x.

Charles Sturt University Cheese Factory

Dear Mr Ian Goulter

I write to you in relation to the retention of the Cheese Factory at CSU.

I am aware that there has been some uncertainty as to whether the factory and therefore production of the university’s cheeses will continue into the future. This matter compels me to contact you and to state from my point of view, why there needs to be further consideration of the significance of the factory to CSU.

There are numerous benefits of retaining the facilities and most importantly the spirit of the factory: cheese authority and master cheese maker Barry Lillywhite.

Having judged at international cheese awards, having travelled internationally and locally with cheese related events, having retailed cheese, made cheese, in running a cheese business as well as having recently attended a CSU cheese making workshop run by Mr Lillywhite and Mr Samson Agboola; I feel that I am in an excellent position to relate to you as an expert on the topic of cheese education & appreciation and the importance of retaining the CSU cheese factory.

I truly believe that the facility and activities of the CSU Cheese factory are an important and significant aspect in growing the Australian cheese industry.

In a time where drought is affecting the productivity and sustainability of dairy farms supplying fresh milk and as the demand and awareness of the speciality cheese industry is heightened, offering another avenue to dairy farmers; it is the perfect climate for encouraging cheese production, especially that of a boutique production such as that at CSU.

To think of cutting the support and funding of the university’s state of the art factory facilities and expertise of cheese maker Mr Lillywhite would be nothing short of an absolute waste of resources and opportunity; the very though to be discouraged.

At a time where the demand for transferral of skill and knowledge in a growing boutique industry is at its peak, surely as an educational institution, with the facilities and resources available, it is the responsible thing to do, to continue on growing the Australian cheese industry.

Mr Lillywhite is one of the three greatest names in Australian cheese; as an authority on cheese Mr Lillywhite is the perfect person to continue the CSU cheese factory production and educational courses. The class I participated in was of much higher standard than others courses I have experienced in Australia and has been an event my company has continued to promote to all our clients.

I encourage further consideration into the marketing of the CSU cheese and Cheese making courses and feel that any time and money invested into this aspect of the business will have great impact in the demand, sales and profit of the factory. Without a doubt, this is a time to be investing more into this facility, not less.

I strongly recommend that the facilities be retained and passion nurtured and funding continued, for the benefit of your students, the Australian cheese industry and promotion of both the science and art of speciality cheese.

I look forward to hearing back from you on this matter.

Regards,

Claudia McIntosh Bowman