Cornell Dairy Extension held the first annual Specialty Cheese Making Workshop on February 23rd – 24th at the Department of Food Science. There has been strong interest in such a workshop and it filled quickly with 22 attendees, coming from 4 States and 1 Province (NY, PA, VT, RI and Ontario).
This was a great opportunity for cheesemakers to discuss the underlying science of the manufacturing process of six different cheeses (Swiss, Gouda, Primo sale, Taleggio, Bleu and Camembert), working alongside experts with years of experience to learn the tricks and nuances associated with making specialty type cheeses. The 2 days was almost exclusively composed of hands-on activities and diverse cheese tastings.
The workshop offered practical tips and training from a diverse group of industry professionals: Brian Bailey (Yancey’s Fancy), Mateo Kehler (Jasper Hill Farms), Howard Van Buren (Chr. Hansen), Battista Paolo Lucatelli (Italian cheese maker), Peter Jenkelunas (Murray’s Cheese), Rob Ralyea (Cornell Dairy Extension) and Carmela Beliciu (Cornell Dairy Extension).
Cheese making is a very complex, multi-stage process, and many topics of interest were covered in the workshop’s program – from culture selection and role, to processing considerations, and wrapping up with aging (affinage techniques). Also, let’s not forget 3 cheese tasting sets – as one attendee put it: “We can handle cheese!”
The workshop was also successful in giving everyone attending a social network to share their knowledge and passion for cheese making.
