SESSION 1: From Milk to Cheese: Introduction to Milk Chemistry, Cheesemaking, and Evaluating Cheese

Welcome to Cheese Boot Camp: no ordinary cheese course. Collect your binders, complete with readings for each session, and get a crash course on the common thread throughout the series: tasting. Explore the role raw materials and technique shape the final product of cheese through milk science and sensory observation. Taste through a bevy of cheese styles and introduce your palate to the flavor characteristics of each and every family of cheese. In assessing major cheese styles, you’ll arm yourself with the skills to identify nearly any cheese that crosses your path.

SESSION 2: Affinage In Action: Hands On

Ah, affinage: that magical final step in the cheesemaking process, the culmination of every measure taken to ensure an exceptional wheel of cheese, and the process that can determine whether your cheese becomes nutty and full bodied or rubbery and dry. Observe how, through brushing, washing, patting, flipping and other methods, affinage changes the flavor, texture, appearance, and durability of cheese. This session, be one with the cheese, as we guide you through an extended cave tour and tasting, illustrating the integral role that aging plays in the flavor development of cheese.

SESSION 3: Old World vs. New World: The History & Geography of Cheese

In this session, understand how history, politics, and religion have influenced cheesemaking and cheese styles. How does a country's topography influence its cheese production? What are the origins of cheese? How have cheesemaking methods evolved through time? During an international crash course on the world's greatest cheese regions and the fromage that made them famous, learn about the pivotal elements of history and geography that have influenced cheesemaking styles.

SESSION 4: Cheese in Practice

In this session, we're putting our knowledge to the test! Learn how to plate and portion the cheeses we've tasted thus far for presentation, creating your own fantastic cheese plate. We'll blind taste cheeses to determine which milks and techniques were utilized, as well as in what regions the cheeses originated. Finally, we'll prepare ourselves for an extensive beverage pairing session by partnering cheese with a variety of condiments of all flavor profiles to create our own perfect matches.

SESSION 5: The Pair Off: Wine vs Beer

After twelve hours of exhaustive cheese research, it's time for an afternoon of matchmaking. Understand in full the pairing capabilities and fundamentals of both wine and beer with our cheesy little friends, and learn for yourself how the unique craft of pairing correctly makes your cheese sing.

Session 1: Friday, 6:30 pm-9:30 pm

Session 2: Saturday, 10:30 am-1:30 pm

Session 3: Saturday, 3:30 pm-6:30 pm

Session 4: Sunday, 10:30 am-1:30 pm

Session 5: Sunday, 3:30 pm-6:30 pm

“I use something I learned in Boot Camp every day.” – Brian McKay, Champaign, IL