May 2015 – CheeseLover.ca

Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Kathy Guidi, Makers+Mongers

Name the cheese, win tickets to #TGCCF and Makers+Mongers

May 31, 2015 No Comments

Be the first to correctly identify the six cheeses on the cover of the second edition of Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide, by Kathy Guidi, and you’ll win a two-day pass for two to The Great Canadian Cheese Festival and a pair of tickets to Makers+Mongers in Cheeseburger Paradise. PLUS you’ll receive an autographed copy of the book!

Enter the contest by posting your answer in the Leave-a-Reply form below this post.* Winner will be announced Thursday at 12 noon Picton time.

Click on the image for a better view of the six cheeses.

The fifth anniversary Great Canadian Cheese Festival takes place this weekend in Picton, in the heart of Prince Edward County, Ontario’s fastest-growing culinary destination. Click here for complete information.

The prize covers admission for two to:

Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair, Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7
Makers+Mongers in Cheeseburger Paradise, Saturday, June 6
Total value of two pairs of tickets – $220.

Kathy Guidi, a leading authority on Canadian cheese, has written an updated edition of her Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide published in 2010. Here’s the official announcement on Canadian Cheese: A Guide by the publisher, Firefly Books.

The variety and quality of Canadian cheeses has never been so high nor has it been so popular. New handcrafted cheeses continue to emerge to critical acclaim, winning international awards. At the 2013 Global Cheese Awards in England, an aged Lankaaster by Glengarry Cheesemaking in the small town of Lancaster, Ontario, was declared “Supreme Global Champion.” As Huffington Post put it, “Canada, it’s time to celebrate cheese in a big way.”

This completely revised and updated edition of a cheese lover’s classic does just that. Canadian Cheese: A Guide is a comprehensive reference to some of the newest, best and most popular of Canadian cheeses. New and updated sections, content and photographs include:

concise tasting notes for 225 artisan cheeses from coast to coast
what’s on your cheese board—Canadian cheese professionals share their favorites
wine and beer pairing suggestions
tasting notes for Old World cheeses that have influenced New World Canadian styles
cheese ladder of appreciation suggestions: if you like this cheese… try this one
how to taste cheese like a pro
author and cheesemaker anecdotes
useful information on buying and serving cheese.

The author shares her insights on such popular cheese topics as raw milk cheese, discerning quality, whether to eat the rind (or not), cheesemaking and ingredients.

Professionally renowned for her work in furthering artisan and specialty cheese in the U.S. and Canada, Kathy Guidi founded the first full curriculum cheese appreciation school in North America and is a founding member of the Cheese Professional Certification Program run by American Cheese Society. Consultant to numerous cheese producers, trade organizations and consulates during a 40-year career, Kathy continues to influence and lead the domestic and international cheese world through her in-depth training session and interactive cheese tasting series Conversations in Cheese.

The new book is available via Amazon.ca and at book and cheese stores across Canada. For bulk purchases and wholesale discount information, contact Firefly Books.

* Employees and associates of Firefly Books, associates and students of Cheese Education Guild and Artisan Cheese Marketing, associates of Cheese Lover Productions, producers of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival, and cheese professionals are ineligible. The contest is open exclusively to consumers and not the trade.

Cheesewerks, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Savvy Company

How to get to the Cheese Festival without driving

May 31, 2015 No Comments

You don’t own a car? Or you don’t want to drive! No problem! We have ways to get you to The Great Canadian Cheese Festival without wheels of your own.

From Toronto:

Join a guided bus tour from Toronto to the Cheese Festival organized by Culinary Adventure Company, with tastings at two wineries, gourmet lunch and Grab & Go Breakfast at CHEESEWERKS. Click here for more info and tickets.

From Ottawa and Kingston:

Enjoy a roundtrip coach package with Savvy Company leaving from Ottawa with pick-ups in Kingston. After an afternoon at the Cheese Festival, you will tour the back roads of Prince Edward County to visit two wineries, then back to Picton Fairgrounds for a fun dinner at Makers+Mongers in Cheeseburger Paradise. Click here for more info and tickets.

Entirely on your own:

Getting to Picton without a car is doable—but it calls for two steps. First, get to Belleville by Greyhound or Via Rail. Then, use the local transportation service, Deseronto Transit, to get to the Fairgrounds. Match up the two schedules and you’ll be enjoying cheese in no time. Another helpful resource: Prince Edward County Ride Share.

Save 10% off admission prices by ordering tickets online in advance. No waiting in line as the Express Entrance will quickly whisk you into all the deliciousness. Enter the promo code CF15WEB before starting your online ticket order here: http://cheesefestival.ca/tickets/

We look forward to welcoming you to the biggest cheese show in Canada.

—Festival Organizing Group aka Cheese FOG

Burger Revolution, Enright Cattle Company, Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Makers+Mongers, Stonemill Bakehouse

“Give People What They Want, Give People Flavour!”

May 30, 2015 No Comments

Jeff and Rayling Camacho, owners of Burger Revolution in Belleville and Trade Craft Good Food in nearby Brighton.

Makers+Mongers in Cheeseburger Paradise on Saturday evening at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival will introduce you to a cozy little burger joint in Belleville, Ontario, one that’s grown to include a second, sammy-driven location in nearby Brighton, and a huge community following. If you’ve been searching for a perfectly executed grilled cheese, or a succulent handmade burger, you’ll find everything you’re looking for and more at Burger Revolution and Trade Craft Good Food Co.

Burger Revolution began its uprising in 2012. In the shadows of a Burger King no less, Jeff and Rayling Camacho launched their tongue-in-cheek response to the fast-food trend: a slow-food outpost focusing on quality, local ingredients, and of course, appropriately rebellious naming conventions.

With menu items like the “Chevre Guevara” and the “Malcolm X-treme,” Burger Rev has cemented itself in the hearts of foodies and revolutionaries alike.

Burger Revolution at 300 North Front Street, Belleville.

“We wanted to give people a reason to keep coming back regularly,” says Jeff, “We didn’t want it to be a special occasion, fine dining establishment, but instead, somewhere that we’d see people more often.” Each month, a limited-edition burger is added to the restaurant’s roster, and a social media frenzy ensues as Jeff and Rayling ask their Facebook fans to name their new creation. Past hits have included pork belly and Sriracha maple “Aporkalypse Now,” and a crispy fish creation dubbed “The Kraken.” The business itself began with an outcry from burger lovers, and led to the creation of the Burger Revolution manifesto: Give The People What They Want; Give The People Flavour!

Pastry madfe in-house at Trade Craft in Brighton.

The philosophy extended earlier this year to include Trade Craft Good Food Co: Jeff and Rayling’s new sandwich shop nestled into the End of the Thread Antique Emporium in Brighton, Ontario. “We had been talking about food trucks,” says Jeff, “but every time we think we might go that direction, a different business is the result.” The 475 ’wich, stuffed with ham and Granny Smith apples, is further testament to the operation’s local-flair, and is just a taste of what you can expect when you walk through its retro-inspired café surroundings.

In just a few short years, the Camachos have begun revolutionizing the dining experience across the region they call home, all the while keeping the produce used as local as possible. The foundation of a Burger Rev burger is a testament to this, starting with the homemade pretzel bun, Enright Cattle Company beef patty, and Wilton Cheese (which you’ll find just outside Napanee). “We met Kara (Enright) after she came in . . . one day. She was just getting into the business and wanted us to taste her product. We knew we couldn’t deny it: They treat their cows right, and you can taste it.”

When it comes to Trade Craft, sandwich meats are also sourced from Enright (Don’t miss the pastrami when you make the trip!) and are cured and smoked in-house. Bread and pastries are baked fresh daily, and the shop has even begun crafting its own line of hot sauces and condiments so that you can take home the shop’s special flavours.

Flavor and tastiness, hallmarks of a signature cheesburger created by Jeff Camacho. Bon appétit! — Flavor and tastiness, hallmarks of a signature cheeseburger created by Jeff Camacho.

What to expect from the masterminds behind Trade Craft and Burger Rev at Makers+Mongers? In a word, or two, flavor and tastiness. For his cheeseburgers, Jeff will be using Enright Cattle Co. beef, award-winning Raclette cheese made by Fromagerie Fritz Kaiser, kaiser buns by Stonemill Bakehouse, and condiments made in-house. Also on the menu, appetizers provided by artisan food exhibitors in the Cheese Festival, superb sausage by Seed to Sausage, several sides created by Chef Michael Hoy, and incredible desserts made by Pastry Master Peter Grendel.

Oh yes, Vineland Estates Winery and Beau’s All Natural Brewing at the cash bar.

The fifth anniversary of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival—the biggest artisan cheese show in Canada—takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7, in Picton, Ontario, at the Fairgrounds. For complete information and tickets, please visit CheeseFestival.ca.

—Laura Voskamp

By night, Laura Voskamp is a cheese lover and freelance writer. By day, she’s Communications Coordinator for Bay of Quinte Tourism and Bay of Quinte Living

Enright Cattle Company, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Makers+Mongers

Enright Cattle: Leading the herd in Sustainable Ag

May 23, 2015 No Comments

Darold and Kara Enright with young Corben on the their beef farm near Tweed, Ontario. Now, there is second young one, Evelyn. — Darold and Kara Enright with young Corben on the their farm near Tweed, Ontario. Now, there is a second young one, Evelyn.

You won’t find any Heinz 57 or greasy French-fries here, but make no mistake, you’ll definitely get lost in your cheeseburger in paradise at Makers+Mongers, the Saturday evening social function at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

The Cheeseburger in Paradise theme, complete with a live Jimmy Buffett musical tribute, offers up a perfect partnership with Enright Cattle Company—providers of the highest quality beef to restaurants across Southeastern Ontario for a number of years and Official Beef Supplier to Makers+Mongers at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

The Enright purebred black and red Simmental cattle are bred on-farm, and are raised on farm-grown crops without the use of artificial hormones. As a result, the beef is truly a cut-above, noticeably more tender and tasty, and of course, trustworthy. As the consumer begins to lean towards sustainably produced food, Enright Cattle Company is leading the pack with its innovative practices and commitment to providing the best product.

It all starts with high quality hormone-free beef from cattle raised on farm-grown crops.

Kara Enright, along with her husband Darold, and their two little ones, are fourth-generation farmers, based just south of Tweed, Ontario. While farming traditions are at their family business’s core, Enright Cattle Company is also a pioneer in new practices such as meat traceability, having introduced a barcode system that allows the farm to track each cut of meat it produces. Being able to track each cut back to the animal it came from provides a level of flexibility and efficiency not previously available to farms, as well as a superior sense of accountability to their consumers. In the event of a recall, for example, Enright is able to locate each cut from the affected animal and find out instantly where it has ended up. Beyond this type of scenario, traceability also allows the farm to replicate the conditions of exceptional animals in order to reliably produce outstanding beef.

If you find yourself too far from the scattering of restaurants around the farm’s Tweed outpost, the Enrights have recently begun offering online sales and weekly delivery options between Toronto and Ottawa. While you can select your cuts individually, Kara also offers a unique selection service: essentially, a beef concierge package, aptly named Kara’s Box, in $100, $200, and $300 increments. Cuts are hand-selected and paired with ideal recipes from pot roasts to grilling steaks, adding even more of a human touch to the Enright Cattle Company experience.

Enough about pot roasts, though: We all know that during summer, the main event is always burgers. If you haven’t taken a bite of a juicy Enright burger at one of their many partner restaurants, you’ll finally be in on the secret at the Cheese Festival’s Makers+Mongers gathering this year. Burger Revolution (of “You Gotta Eat Here!” fame, located in Belleville) will come together with their long-time beef supplier to create the burgers worthy of the event’s utopian title. Cheeseburgers in Paradise is a name that demands a heavenly menu, and these two Bay of Quinte makers are more than prepared to deliver.

Beef from Enright Cattle transformed into a gourmet cheeseburger by Burger Revolution.

On her first meeting with Burger Rev owners Jeff Camacho and Rayling Lei, Kara says that Jeff was immediately intrigued with the option of a local beef product. He began serving Enright beef at Capers Restaurant in Belleville, where he was the head chef at the time, and took the partnership further in opening Burger Revolution, which has since developed a cult following in the area.

“We work with a lot of very talented chefs from Kingston, Ottawa, Gananoque, Belleville, Prince Edward County, Trenton and Toronto,” says Kara. “Our chefs really support us and work with us to utilize the entire carcass. “We are always looking for ways to utilize the entire carcass, and we’re midway through a very exciting project that will allow us to do just that!”

The future of Enright Cattle Company is bright, as Kara and Darold work to create a business that’s sustainable and profitable for what will be the fifth generation of farmers, their two little ones.

—Laura Voskamp

By night, Laura Voskamp is a cheese lover and freelance writer. By day, she’s Communications Coordinator for Bay of Quinte Tourism and Bay of Quinte Living.

Cheese business, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Lighthall Vineyards And Dairy, Sheep cheese

Pharmacology to fermentation to wine to cheese at Lighthall

May 21, 2015 No Comments

Cheesemaker Heather Robertson and three of the first cheeses made at Lighthall Vineyards and Dairy.

How does a pharmacist become Ontario’s first small-batch winemaker/artisan cheesemaker? Lighthall Vineyards and Dairy owner and winemaker Glenn Symons can explain:

He has been making cheese for personal use for the past two years, discovering new recipes and perfecting techniques along with Heather Robertson. She is a longtime friend and a 15-year cheese industry veteran. She has worked in cheese retail and cheesemaking at another cheese producer.

Lighthall Vineyards and Dairy will be one of 40 artisan cheese producers sampling and selling cheese at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival on June 6-7 in Picton, Ontario.

Glen Symons, winemaker and cheesemaker, too. — Glenn Symons, winemaker and cheesemaker.

Symons had been a home winemaker since age 19. He started in pharmacy in 1993, taking over the Lighthall vineyard in 2008. Lighthall produces three still wines, two sparkling, including 2014 Lighthall The Fence Rosé, and and one dessert wine. The Fence the first rosé from its own vineyards. It is 100% Pinot Noir, refermented using the Charmat method.

All the wines are produced in a non-interventionist manner. Non-interventionist winemaking consists of doing as little as possible to the grapes from their growth to their eventual vinification.

Lighthall Vineyards and Dairy endeavours to produce the highest quality wines, primarily from their own grapes, with all employees and family members involved in every step of production, including vineyard work through to final bottling, said Symons. With the tasting bar inside the production area, they aspire to share this enriching experience with every customer who comes to visit.

“It’s much like making home vintage, but on a larger scale,” said Symons. “In some ways the commercial equipment makes the process easier.”

Cheesemaking has proven to be so much fun and the cheese so delicious that Symons and Robertson are sharing their talents with the public. They sell their three sheep’s milk cheeses at a farmers’ market in Kingston and at the winery. They produce three varieties:

Runner – a soft ripened cheese, the rind washed in Lighthall Chardonnay,
Cocotte – a rustic, earthy unpasteurized blue,
Brie de Milford – a soft, surface-ripened cheese with a hint of Prince Edward County terroir flavours.

Glen Symons and Heather Robertson toast they first cheese creations. — Glenn Symons and Heather Robertson toast their first cheese creations with his wine creations.

Symons is planning to expand his facility. For now, he and Robertson make the cheese off-site, but hope to soon have an on-site commercial kitchen. They will keep to the three current varieties, said Symons, producing in quantities sufficient to sell at the winery and in Kingston. They may try some seasonal cheeses or a more aged cheese in the future, said Robertson.

The winery is located at 308 Lighthall Road, Milford, in Prince Edward County, Ontario, and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on Ontario’s newest artisan cheese producer, please visit Lighthall Vineyards and Dairy’s website www.lighthallvineyards.com

The fifth anniversary Great Canadian Cheese Festival—the biggest artisan cheese show in Canada—takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 6 and 7, in Picton, Ontario, at the Fairgrounds. For complete information and tickets, please visit CheeseFestival.ca.

—Joanne Fralick

Joanne Fralick is a cheese lover and freelance writer who lives with husband and son in Prince Edward County.