Arla Foods, Awards, Black River Cheese, Cheese business, Cow cheese, Cows Creamery, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Fromagerie Blackburn, Fromagerie du Presbytère, Fromagerie La Suisse Normandie, Fromagerie Perron, Glengarry Fine Cheese, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Gurth Pretty, International Cheese, Le Belle de Jersey, Le Bleu d'Élizabeth, Louis d'Or, Mont Jacob, Natural Pastures Cheese

Louis d’Or: Best of the best in Canadian Cheese Grand Prix

No Comments
The smiling-cow tie worn by Grand Champion Jean Morin breaks up TV personalities Anne-Marie Withenshaw and Ben Mulroney at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Gala of Champions.

It was an unforgettable evening for cheesemaker Jean Morin, his brother, Dominic, and associate cheesemaker Dany Grimard.

Louis d’Or, the extraordinary cheese they make at Fromagerie du Presbytère, was declared Grand Champion—the best of the best—at the 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix last night.

Additionally, in an unprecedented awards sweep, Louis d’Or was named champion in three different categories:

  • Firm cheese
  • Farmstead cheese
  • Organic cheese

On top of that, their fabulous Bleu d’Élizabeth was selected champion in the blue-cheese category!

Clearly, Jean Morin was the happiest and proudest cheese producer in Canada last night as the Gala of Champions unfolded at Palais Royale in Toronto, scene of a lavish awards ceremony cum cheese-tasting organized by Dairy Farmers of Canada, sponsors of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix.

Dominic Morin, Dany Grimard and Jean Morin are flanked by Phil Bélanger, Grand Prix jury chair, and Ben Mulroney, TV personality and co-MC at the Gala of Champions.

In his acceptance speech, Jean was quick to give credit to his brother, Dominic, who looks after their herd of cows, and to Dany Grimard, who runs the make room in the former rectory that serves as the creamery across the street from their farm in Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick two hours east of Montréal.

Jean and Dominic are fourth-generation dairy farmers who have found amazing success as first-generation cheese producers in a few short years. What’s the secret of their success?

“Happy, healthy cows,” Jean says. “It all starts with the milk, and the care we show the cheese as we make it.”

Appropriately, smiling cows adorned the tie Jean wore to the awards gala.

Quadruple-award-winner Louis dOr from Fromagerie du Presbytère.

Phil Bélanger, chair of the 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Jury and president of the New Brunswick Chapter of La Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, had this to say about Louis d’Or:

“The milky richness of this cheese is a tribute to the organic milk with which it is made. The cheese has a smooth texture, warm nutty and floral notes in aroma and taste. Inspired by the traditional cheesemaking know-how from the Jura region, the cheesemaker created an amazing cheese.”

Louis d’Or is truly a magnificent cheese, with fine, complex flavours, eloquently expressed after nine months of ripening. The Louis d’Or cheese gets its name from the Louis d’Or Farm, which produces the organic milk used to make it. The name of the cheese also refers to the French currency of the same name used under the reign of Louis XIII in 1640.

The first opportunity for the public to taste Grand Prix winners in one place—and meet the makers such as Jean Morin—will be at The Great Canadian Cheese Festival on June 4-5 in Picton in Prince Edward County, Ontario’s newest wine region and fastest-growing culinary destination.

At the Festival, cheese expert and author Gurth Pretty, one of the Grand Prix judges, will lead a tutored tasting on cheese of Western Canada. Grand Prix champion Margaret Peters-Morris will conduct a demonstration of cheesemaking at home.

Here is the complete list of 2011 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix winners, with asterisks indicating those already committed to taking part in The Great Canadian Cheese Festival:

Fresh cheese:

Soft cheese with bloomy rind:

Semi-soft cheese:

Washed-rind soft and semi-soft cheese:

Firm cheese:

Swiss-type cheese:

Mozzarella:

Blue cheese:

Flavoured cheese with added non-particulate flavouring:

Flavoured cheese with added particulate solids and flavouring:

Mild cheddar:

Medium cheddar:

Old and extra old cheddar:

Aged Cheddar (1-3 years):

  • Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar, Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island*

Aged Cheddar (4 years +):

Farmhouse cheese:

Organic cheese:

The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix is a competition sponsored and hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada, celebrating the high quality and proud tradition of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian cow’s milk.

For the 2011 competition, a record-breaking total of 203 cheeses from six provinces was submitted for judging in the competition.

A panel of Canada’s top cheese experts spent two days in Montréal rigorously tasting and evaluating the best cow-milk cheeses this country has to offer as they narrowed the field down to 51 cheeses in 17 categories.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs, cheesehead-in-chief at CheeseLover.ca, couldn’t believe his ears when Jean Morin mentioned him and the upcoming Great Canadian Cheese Festival in his acceptance remarks.

Artisan Cheese Marketing, Cheese business, Cheese education, Kathy Guidi

Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide, by Kathy Guidi

No Comments

At last, an up-to-date book on Canadian cheese loaded with information and insight!

A CheeseLover.ca review will be posted soon. In the meantime, here’s the official  announcement on Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide, by Kathy Guidi, the highly respected maven of all things cheese in this country:

Most of us are intimidated in front of the cheese case with so many varieties to choose from. We end up buying the same familiar cheese even when we set out to try something new.

Most Canadians have no idea what they’re missing! New Canadian cheeses emerge all the time! Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide is a reference to some of the newest, best and most popular.

The Guide includes concise tasting information for more than 180 cheeses from coast to coast with emphasis on artisan varieties. There are enchanting author and cheesemaker anecdotes, plus

  • useful information on buying and serving, and
  • author insights on popular cheese topics such as raw milk cheese, discerning quality, whether (or not) to eat the rind, cheesemaking and ingredients.

Natural Cheeses Grouped Alphabetically by Category

  • Fresh, Unripened – versatile, indigenous cheeses
  • Soft, Ripened – fragile, runny and unctuous
  • Soft Washed Rind – called ‘the stinkers’
  • Semi-Soft – mild, yet diverse
  • Semi-Soft Washed Rind – Canada’s new cheese heritage
  • Firm – substantial, dependable classics
  • Hard – maturity with benefits
  • Blues – love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re anything but ordinary

“Cheese can be the perfect accompaniment for many wines. But not every match is made in heaven making knowledge of cheese just as important as that of wine when recommending pairings. Kathy Guidi has the knowledge and passion to make learning about cheese a pleasure.”

—Carol LePage, Sommelier, Director of Sales, Reif Estate Winery

“Your passion for the topic of cheese, mental energy and agility, enthusiasm and friendliness is impressive and uplifting and so good for the dairy industry.”

—Russell Gammon, Executive Director Canadian Jersey Cow Association

The book is available* for pre-order on Amazon.ca and Indigo.ca and available at book and cheese stores across Canada by September 2010. ( * pre-order only until late August 2010 )

Canadian Cheese: A Pocket Guide
ISBN (978-1-55278-894-3)
Published by McArthur & Company
322 King St. West, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1J2
416-408-4007
www.mcarthur-co.com

For corporate or special sales, please contact the publisher directly: Ann Ledden, VP Sales, McArthur & Company.

Book signings can be arranged by contacting Devon Pool, Director of Publicity, McArthur & Company. See the Artisan Cheese Marketing calendar for scheduled book signings and event dates.

Kathy Guidi is the founder of Cheese Education Guild which in September will again present its in-depth Cheese Appreciation 1 program. It’s the perfect way to learn about cheese while savouring and comparing up to 10 cheeses each week during the 8-week certificate course.

  • Course:  Cheese Appreciation 1
  • Designed for: fine dining and wine professionals, sales and retail professionals,
    cheesemakers and cheese marketers AND caseophile (cheese loving) enthusiasts.
  • Starts:  Tuesday September 14 through Tuesday November 2, 2010
    Time:  6:15 – 9:15
  • Location:  Toronto Board of Trade, First Canadian Place, Bay and Adelaide
  • Cost: $ 550. + HST  (tax deductable receipt provided)

For complete information, visit www.artisancheesemarketing.com.

Cheese business, Monforte Dairy, Ruth Klahsen

Monforte Dairy takes on the look of a giant art gallery

No Comments
Click on the image for a larger view of the mural that adorns one wall of Monforte Dairy in Stratford in Southwestern Ontario.

A cheesemaking plant is a practical, utilitarian thing. To see one showcasing large pieces of both high and street art is unexpected, to say the least. But Ruth Klahsen, the cheesemaker responsible for the new Monforte Dairy plant’s artsy makeover, seems to enjoy keeping the public guessing.

The idea of a dairy-as-art-gallery began five years ago, when Ruth purchased a billboard-sized piece of art from an exhibit in Stratford. The billboard, created by Toronto-based artist Corinne Carlson, features a single word in a black font set against a silver background. The one word: “Baa?”

Ruth says she always knew she would display the billboard one day, but didn’t have the proper space for it at the old dairy. The unadorned walls of the new cheese plant seemed like a perfect spot for the billboard.

For the next art project, Ruth decided on an edgier direction. She commissioned an art piece from a group of Toronto graffiti artists affiliated with Life Opportunities Food and Technology, or LOFT, an organization devoted to inspiring youth involvement in community development projects.

For 10 years LOFT has run a graffiti art program that mainly produces murals in Toronto’s Bloorcourt neighbourhood. After hearing about LOFT’s artists from CBC’s Jane Farrow and learning about the community work done by the organization, Ruth invited LOFT’s artists to come to Stratford and paint the new plant.

For an entire weekend in June the artists, under the direction of Javid Alibhai, worked on a graffiti mural that covers the west side of the plant and a silo. Ruth left the content of the murals completely up to the artists.

“I gave them free rein. I didn’t want to interfere or put any restrictions on them,” Ruth says.

The result is a colourful mural featuring traditional farm images of cows and pastures, with a funky, urban feel. Large graffiti script covers the silo, including the words “Monforte Dairy.”

Ruth has no concerns that visitors to the dairy may find the plant’s artwork odd or unsightly. She says so far, both the mural and the billboard have been well-received.

“The response has been huge. I’ve heard nothing negative. Maybe the people with negative opinions aren’t saying anything, and that’s just fine. I think for the most part people enjoy seeing something innovative and exciting.”

Corinne Carlson finishes the installation of her billboard creation made of sequin-like reflective disks that sparkle as they twist in the wind.

Monforte began producing cheese at the new plant a month ago. So far, Ruth and her apprentices have made fresh sheep and goat varieties. By the end of July, Monforte will move on to cow’s milk cheese, and also begin working with buffalo milk when supply is sufficient.

All the cheeses produced are available at Monforte Dairy’s in-house store or at a number of farmer’s markets in Ontario.

Ruth and Monforte made news earlier in the year when they raised $400,000 toward the cost of the new plant via a unique business model called Community-Supported Agriculture.

—Phoebe Powell

A journalism graduate and budding turophile, Phoebe Powell last wrote for CheeseLover.ca about where to get educated for a career in cheese.

Brie, Cheese business, Cheese trail, La fromagerie Atwater

Good cheese hunting: Day 6, arrival in Montreal

No Comments

Once we hit Montreal, it didn’t take us long to find our way to Atwater Market.

Quebec brie oozes from our ham sandwich at Première Moisson, an excellent bakery and café in the market—and many other locations across Montreal.
I know, I know, it isn't cheese but le paté canard et son fois gras was incredibly good at Première Moisson.
La fromagerie Atwater, which carries some 750 varieties of cheese, has served as a cornerstone of the artisan cheese movement in Quebec for two decades.
Sylvie, cheesemonger par excellence at Fromagerie Atwater, introduced us to four new-to-us Quebec cheeses which we'll report on in due course.

Related links:

Cheese business, Cheese curds, Cheese trail, Glengarry Fine Cheese, Poutine

Good cheese hunting: Day 5, leaving Eastern Ontario

No Comments

Tasting our way across Eastern Ontario’s cheese country has been great fun, but Montreal and Quebec beckon.

Gulp! Our second poutine in as many days, this one from Celine's Casse-Croûte in Hawkesbury, Ontario.
We are thrilled to chat with Margaret Morris at Glengarry Fine Cheese in Lancaster, Ontario. Via her cheese-cultures business, Margaret has played an important role in cheesemaking in North America since 1995.
Mmm . . . Celtic Blue from Glengarry Fine Cheese. Great to eat as is, but Margaret Morris suggests we try her blue on baked chicken breast. As if we will have any left by the time we return home!

Related links:

Cheese business, Le brebis sur le toit bleu, Sheep cheese

Waiting for the first Tomme de Gaston of 2010

No Comments
Cheesemaker Richard Garner says spring lambs have first dibs on the ewe's milk at Les brebis sur le toit bleu.

Our timing was off but the visit last weekend to Les brebis sur le toit bleu (Sheep on the blue roof) was most enjoyable—and served to whet the appetite for a return later in the summer when cheese will be available.

Les brebis sur le toit bleu produces only cheese made from sheep’s milk. Sheep do not lactate all year round. They lamb in March but Richard Garner doesn’t take any milk from his flock of 30 ewes until mid-May. By October, the ewes begin to dry out. By November, lactation is done for another season, and the rams are brought into play. The resulting gestation term is five months. And, thus, the cycle of life and cheese starts all over again.

Richard made this season’s first cheese on May 14. After the obligatory aging of a minimum of 60 days, his cheese will first be available for purchase at the farm near Oxford Mills, Ontario, on July 18. By the end of July, it will be available at Byward Fruit Market in Ottawa, Jamie Kennedy’s Gilead Café & Bistro in Toronto, Gurth Pretty’s Cheese of Canada, and the farmer’s market in Kemptville a few kilometres from the farm.

The farm dates back to the 1870s. Cheese is made in a small make room at the back of the house which has a blue roof. The name of the farm and business is a take on the title of a 1920s novel by Jean Cocteau.

Richard and Sylvie Morel, his wife, purchased the farm 13 years ago and started making cheese one year later. He was a professional photographer in his earlier life. Sylvie, until her retirement last year, was director of exhibits of the fabulous Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.

In addition to Tomme de Gaston, a natural rind, aged, semi-hard cheese typical of fermier cheeses from the western Pyrénées that is a favorite at CheeseLover.ca, Richard and Sylvie produce:

  • a creamy blue called Bleu de Sophie between a French Roquefort and a British Stilton in taste and texture;
  • a Coulomier called Neige de Babette similar in to a large Camembert;
  • a washed rind cheese;
  • and a creamy Feta.

They have no plans to grow the business. For them, small isn’t just beautiful. It’s perfect.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca.

The roof is indeed blue at Les brebis sur le toit bleu near Oxford Mills, Ontario.

Artisan Cheese Marketing, Cheese business, Cheese education, George Brown College, Julia Rogers, Monforte Dairy, Ruth Klahsen, University of Guelph

Cheese smarts: Get what you need for a career in cheese

No Comments
A student in the Cheesemaking Technology course at University of Guelph learns how to pour Camembert-style cheese into forms.

Cheese education in Ontario is thriving, as evidenced by the array of tasting classes catering to those who wish to enhance their appreciation of cheese. But what about individuals looking to carve out a career in the cheese business who require a more thorough, professional education?

Here’s a roundup of courses available to mould a fresh batch of cheese professionals.

The University of Guelph has been offering some version of its cheesemaking course since 1893, though its present professor, Art Hill, began teaching his Cheesemaking Technology program with the Food Sciences department in 1986. The program—designed for artisan and commercial cheesemakers, cheese hobbyists, and government and sales personnel who work with cheesemakers—focuses on the science and technology of cheesemaking. Students attend lectures and apply the principles learned in a cheesemaking laboratory.

“The focus is on understanding the manufacturing principles of technological families of cheese, rather than becoming expert in the manufacture of particular cheese varieties,” says Professor Hill. The program is offered annually in the spring and runs for five days. The next course offering will run from April 27 to May 1, 2015. Those interested can visit the course website.

Artisan Cheese Marketing, a cheese education and public relations company founded by cheese industry expert Kathy Guidi, was the first business in Canada to recognize the demand for professional cheese appreciation classes. In response, the company developed the Cheese Education Guild in 2005, the first institution in Canada to offer a certificate-level cheese education course.

To earn a Cheese Education Guild certificate, students must complete three 24-hour appreciation courses. The courses aim to develop students’ tasting and sensing abilities while building cheese vocabulary and knowledge. Cheese Appreciation courses 1 and 2 each cost $550, while the final Cheese Appreciation 3 costs $620. Information on upcoming courses is listed on the company website, and can also be obtained by emailing Artisan Cheese Marketing.

George Brown College has also sensed a demand for professional cheese education classes, and so the school began offering a Professional Fromager Certificate in January 2010. The course was developed by Scott McKenzie, a graduate of the Cheese Education Guild, and is offered through the college’s Hospitality and Culinary Arts department. The program consists of six classes, each focusing on an element of cheese appreciation and knowledge. The program includes classes on tasting and criticism, affinage, and pairings. Individual classes range in cost from $231 to $321, with the total program tuition fees amounting to $1,556. For more information, contact the department at (416) 415-5000 ext. 2517 or via email.

Monforte Dairy is developing its own unique program that will bring the company into the ranks of professional cheese educators. Unlike other programs available in Ontario, Ruth Klahsen, Monforte’s owner and head cheesemaker, has decided to offer an apprenticeship program that focuses on the craft of artisan cheesemaking.

“The school is intended to preserve and grow the art of artisanal cheesemaking as opposed to industrial cheesemaking. Ontario was once the dairy capital of Canada and Monforte would like to see more artisanal cheese operations across the province again. It would be our hope that the new cheesemakers would then be able to start up their own dairies,” says Maureen Argon, Monforte’s communications specialist.

Monforte is hoping to attract apprentices who already hold a keen interest in cheesemaking, and who have some food production knowledge. The program is still in the development stage, with cheese consultant Neville McNaughton building a curriculum. Monforte is also looking into partnership possibilities with Ontario colleges. The program will run over a two-year period, from January to April. For more information, contact Monforte Dairy through the company website.

Though the popularity of cheese education courses is on the rise in Ontario, some experts believe a more traditional education is all a cheese enthusiast needs to learn the business. Julia Rogers, founder of Cheese Culture, which offers cheese classes and events to the public, says that while these courses can contribute to an individual’s overall cheese education, on their own they are not enough to prepare a person for retail or entrepreneurial work in cheese.

“If you want a career in cheese, you’ve got to work in cheese, which means washing dishes, washing floors, getting up early, stressing over margins and expiry dates and Christmas pre-orders, fielding every consumer question known to humanity, juggling CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) and Public Health inspectors, navigating the minefields of fickle urban trendsetter taste, meanwhile smiling . . . and doing it for minimum wage, 360 days a year,” Rogers says.

If, after paying their dues in such a gruelling setting, aspiring cheese experts still wish to pursue a career in the business, Rogers recommends seeking apprenticeships with industry professionals and foreign learning experiences to polish their skills.

—Phoebe Powell

A journalism graduate and budding turophile, Phoebe Powell last wrote for CheeseLover.ca about getting to know sheep’s-milk cheese.

Cheese business, Millbank Cheese, Swiss, The Taste of Cheese

Canadian Swiss cheese made the Old Order Amish way

No Comments

Millbank Cheese started operations in 1908 in the old foundry building in the village of Millbank in Southwestern Ontario.

Caseus Helveticus—Swiss cheese to me and you—was first mentioned in recorded history by Pliny, the first century Roman historian. Doubtless, it was more like cottage cheese than what we’re familiar with in modern times. The type of Swiss cheese we eat today first appeared in the 15th century when the technique of using rennet to firm up cheese was introduced.

In the 17th century, the Amish religion was founded in Switzerland. By the 18th century, the first Amish arrived in Ontario, bringing with them the old ways—including making cheese.

And that‘s how, three centuries later, I’m enjoying a chunk of mild and creamy Swiss made by Millbank Cheese Factory, but there is a twist in the history.

Millbank Cheese and Cold Storage in the village of Millbank in Southwestern Ontario was founded in 1908 by Old Order Amish dairy farmers. Over the years, Millbank Cheese grew and grew. By the 1980s, it employed 35 full-time employees and sold $12 million worth of cheese and butter annually. Then started a revolving door of owners: First, Schneiders, then Ault Foods, and finally Parmalat—which shut down production in 1999 but kept the retail store open.

Millbank’s pioneering past flowered again when 90 traditional farm families purchased the factory from Parmalat in 2003 and again began to make cheese the Old Order Amish way. Today, Millbank manufactures goat, sheep and cow-milk products.

And so it came to pass that when I walked into The Art of Cheese in the Beaches area of Toronto, owner Bill Miller suggested I try Millbank’s organic, unpasteurized Swiss cheese.

“This Swiss is very creamy,” Bill said. “When warmed up, it has a slight tangy bite. The real difference, though, is in the after-taste. In mass-produced Swiss, you get a metallic taste—some would say tinny—from the chemical residue that comes from the use of additives to speed up the maturing process.” As Swiss is such a light-tasting cheese, there is nowhere for the additive residue to hide.

The cream content level of the Millbank Swiss is 33% milk fat, which is high, yet that’s what makes this a rich Swiss and an excellent snack.

Bill suggested I try it in scalloped potato as the cheese helps bring out other flavours without dominating. Alas, my chunk was long gone by supper time.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca. He grew up eating Swiss, Havarti and Limburger, and a Latvian cheese called Janu siers.

Cheese business, Julia Rogers, Leslieville Cheese Market

Leslieville Cheese Market expands to Flesherton

No Comments

Michael Simpson at Leslieville Cheese Market West. Click on image for a larger view.

Leslieville Cheese Market, with two locations in Toronto, is opening a third store in Flesherton, right on the main route to Georgian Bay cottage country.

“There is a bit of a food movement happening slowly in and around Flesherton,” says co-owner Michael Simpson. “It’s not an organized thing. People from Toronto who vacation in the area have brought with them a demand for excellence.”

Leslieville Cheese Market North will open June 1 at 10 Sydenham Street in Flesherton, right beside The Bakery, a popular stop on Highway 10.

“The Bakery in Flesherton is known far and wide,” says Michael. “We previously have had a great relationship with them. That makes us all the more happy that our market will be situated right beside them and their fantastic aromas.”

Leslieville Cheese Market North will be managed by co-owner Gary Ikona.

Leslieville Cheese Market East at 891 Queen Street East at Logan opened on June 16, 2006. Leslieville Cheese Market West at 541 Queen Street West at Augusta opened May 15, 2009.

In addition a huge selection of Canadian and imported cheeses, Leslieville carries chacuterie and other fine foods, and hosts the popular Night School for Cheese Fans with Julia Rogers and Beer School with Cheese Fans with Sam Corbeil.

Buffalo milk, Cheese business, Monforte Dairy, Ruth Klahsen

Hootin’ and feastin’ with Monforte’s Ruth Klahsen

No Comments

Two pigs and five lambs were only the beginning of the feast at Monforte's hootenanny.

Ruth Klahsen sure knows how to throw a party. This afternoon, more than 800 of her closest friends showed up—and hardly anyone knew it was Ruth’s 53rd birthday. The invitations had only said it was to be a hootenanny in the Stratford Festival Theatre Lobby.

And what a hoot it turned out to be!

Ruth hosted the party to thank the 858 contributors who have raised $385,000 toward the cost of a new plant for Monforte Dairy. Government funding, including a $190,000 grant just the other day from Ontario’s rural economic development program, will make up the rest of $880,000 budget that will see Monforte return to cheesemaking on May 17 in a spiffy new production facility in Stratford.

Ruth Klahsen shows a flock of her supporters the new production facility taking shape in Stratford. Cheesemaking restarts on May 17.

“But it isn’t government that we have to thank for all this,” Ruth told her supporters during a tour of the the plant this afternooon. “It is you, the people who support Monforte, who made all this possible. Without you, we wouldn’t have got a penny from anyone else.”

Cheddar hoops once used by now-closed Forfar Dairy will find new life at Monforte.

Certainly, the banks weren’t interested in getting involved. As a result, Monforte Dairy now only deals with Mennonite Savings and Credit Union, the only financial institution to show support when Monforte Renaissance 2010 was started.

The public money-raising was all done with a model called Community-Supported Agriculture. Essentially, supporters paid in advance for cheese they would receive over five years. Here is CSA explained by Ruth in a video.

The hootenanny turned out to be more of a feast than a folk-music party—which is a good thing . . . when you have some of the leading chefs in Ontario showing up to cook for your guests. Take two pigs and five lambs, organize the chefs into two teams, and the result is sure to be outstanding. Here’s the who’s who:

Team Lamb: Joshna Maharaj, Anthony Davis of The Roosevelt Room, John Lee of Chippy’s, Marc Breton of The Gladstone, Jason Inniss of Amuse Bouche, Johan Maes of Petite Dejeuner, and Scott Vivian of Wine Bar/Hank’s.

Team Pork: Daniel DeMatteis, Steffan Howard of Palais Royale, Tyler Cunningham of Mildred Temple, Mark Cutrara of Cowbell, Martha Wright of Frank@AGO, Olivia Bolano of All The Best Fine Foods, and Chris Sanderson of The Drake.

Ontario wines, local beer and apple cider complemented the fine fare the chefs produced.

On the drive home, more than one guest likely reflected on truths that had become apparent during the afternoon:

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca.

Talk about being open to the public! This video camera in the make room at Monforte broadcasts 24/7 on the Web. Go to <http://webcam.monfortedairy.com>. The username is guest. No password required.