Insight and Expertise In The Cheese Making Community

Making award-winning Blue cheese is always our priority, but at Caves of Faribault, we take time to focus on our workforce and our community as well. A dedicated group of employees, aptly dubbed the “Caves Fun Committee,” (or the “CFC” as we like to call it) makes sure these important aspects are not forgotten, designing activities and events that infuse fun and purpose into the regular work day.

This holiday season, we wanted to feature some of our team members’ favorite holiday traditions enjoyed by our “work family” and our real families. We hope they give you good tidings and joy!

For those who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself – Hi! I'm Erin and I am the Sales Manager for the Caves of Faribault. I’ve been working in the cheese industry for just about 15 years now and my career started working behind a grocery store cheese counter as a cheesemonger (someone who sells cheese). Even though I may not be slinging cheese behind a counter much these days, I still am a cheesemonger at heart, in search of incredible regional food, exceptional markets selling the finest ingredients, and of course, all the cheese shops I can find when I travel! Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to France for a culinary adventure unlike anything I ever imagined. I attended a seven-day Masterclass at Le Calabash School of Cooking in the Loire Valley and ended with two fabulous days in Paris. Aside from the in-depth cooking classes focusing on key ingredients like chocolate, vanilla, ice cream, duck and salmon, we also traveled around to visit the “must-see” places for food lovers. If you are a gastronomy geek who centers your vacays around food like myself, here are my most memorable stops and lessons learned from my French Culinary adventure.

As we head into the fall and the weather starts to dip a bit, we start looking for more autumnal recipes to inspire our creativity in the kitchen. But with summer still within eyesight, there still may be a bit of cheese leftover from all your summer-y snacks and dishes. Never fear—here are some of our ideas for fall cookin’ with leftover cheese.

Every year, hundreds of industry leaders in the American Artisan Cheese community descend on a different city to learn, network and grow at the American Cheese Society (ACS) Conference. Like many events this year, the 2021 conference was held virtually at the end of July. Now more than ever, ACS’ dedication to education is vitally important as the industry evolves and new, unforeseen challenges come up. Though the actual community of American cheesemakers is small, it is mighty. Together we create a space that is collaborative, helping each other when faced with these new challenges, and we celebrate a vibrant and growing market of American-manufactured cheeses.

Whether you’re camping in a tent on the beach or a cabin in the woods, you’ll be enjoying the warm glow of a toasty campfire. More than just a hot spot to snuggle, campfires are made for cooking! Cooking over a campfire is something that can intimidate some folks, but rest assured there is nothing to fear. We have compiled some of our favorite recipes for all you campfire cooks out there. Get ready to set your tastebuds ablaze with these campfire favorites with a cheesy twist! You’ll need your grill grate, a couple cast iron pans or a skillet, steel tongs and grill gloves. Always play it safe while cooking over an open fire.

The weather is warming up and it’s getting too nice to cook inside. Why heat the house on sunny summer days and warm summer nights when you can fire up the grill instead? We’ve curated some yummy ways keep the grill going, the house cool, and spice up any dish with our piquant AmaGorg Gorgonzola cheese!

In our final installment of this series, we explore an exciting lineup of non-alcoholic beverage options to pair with your favorite cheese. 

In our last installment, you learned the ins and outs of beer pairings. Now let’s get a little fancy and explore a pairing category that’s a tale as old as time—cheese and wine!

You know the old saying, “It’s 5 o’ clock somewhere!” Well we’ve compiled a stellar list of cheese and beer pairings that hit the mark every time.  So if you like cheese, you like beer and you’re over 21, keep reading to see our top beer selections to wash down with your favorite cheeses.  Cheers!