California Artisan Cheese Guild Formed
(San Francisco, CA) - Award winning artisan cheesemakers, dairy and fine food professionals, their supporters and friends have formed the California Artisan Cheese Guild (CACG). The group, incorporating Artisan, Farmstead and Specialty cheesemakers as well as other artisan dairy producers, will be a membership organization and not-for-profit trade group (within approximately one year).
The mission of the CACG is to support and encourage the California cheesemaking community. This is accomplished by supporting the ongoing education of cheesemakers and consumers, sharing resources and celebrating the art of and dedication to quality cheese.
The CACG now has a website at www.cacheeseguild.org. The site offers membership information and will soon include a list of members and farms, cheese and dairy plants that accept visitors, information on direct purchase or other distribution, a calendar of professional and consumer events, educational, tastings and other activities and information.
Several History of Excellence awards are being presented to mark the launch of the CACG. These awards will be presented in San Francisco at the next official meeting of the group on Saturday, January 21, 2006 in the Port room, located upstairs in the Ferry Building. The meeting, for guild members only, will be held from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, followed by a reception from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm for members, press and other guilds from across the United States, in conjunction with The American Cheese Society.
Awards are being presented to: Ignacio Vella of Vella Cheese Company, who is best known for his family's Dry Jack, a host of other cheeses and his years of talented work and boundless generosity to young cheesemakers and others; Franklin Peluso of Peluso Cheese, who is best known for making and preserving the practice of rice flour rubbed Teleme and other cheeses; and to Laura Chenel of Laura Chenel's California Chevre for her pioneering efforts in fresh and other goat cheeses, which have had a unique and extraordinary influence on the American table for the last 26 years.
"I deeply appreciate the honor of this special recognition from my industry. It is a sign of generosity and wisdom for our guild to mark its inception with a tribute to three dedicated early practitioners of specialty cheese making in California" said Laura Chenel from her cheesemaking facility at Stornetta Farm in Sonoma County.
Formation of the organization, the website, these awards and other start-up activities have been made possible by the generous support of Gallo Family Vineyards, Barbara Reed of UC Davis, Clark Wolf Company and a group of dedicated cheesemakers and supporters.
Membership forms and more information are at www.cacheeseguild.org.