As a Midwesterner through and through, I'm delighted that this event has come into being, so thank you Jeanne Carpenter, founder of Wisconsin Cheese Originals. You also suckered me into being a member for $35 and getting nothing more than the privilege to spend $50 more for my Cheesetopia tickets...
But I digress...I didn't know what to expect at Cheesetopia. I thought it would be small, maybe 50 people, and run like any trade wine tasting that I've been too...just gobs of people geeking out about artisan wares and gettting day drunk. I wasn't far off.
The glorious Pleasant Ridge was on his table, of course, and I had just bought some about a week earlier, but he was selling half pound slabs for $10 even, a ridiculous deal, so we bought more. "A June 2013 wheel," he told me, "We're waiting for it to warm up a little." How I love it when folks speak my cheese geek language...I had a New Glarus Spotted Cow in me at that point, so I asked him, "so, are you going to make Rush Creek this year?" he told me yes... Yes?!? I don't want to start any rumors...but I'm hopin'!
Stay cheesy friends!