8/03/2009

Emergency Cheese Party: Rubiners and Culture Magazine


The invitation read:

"We find ourselves in the possession of perhaps the finest collection of artisan cheese ever assembled, or to be assembled again."

Nearly swooning, I paused to catch my breath and then reread the sentence again. Elation!


"We did not pay for these cheeses. They were props for a book, forthcoming
from an English cheesemonger of considerable reknown. The photoshoot is over, but the cheeses remain."

"It wouldn't be right to sell them (though the profit margins are indeed attractive) and I can't bring myself just to give them away for nothing (searching for a pithy Blogojevic quote here)."

"One thing is clear: They must be eaten soon. And soon."

"We have decided, therefore, to throw a hastily planned party."

"Rubiner's Cheesemongers & Grocers and Culture Magazine cordially invite you to an Emergency American Artisan Cheese Disposal Cocktail Party and Benefit."


Some of the stars were the Sally Jackson Cow, Goat and Sheep. Available in Los Angeles at The Cheese Store of Silverlake, they describe it as:

"Sally and Roger Jackson were among the first people in Washington state to sell artisanal goat cheese – for that matter, they were among the first people in the U.S. to bring back the craft of artisanal cheesemaking. Chefs in Seattle still remember Sally selling wheels of cheese out the back of her car twenty years ago. These days, cheese sellers come to her, hoping for a small wheel of her raw goat cheese. The cheese is wrapped in leaves and tied up like a delicious little package, adding a touch of elegance to cheese that is otherwise quite rustic: earthy, gamey and herbal."

"Sally Jackson and her husband Roger create small-batches of raw-milk goat, sheep and cow cheeses on a small farm in the Okanagon Highlands of Eastern Washington state."


Cypress Grove was well represented. Humbolt Fog is one of my faves. I'd never tried Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor. Tasty. The Goat's Leap Eclipse was another surprise, similar to Humbolt Fog with a strip of ash through the middle and crowned with a star anise.


Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar from Ontario was a nutty, fruity cheddar. From www.verygoodfood.ca:

"Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar from Prince Edward Island is made of raw milk from PEI Holsteins, wrapped in muslin rubbed with lard, and aged for 12 months. The resulting cheese is a deep, yellow colour with a crumbly texture and creamy tasting interior."



It looked like there were 50-75 of the best artisan cheeses I'd ever seen. The collection ranged from small scale, obscure producers, to large scale production, from both the United States and Canada, some of the best cheeses around. A cheese lovers dream.


Enjoy the rest of the cheese photos.






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Rubiners Cheese
264 Main Street
Great Barrington, MA 01230
(413) 528-0488





10 comments:

SinoSoul said...

wowsers.

I don't see anyone eating tho.. odd?

Alli & Win said...

Tony: Good point. I was one of the first people to get there so I took photos before everyone started digging in. I'll post a photo of the crowd just for you. I must say, that was a funny aspect of the evening I completely left out. People were piling their plates and going crazy. A really fun experience.

Unknown said...

Can I see more pics? And, um, which one were you?

Alli & Win said...

Matthew and Tony: Part 2 was posted for you, a couple of pics and a few more details. Thanks for the suggestions. Alas, there were none of me. Maybe in the future...You can see a photo of me in my profile though. Here's the link to the people at the Emergency Cheese Party:
http://alli411.blogspot.com/2009/08/peeps-at-emergency-cheese-party.html

Charles G Thompson said...

Soooooo envious!!! That looks like so much fun. So much amazing cheese. Thanks for sharing.

Alli & Win said...

Charles: You would have looooved it! Maybe we'll have an Emergency Pizza Party ;)

Cheesewench said...

When I heard of this I was insanely jealous. Now seeing the photos, even more so. I will console myself with the festival of cheese on Saturday!

Alli & Win said...

Cheesewench: The Texas festival? Now I'm jealous. Will you be at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival? If so, would love to meet you there.

Anonymous said...

Swoon! That is a cheese dream!

Alli & Win said...

Fromage Bob: Oh Yeah, a serious cheese lovers dream.