First Cheesemaking School program kicks off February 2014 at Monforte Dairy
Posted: January 8, 2014
Categories: GoodFoodBites / News from Sustain Members / News from Sustain Ontario
Monforte Dairy logo via official website.
Starting in February, an eight week cheesemaking consultation program will be conducted by renowned cheese expert Neville McNaughton of CheezSorce, hosted at Monforte Dairy in Stratford, one of Ontario’s most well-known artisanal cheese companies. Missouri-based McNaughton, who has earned the nickname “Dr. Cheese”, regularly consults with individuals and businesses looking to start small and medium-sized dairies across North America. This initial Cheesemaking School program will be the first run at a group consultation style with a maximum of 10 students. The cost for the program is $5000 plus HST. Interested individuals should register soon – there’s only a few spots left!
“There had been so much interest from individuals in Ontario wanting to further their skills that I thought it might be interesting to try a group approach, allowing participants to learn from each other and their experiences,” said McNaughton in an interview. Monforte owner Ruth Klahsen was awarded the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Excellence in the fall of 2013, which she has committed to starting a cheesemaking school in 2015 to build a training program in Ontario.
From The Cheesemaking School release:
Monforte Owner Ruth Klahsen has made a name for herself not only for the excellent cheese she and her team craft but also for her unique, entrepreneurial approach to business. It was that approach that in the fall of 2013 won her the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, a $75 000 cash award that Ruth has committed towards starting a cheesemaking school in 2015. Ruth believes so strongly that “all of us who are dedicated to excellent cheese making, and consumers as well, would benefit from a training program in the province. I would love to see a formal apprenticeship program established for cheesemaking and we have started the conversation at the ministerial level. It’s exciting!”
Ruth’s dream is to use the Premier’s Award as a seed fund to establish a school that would include instruction in the foundation cheese varieties and other dairy products, food safety as it pertains to dairies and cheesemaking, how to construct a cheesemaking facility and the opportunity to learn about direct marketing through sales of the School’s products at regional farmers’ markets. Should the school come to fruition, students will be taught by food safety specialists and industry leaders and have the opportunity to work with Ruth at the markets and in the dairy.
The program starts on February 2 and runs to March 30, 2014. To register or more information, contact Jennifer Laurie, Program Coordinator with The Cheesemaking School at Monforte by email at info@thecheesemakingschool.com or on Twitter at @NewCheeseMakers.