And like I mentioned before, Flora Springs is providing the wine.
But what I haven’t mentioned before, is that this gives us Cheesewhizzes the chance to do something great.

We’re going to collect the money we would have spent on wine to give to the amazing What If Foundation. The town of St. Helena has supported this foundation early on — and the impact we can have on hungry children is specific and real.

Each meal from the What If Foundation costs 80 cents to provide.
Each meal is often the only meal these kids eat all day.
91% of the donated money goes to the cost of the food.
They purchase local food from local Haitian markets.

We can make a real difference here.

I’ll post an update on the Facebook page the day before to remind you, but wanted to make sure you knew.

I can’t wait to see what we can do together.

When: Cheesewhizzes next is Saturday, May 19. 6:30pm.
Look at you! Already invited.

Theme: Cheeses within 500 miles of Flora Springs Winery.

Beverages: Provided by said winery.
Wait, what?

Yes, Flora Springs is so eager to see the cheeses that Cheesewhizzes can bring, they’re providing the wine.
We’re all bringing the cheese.

Can’t wait to taste what you bring.

(Get updates from our Cheesewhizzes Facebook page!)

From 6:30 to 9:00pm, we’ll be tasting the finest soft and oozy cheeses that our local cheesemongers have to offer.

Park in the lot or along the side of the road
(so cars can still exit)

The event is at the top of the hill in the caves and promises to be awesome.

We have a date and location for the next Cheesewhizzes event.

You’re invited to a spectacular pre-holiday Cheesewhizzes on Saturday,  November 19, 2011.

Thanks to Josh at Anderson’s Conn Valley, we shall taste the cheese and pair it with the perfect beverage in the most gorgeous location.

Verdict’s still out on the theme, any and all suggestions welcomed in the comments.

Thanks to the awesomeocity of Cosentino Winery, we’ll be getting our French on, Napa Valley style.

July 16
Cosentino Winery
7pm-10pm

Bring a French cheese and a French wine.
(Or other French beverage.)

See you there!
(I said that in a French accent.)

My ladypal AB Chao and I presented about how to style quick appetizers for your blog. We covered last minute nuts, dips, a chocolate plate and a cheese plate.

We went through how NOT to take photos:

And what makes a good photo:

For the cheese plate, we headed over to the St. James Cheese Company for their expert opinions.

We wanted keepable cheese, cheese that could hang in your fridge for a while.
We wanted beautiful cheese, cheese that would photograph beautifully.
We wanted delicious cheese, because our butts were on the line.

They helped us for waaay longer than they needed to, carefully listening to restraints of budget and aesthetics.
And man, it was beautiful.

Our cheese plate held the following cheese:
Neal’s Yard Montgomery’s Cheddar
Robiola Tre Latte
Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue

And now yours can too.

Huge thanks to sponsors Culture Magazine and Brix Chocolate.
Chocolate and cheese do go together.
Quite beautifully.

On Saturday, April 16th, at exactly 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) cheesemongers in our stores across the U.S., Canada and the U.K. will simultaneously crack into 372 85-pound wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano.
See more details — and the store locator.

The generous folks at Peju Winery will host our next Cheesewhizzes event.

Time is also updated, we’ll be meeting at Peju on Saturday, April 9, at 7:00pm. Theme forthcoming!

Mark your schedules for the next cheesy Napa Valley event.

Cheesewhizzes is coming back from its hiatus with a tasty new event Saturday, April 2.

Hire a sitter,
pencil us in,
pace impatiently.

And while you’re waiting, watch something about cheese why don’t you?

WHAT (#1): The Terroir Exchange

WHAT (#2): An informal, walk-around gathering of top French and Northern CA cheesemakers with their handiwork, washed down with Napa wines.Taste an incredible assortment of cheeses and talk to the cheese producers directly. Also, meet the people behind culture magazine, Oxbow Cheese Merchant, the French Cheese Club, Mahoney Vineyards & Waterstone Winery, and Tony’s Fine Foods.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 from 5–8:00 pm

WHERE: Taste at Oxbow, 708 First Street, Napa, CA 94559; 707.265.9600; www.tasteatoxbow.com

WHO: From California—Bellwether Farms (Valley Ford, Sonoma County), Cowgirl Creamery (Petaluma), Cypress Grove Chèvre (Arcata), Marin French (Nicasio), Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese (Point Reyes), Redwood Hill Farms (Sebastopol), Laura Chenel’s Chèvre (Sonoma)

From France—L’Etoile du Sud (Lot-et-Garonne), Berthaut (Burgundy), Graindorge (Normandy), Lincet (Burgundy), Rivoire (Jura), Rouzaire (Seine et Marne)

COST: $50, which includes cheese and wine. Advanced purchase is required. For tickets, go to culturecheesemag.com/subscribe. Terroir Exchange tickets are the first thing on the list. A donation to the CA Artisan Cheese Guild will be made from the proceeds of this event.

OKAY I WANT TO GO NOW WHAT?
Call Thalassa and let her know you’re a Cheesewhizzes member to reserve your spot.
707-321-8094.

Yay for Cheese events!