SeeCalifornia.com

America has come a long way since the days of time-saving 20th Century inventions such as Cheese Whiz, Velveeta and Easy Cheese spray in a can. You can still buy cheesy Kraft products but why bother? The 6th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival features artisan, hand-crafted (and often organic) cheeses–some of the finest int he world! Event is held March 23-25, 2012, with tours throughout the region (Sonoma County) and  Cheese Festival Tasting on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets:   artisancheesefestival.com

REAL CHEESE lovers searching for the sharpest, smoothest and tastiest cheeses, need to lock down the dates for this year’s California Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma. A weekend of culinary exploring has quite a line up of participant vendors. Artisan cheese producers expected to attend include American Cheese Society award-winners such as Cowgirl Creamery, Nicasio Valley and Point Reyes Valley Farmstead.

One of the best elements of the cheese festival in Petaluma is the farm tours where a bus picks you up from your hotel and drives you around to visit some of the top cheesemakers at their farms and facilities. Below is a small sampling of the tour options at the event, each sold in separate ticketed pricing.

2012 Tour Highlights:

• Sheep, Cows & Water Buffalo tour at Bellwether Farms where the Callahan family produces sheep and cow’s milk cheese.
• Bianchi-Moreda ranch, home to 5th generation family farm where 400 Jersey cows are milked daily and cheese is made at Valley Ford Cheese Company.
• Nicasio Valley Cheese Company – Lafranchi family’s organic, farmstead dairy and creamery since 1919.  You’ll see milking of 400 cows and creating the cheeses of their Italian-­ Swiss ancestors.
• Baringa Ranch in Marshall – Marcia Barinaga carries on the sheepherding and cheesemaking traditions of her Basque ancestors on over 100 acres overlooking beautiful Tomales Bay where she makes farmstead sheep’s milk cheese.

California is 2nd just under Wisconsin in cheese production, and the state’s artisan cheesemakers have heads nodding, winning international cheese competitions.  Since the region surrounding Petaluma also has award-winning wines in Sonoma & Napa Counties, you can make the trip a double-header, sampling and picking up crafted wines, as wells.

At Petalauma’s cheese festival, in addition to cheese, wines will be poured and a variety of restaurants and other products and samples should make this cheese lover’s paradise one of your best bets for finding gourmet products to make you smile and say cheese!

Other great events in Petaluma include Butter & Eggs Days Festival and Parade!