Finger Lakes Cheese Trail News: May 2012
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Finger Lakes Cheese Trail Kick Off 2012 Open Houses On Memorial Day Weekend.
Finger Lakes, NY -- The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is pleased to announce their Open House dates for 2012. The first Open House of the season is Memorial Day Weekend, from 10:00am-5:00pm, Saturday, May 26 and Sunday, May 27. Twelve of the Trail’s 14 members will open up their farms to cheese lovers for the weekend. The remaining two members will be hosting guests offsite.
The Trail hosts four Open Houses throughout the year, two weekend-long Open Houses, and two single-day Open Houses. The weekend Open Houses are May 26 and 27, and Columbus Day Weekend, October 6 and 7. The two single day Open Houses are August 25 and November 17.
“It’s a great way to experience the wide variety of artisan cheeses that are available right here in the Finger Lakes, and have a great day of touring and family fun while you’re doing it,” says Carmella Hoffman, owner of Sunset View Creamery in Odessa. The cheeses available on the trail include cheddars, jacks, brie, swiss, goudas, mozzarellas, irish cheese, kefir cheese, blues, fetas and more.
Many of the farms will be offering farm tours, and several will have with extra activities created especially for the Open Houses. At Lively Run Goat Dairy in Interlaken for example, visitors can bottle feed the baby goats. At Side Hill Acres Goat Dairy, people can milk the goats by hand. Sunset View will host local vendors at their farm for the Open Houses.
Creameries that will be hosting the Open Houses on their farms are:
4 Tin Fish Farm, Port Byron
Engelbert Farms, Nichols
Finger Lakes Cheese Co., Mecklenburg
Finger Lakes Dexter Creamery, King Ferry
Hillcrest Dairy, Moravia
Jerry Dell Farm & Store, Freeville
Keeley’s Cheese Company, King Ferry
Lively Run Goat Dairy, Interlaken
Muranda Cheese Co., Waterloo
Shtayburne Farm, Rock Stream
Side Hill Acres Goat Dairy, Candor
Sunset View Creamery, Odessa
Kenton’s Cheese Co. will be hosting their Open House at Americana Vineyards Winery in Interlaken for the season. Joseph Gober, owner of Americana, said the winery is thrilled to accommodate Kenton for the Open Houses this year. “We love Kenton’s brie and are creating special wine pairings and packages at the winery to highlight it. We already have a brie omelette on the menu at the [Crystal Lake] Café and I’m sure the chefs are busy creating other dishes around the cheese.”
Snow Farm Creamery will host their Open House at Caroline Farmers Market at the Brooktondale Community Center from 10:00am-2:00pm on Saturdays only. Says Aaron Snow, “Coming to the Farmers Market will change things up for the visitors. There’s live music and many other terrific local products available to them.”
The question often arises how does one get around the Cheese Trail. Trail representatives suggest, “Don’t try to do the whole trail in one day. Go to the website, look at the map, and plan your route by grouping four or five creameries together. Say for example, you’re coming along the Southern Tier Expressway. Get off at the Nichols exit (for Tioga Downs) and start with Engelbert Farms, which is not even 5 minutes from the exit. Then head over to Side Hill Acres Goat Diary, up to visit Snow Farm Creamery at the Brooktondale Community Center, up to Jerry Dell Farm Store and finish with Hillcrest Dairy. Or if you’re coming into the Finger Lakes from Rochester, head down the west side of Seneca Lake and go to Schtayburne Farm, then down to Odessa right outside of Watkins Glenn and visit Sunset View Creamery, then up the east side of the lake and cut across toward Cayuga Lake to Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheese, over to Lively Run Goat Dairy and from there it’s just a few minutes to Americana to finish up with Kenton’s Cheese Co. You’ll see some beautiful scenery on your tour in addition to the wonderful cheeses of the Trail. And you’ll meet some great people at every stop.”
The Trail hopes to have suggested driving routes up on their site or Facebook page in time for the first Open House. The Trail reiterates the key is planning, and knowing which farms are open when. “Schtayburne, Snow Farm Creamery, and Hillcrest Dairy are never open for Sunday Open Houses. Know that before you go and you won’t be disappointed.”
In addition, the Trail is planning its first day-long “Cheese Festival” later this summer to wrap up Dairy Month at Shtayburne Farm in Rockstream. The Trail members will all be in one location for the Festival, and their will be seminars, activities, farm games, farm tours a barbeque and more in addition to the sampling and selling of their artisanal cheeses. More details will be released as they become available.
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About the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail
The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is comprised of 14 working, family dairies throughout the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. They offer a variety of artisan cheeses, including cheddars, goudas, chevres, brie and mozzarella. While a few of the farms do not have visitor hours, most do and encourage visits throughout the year. Trail members’ cheeses are available at their farms, local shops and farmers markets, and several wineries and restaurants throughout the Region. Each year, the Trail hosts four Open Houses at their farms, and encourages the public to come visit and tour their farms. They also participate in many community and Regional events throughout the year. People can learn more about the trail at www.flcheesetrail.com or on their Facebook page, Finger Lakes Cheese Trail.
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Finger Lakes Cheese Trail News: March 2012
For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
flxcheesetrail@gmail.com
Holly Howell to teach wine and cheese pairing principles at Sheldrake Point Winery.
Two sessions set for March 11, featuring the cheeses of the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail.
Ovid, NY -- March is Cheese Month at Sheldrake Point Winery. Finger Lakes Cheese Trail cheese to be precise. Part of the month-long celebration includes “The Magic of Wine & Cheese Pairing” with certified sommelier and wine writer, Holly Howell. Howell will introduce attendees to an array of artisan cheeses from the Trail, paired with Sheldrake Point wines. She will take attendees through the principles of proper wine and cheese pairings and explain why “what grows together, goes together.” Sessions are 11:00a.m.-1:00p.m or 2:00p.m-4:00p.m. and are open to the general public by calling Sheldrake Point’s Wine Club Manager at 607.532.9401, ext. 106, or emailing events@sheldrakepoint.com. Admission is $30 per person, or for Sheldrake Wine Club Members, $25. Anyone interested in attending should register with their choice of sessions by March 7.
The Wine & Cheese Pairing Class is just one of several events planned at Sheldrake for Cheese Month. Each Saturday in March the Winery, located at 7448 County Road 153 in Ovid along Cayuga Lake, along with their Seneca Lake Tasting Room, located at 5930 State Route 414 in Hector, will host a Finger Lakes Cheese Trail artisan cheese maker, who will sample and sell their cheeses to winery visitors. Cheese Maker Saturdays run March 3 through March 31, and are free to visitors.
Cheese Month culminates with Sheldrake Point Winery’s participation in the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail’s “Say Cheese & More!” which takes place the entire weekend of March 24 and 25. This is the second year of this popular event, which pairs the Cheese Trail’s artisan cheeses makers with the 16 wineries of the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail. The cheese makers will be sampling and selling their cheeses at their host winery, as well as dishing out samples of recipes they’ve created to showcase their cheeses. Attendees will also receive a commemorative wine glass and tote at their starting wineries, and can participate in the photo contest for prizes. This event is put on by the Cayuga Lake Wine Trail and costs $20 in advance, $25 at the door (if any tickets are left). Tickets may be purchased by calling the Wine Trail’s office at 800.684.5217 or online at www.cayugawinetrail.com.
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About the Finger Lakes Cheese Trail
The Finger Lakes Cheese Trail is comprised of 15 working, family dairies throughout the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. They offer a variety of artisan cheeses, including cheddars, goudas, chevres, brie and mozzarella. While a few of the farms do not have visitor hours, most do and encourage visits throughout the year. Trail members’ cheeses are available at their farms, local shops and farmers markets, and several wineries and restaurants throughout the Region. Each year, the Trail hosts four Open Houses at their farms, and encourages the public to come visit and tour their farms. They also participate in many community and Regional events throughout the year. People can learn more about the trail at www.flcheesetrail.com or on their Facebook page, Finger Lakes Cheese Trail.