Page 26 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2018

EVENTS
buzz | tidbits

March 16 thru 18, 2018
14TH ANNUAL OREGON CHEESE FESTIVAL
This three-day festival features Oregon-inspired culinary events, includ-
ing a farmer’s market-style artisan food, beer, cider and wine festival. The
Oregon Cheese Festival commences with a sumptuous meal on Friday,
March 16 at the Inn at the Commons in Medford from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.,
introducing guests to participating guild cheesemakers. The dinner is held
for the benefit of the non-profit 501(c)(6) Oregon Cheesemakers Guild
and requires ticket purchase. Each course will spotlight a cheese made
by one of the festival’s artisans, paired with a local wine, beer or cider.
Special guest for the dinner and festival David Gibbons is a former sports
writer, literary agent, and publishing executive turned cheese expert who
currently writes the cheese column for Wine Spectator and is the most
prolific contributor to The Oxford Companion to Cheese.
The Oregon Cheese Festival will be open to the public Saturday, March
17 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, March 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. MEDFORD FOOD CO-OP
at Rogue Creamery in Central Point. Held under two large tents with Want to create your own food business? Join Medford
15,000 square feet of space, the annual festival invites guests to shake Food Co-op for the Recipe to Market Workshop
hands with cheesemakers and other artisans. There will be baby cows on Series. This four-part series offered in January and
site to showcase the beginnings of great milk producers, and Sarah “The February 2018 will help you transform your passion
Cheese Lady” will be sculpting cheese into artistic creations. Activities will for food into an artisan and value-added food busi-
also be provided for children including games, activity sheets, coloring, ness. This series is a collaboration of OSU Extension,
face painting and more. At the festival, thousands of visitors will sample RCC Small Business Development, and Medford
cow, goat and sheep cheese from Oregon creameries Food Co-op.
www.oregoncheeseguild.org www.medfordfood.coop
www.roguecreamery.com

24 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | winter 2018