"Meet the Cheesemaker"

I had the pleasure of attending this event last night in Seattle as part of the American Cheese Society's annual cheese convention.  The array of fine cheeses we are producing in the United States is phenomenal!  And the cheesemakers are just as terrific!  And OMG-the eaters, retailers, distributors, promoters........unbelievable to have so many in one room!  There must have been about 600+ people there in all. Wow!  Loved seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and having totally cheesy conversations with those who actually share the love.  Amazing evening for me.

Our Cheese Table

Marcella Wright, or beloved Feline Foodie cheese blogger, was my ever capable "assistant".   She is truly an angel.  I so appreciated her help, but more than that, I loved getting to know her better.  She has a great knowledge of many things and I think she knew almost everyone in the room!  Marcella, thank you again.

Our other long-time friends, Metropolitan Markets, did a super job of hosting.  It is so nice to for me to see the same faces and names with them for so many years now.  They are a great store, have the best employees, and are so supportive of us local producers.  Thanks to you Metropolitan Market!  Another beautiful, professional job accomplished.

And the people I got to meet.........I only wish I could even hope to remember half the names, but of course I cannot.  Thank you all for attending, thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive comments/reviews of our cheeses.  I thank you, my goats thank you, and my employees thank you.  We all work very hard to do our best, and it is a big gratification to see your appreciation of it all!

Rhonda in "City Clothes"

For those of you wondering how I even got to Seattle-I left in plenty of time, drove through the blinding rain, used the new iphone GPS assistance, and chose valet parking for convenience.  OK-sticker shock at $32.00 for a few hours parking......Coming back home into our Valley was another joy of the day.  Beautiful sunset, and no red lights.  Thankfully we don't even have a 4 way stop out here yet.  I love that too.  The upbeat of the City is sure fun for a few hours, but I am always happy to come home.

The President of the United States Eats "Our" Cheese!

Yes, it is true! President Obama had our feta cheese on his Skagit Valley Salad at Seattle's Grand Central Bakery.  This is exciting in several ways:
1) The President was at a successful, small, local business in Seattle
2) He chose from the menu and selected a local favorite salad
3) Our feta was on that salad

OK, this is a very long way from my humble beginnings in Beaumont, TX.  Never in a million years would I have ever thought the President would eat a food created by my very own hands (and my accomplished employees).  I think this is one of those random events in life that we cannot anticipate. I just love that!

[Links to the news stories below pictures]

Obama Stops at Seattle's Grand Central Bakery for a Bite

Obama:  Turkey Sandwich & Jammer to Go