The 2008 Annual Meetings of the American Jersey Cattle Association and National All-Jersey Inc. will feature Jeffrey P. Roberts, principal consultant for the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, as the opening program presenter. The seminar, slated for Wednesday, June 25 in the Asheville, N.C., will include Roberts’ insights on artisan cheesemaking, specific to the Jersey breed.
In his seminar, Roberts will relate Jersey-specific insights about regional and national trends in artisan cheesemaking, the types of cheeses being produced, and marketing directions.
He will also conduct a guided tasting of artisan cheeses similar to his program at the 2007 Fancy Food Show in New York City, but this time using only Jersey milk cheeses.
“Artisan cheese represents something distinctive about an area,” Roberts says in his widely acclaimed book, The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese. “The key is milk: its flavors, color, butterfat, protein and other elements depend upon myriad factors. Each dimension adds another layer of complexity to the quality of milk.”
Sixty percent of the 180 cheesemakers using cow’s milk profiled in the Atlas use Jersey milk for all or part of their production. Roberts identified 37 cheesemakers making cheeses exclusively with Jersey milk, and another 71 producers using Jersey milk in combination with milks from other cattle breeds, goats, and/or sheep.
The seminar starts at 3:00 p.m. at Asheville’s Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Resort. It is free and open to the public. There is a charge of $15 for the guided tasting, with a limit of 100 tickets available.