CDR: World of Cheese from Pasture to Plate

World of Cheese from Pasture to Plate is a hands-on short course aimed at educating retailers, culinary professionals, end users, brokers, distributors, retailers, and marketers, in the art and science of cheesemaking. This course features lectures covering cheesemaking, cheese handling and display, packaging fundamentals, cheese economics, basics of cheese grading and evaluation, and more. The hands on sessions include cheesemaking, grading lab, plant tours and cheese functionality demos. Wear low heel, closed toe shoes and casual clothes during cheesemaking and plant tours. At the end of the course attendees will receive a participation certificate.

The course is intended for culinary professionals, end users, brokers, distributors, retailers, and marketers. It is designed to give non-cheesemakers a broad knowledge of the cheesemaking process while emphasizing the uniqueness of cheese products. This course is designed as a survey course for participants and is not designed to address technical research issues.

Learning Objectives

• Learn how milk is produced on the farm.
• Learn how milk is processed into many cheese varieties including your participation in hands on cheese making
• Learn the basics of taste testing of cheese varieties.
• Learn about common cheese defects, their causes, and their prevention
• Learn about the basic overall economics of milk processing and cheese manufacturing.
• Tour a dairy farm and cheese plants to see in person how milk is produced and cheese is manufactured.

Agenda

Day 1
History of Cheesemaking
Milk & Milk Products for Cheesemaking
Tour Cheese Plant & Dairy Farm
Milk sensory, Sheep, Goat & Mixed Milk

Day 2
Cheesemaking 101
Process of Cheesemaking
Pilot Plant Safety Guidelines
Pilot Plant Cheesemaking
Developing Body & Flavor in Cheese
Cheese Defects, Retail & Food Service

Day 3
Tour Green County Plants
Navigating Cheese Regulations
Cheese Economics 101
Specialty Cheese Types

Day 4
Sensory–Attributes of Cheese
Sensory– Mainstream Cheeses
Sensory–Specialty Cheeses
Exam