In an effort to raise awareness of the 2014 Wisconsin Local Foods Journal, Clock Shadow Creamery will be hosting a book-signing event on Thursday, November 7^th from 4pm until 6pm. The authors of this extraordinarily practical publication will be present to meet some of Milwaukee’s foodies and readers. There will be a plethora of cheese samples, coupled with a unique opportunity to have your questions answered by a couple of passionate advocates of Wisconsin’s immense potential for sustainable living.

With a focus on Wisconsin cheese and cheesemakers this year, the Wisconsin Local Foods Journal’s latest edition has us giddy. Authors Joan Peterson and Terese Allen provide an in-depth look at – not only the freshest and most honest foods from around Wisconsin – but also the stories and philosophies behind the producers of our state’s most wholesome sustenance.

The 2014 Wisconsin Local Foods Journal is riddled with excellent recipe ideas for everyone from the grilled-cheese-aficionado to the veggie-monster, and includes ingenious applications of readily accessible Wisconsin products to a broad spectrum of cuisine, satisfying cravings both familiar and exotic. Furthermore, the Wisconsin Local Foods Journal incorporates an excellent guide for seeking out high-quality producers in your area.

In addition to the incredibly useful nature of the book’s contents, the Wisconsin Local Foods Journal is, in and of itself, being used as a means to foster the development of our communities. Proceeds from the book are being directed to REAP, a non-profit organization based in Madison. REAP focuses on social issues related to the quality and availability of food, as well as the implications of food systems and their relationships to the environment.

So whether you’re interested in community development, creativity in the kitchen, or simply meeting fascinating people, come down to Clock Shadow for an interesting evening with the authors of some remarkable literature.

For more information about the Wisconsin Local Food Journal visit: http://www.wisconsinlocalfoodsjournal.com/index.html

For more information about REAP, visit their website: http://www.reapfoodgroup.org/about-reap/about-reap

Spring is known as a time of creation and growth.  As temperatures have risen, we’ve been able to feel that growth happening around us.  We’re seeing more and more new faces in the store.  Cheese has been flying off the shelf.  There’s a sense of perpetual motion as we work to create, package, and sell our products.

Like flowers bursting forth from a garden, we’ve surged forth into spring with an expanded line-up of cheeses.  We’ve recently added the following cheeses:

Cajun Cheddar cheese curds
Cajun Cheddar
Jalapeno Cheddar
Garlic & Herb Cheddar
Medium Cheddar
Medium Garlic Cheddar
Medium Garlic & Dill Cheddar
Sharp Cheddar
Ricotta
Queso Quesadilla
Onion & Chive Brick

Have you stopped by lately to try any of our new cheeses?  Which ones are your favorites? What would you like to see in the future?

-Sarah

I’ve gotta blog like I’ve never blogged before, but I’m stuck. I’m so determined to a write brilliant blog that will blow other people’s work out of the water, but I’ve been struck with a case of exhaustion and writer’s block. I have some decent drafts started, but I always seem to lose steam halfway through. What on earth do I write without rehashing anyone else’s work? History of cheese and its socio-economic influence in Wisconsin? It’s been done before. My perspective of modern cheese trends in Milwaukee? Eh, I just work in a retail store – it’s much more interesting to hear it from a cheesemaker . Beer pairing suggestions? SO OVER IT. I LOVE beer, but between the dozen or so beer tastings I’ve been to in the past year, my job, and a homebrewing husband, I think I’ve been beer-ed out for a while.

So, how about just a recap of  what I did this week?
Last Saturday I went and sampled out cheese curds at Metcalfe’s in Wauwatosa for a couple of hours. Much to my chagrin, I had one little table next to three tables of Sartori. I was like, “Really?” I’m coming up on year four of retail cheese sales, Sartori* cheeses are THE easiest cheeses to sell, and I was there with cheese curds. I mean, our curds are fantastic, but Bellavitano Merlot is…..Bellavitano Merlot. *headdesk* But forget that – I met Alice in Dairyland!!!!!!!!! I was giggling like an idiot because I was so excited! Somehow, someway, I regained my composure long enough to have a nice chat with her and snap a couple of pictures.

Saturday night I sampled Quark and curds at the Marian Center for Non-Profits Annual Sip n’ Taste event. We went through a ton of Quark, met some really great people, and got the word out about our business. It was so busy that I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures, but hopefully there are some folks out there that will send some my way.

In between events I gave a lot of tours. I’m beginning to sound automated. I think I need to add more jokes into my presentation.

My dear friend sent me a box of cheese store goodies from Chicago that included 10 razor sharp knives, three cheese planers, at least two dozen permanent markers, and a cheese grading course guide from 1994. o.0

Thursday, Bob and I went to a meeting with Visit Milwaukee. We met a lot of nice people who are very interested in helping us attract people to the creamery. I can’t remember any of their names even though most of them were wearing name tags or handed me their business cards. I was so hungry that all I could think about were the cupcakes that we were going to get after the meeting (we had to drop off a quark sample, so we weren’t going JUST for cupcakes).

Thursday night I dragged my husband to sample cheese with me at Glorioso’s first Beer & Cheese tasting (the husband had to come with due to a back injury that has left me with some lifting restrictions – somebody had to carry my cheese, right?). I walked in to discover that (once again) we were right next to Sartori (!!!!) and Lakefront Brewery. And then I noticed that I had about a square foot and a half of table space to make a nice display of products, creamery info, and sample four different cheeses…..and Sartori had three feet. Damn my luck. This time I spoke up and the lovely ladies at Glorioso’s happily rounded up another table for me. To add to my amusement, the space behind the table was quite limited and my 5’2″ self ended up sandwiched between my extremely tall husband and an even taller Jim Klisch. One of the girls from Glorioso’s took a picture of the three of us together, so I’m hoping that it will surface soon. Overall, it was a really fun event – we introduced our Quark and sheep milk cheese Banquo to lots of new people and continued to spread the word about CSC. We also inadvertently discovered that Banquo tastes fantastic with Sprecher’s Abbey Triple – who would have thought that such an assertive cheese would pair so well with a beer that has so many sweet notes?

Today was low key (for me), but it was much needed considering that we’re going to be at Wisconsin Wine & Dine all weekend. Even though I’m lucky enough to have a night off, Ron is off attending the Wisconsin Cheese Originals Annual Meet the Cheesemaker Gala, and tomorrow night Head Cheese Bob will be hosting his own Cheesemaker Dinner at Bonfyre Grill in Madison. I also swear that I will take some pictures of all the awesomeness that is Wine & Dine!

Until then,
Sarah

*I am by no means trying to cast any shade on Sartori; their size and success just come across as intimidating when you’re a brand new little creamery. And DANG! I love me some Sartori Asiago with Rosemary & Olive Oil. Never tried it before? We’ve got it at the store; come try it for yourself!