We recently opened a new retail store in the quintessential Vermont town of Grafton, right in the heart of the village.  Lots of folks travel through Grafton because of its beauty, history, artisans, activities and people.  Now we can see just how far they travel from.  The staff at the new Specialty Cheese and Wine Shoppe put up a board that said "Welcome!"  Visitors from far and wide wrote the same word in the languages of their homelands, and a conversation piece was born.  Yes, we have guests visiting our humble little cheese shop from Iceland and beyond.  (Translations included!)       

How many combinations of cheese can one put into a delicious pan of mac'n cheese? Well, it probably depends on who you're asking - but I used three for this batch. Let's not forget the wonderful, crispy bacon, fresh chopped tomato and chunky bread crumbs on top - it just wouldn't be the same without them.  For my mac 'n cheese I used Grafton Maple Smoked cheddar, Grafton Classic Reserve - 2 year aged cheddar and Grafton Four Star - 4 year cheddar.  If you haven't tried any of them yet, you're missing out. Coming from the Midwest, I would never have sought out a specialty cheddar unless it had some bacon or other flavors added to it. This cheddar is aged, literally - not artificially, which gives a sharp flavor profile and great creamy taste! (can you tell I'm in marketing?)

Here's my recipe:

 Imagine this: It's 90-95*F outside, humid and a Saturday. You have guests from Minnesota and you're not sure what to do with them.  Sure, you could enjoy some Cheddar Fondue without turning on the stove top - but that would make you warm inside and out. You could even have an ice cream cone, which I highly recommend. 

We celebrated the holiday weekend with the Grand Opening of our new Grafton retail shop.  Located right next to the Old Tavern at Grafton in the heart of Grafton village, it's a terrific location for visitors and residents alike.  The second annual Grafton Music Festival was taking place throughout the village, with artisans and musicians outside our doors.  We gave away a bunch of cheese collections, spent some money at the craft tables, and absolutely loved listening to Red Molly.  It was a true celebration of everything that's great about Vermont:  cheese, art, music, small town life and welcoming, generous people.  Click on "Read More" for photos.

I had the opportunity to attend a dairy-related event this past week.  There was certainly a wide array of cheeses, milk, ice cream, yogurt - you name it.  Before the banquet, a friend of mine and I took a bite into, what looked like cheddar cheese.  After taking a bite, we both looked at each other and grimaced.  Was this a solid form of Cheese Whiz? I'm sure not, but what I do know is that I have been spoiled with Grafton cheddar for the past year. Nothing compares. Even my mom insists on waiting for cheddar until I send it home to her. She won't eat any other cheddar but Grafton.

We are so proud of all the Vermont Junior Iron Chefs.  It's a fantastically successful program in which teams from middle and high schools in Vermont compete in a cooking competition.  They must use vegetables and local ingredients and their own recipes, and we are so pleased to have played an ever so small part by supplying our cheese to local teams.  We even had a team from Twin Valley Middle School come to our Brattleboro plant and make cheese with us.  Twin Valley Middle & High Schools, as a wonderful example, has over half the school participate in the program, and with so many teams, had to have a cook-off to decide which teams would go to the state competition.  Twin Valley Middle School went on to win Best in Show in 2010, to add to their previous Middle and High School titles.  Congratulations to all the kids, and their generous coaches, for all their hard work and support of local foods.  For more on this year competition, watch the show at http://vermonttv.net/index.html?menuID=0&flvID=1

Sundried Tomato and Mushroom Flatbread

Some friends of mine and I decided to go on a brewery tour during Memorial Day weekend. We all know that VT is a great place to go for micro-brews (if you didn't, you do now). We had about three stops to make in Burlington, one being American Flatbread.  Obviously during this tour, I was 'most' interested in the places that served Grafton cheese. What else would I be concerned about?  Well let me tell you - the flatbread here is delish and they serve it with their micro-brew brand Zero Gravity.  The atmosphere is warm and cozy with a large wood-fired oven in the corner of the room and the option to feast out on the patio.  

Gone are the days when gifts were simple.  For Dad, a tie.  A cardigan. A matchbox car.  Now it's all African safaris or fantasy baseball camp or a limited edition combination espresso maker/panini press.  But look, here's the thing:  dads like stuff.  Little stuff, big stuff, lots of stuff, buckets of stuff.   Could be a bunch of fishing stuff.   Some fixing-things stuff.  Maybe even some cool stuff from those infomercials on Sunday mornings.  A successful gift of stuff has one very important quality, though. Quantity.  You want Dad to be entertained looking through his stuff. You want to hear, "Look at this" and "How about that" and "I love this stuff."  Opening a gift of a tie takes about 20 seconds.  You're looking for a good five minutes or so.  Naturally, we're here to help.  Introducing the Bucket O' Stuff.  You've got your Grafton Maple Smoked Cheddar wheel, your Grafton Four Star Four-Year Old Cheddar bar, your box of Vermont Common Crackers, your jar of maple mustard, your hunk of Vermont Smoke & Cure smoked pepperoni, your Vermont-shaped cutting board, and of course, your slicer for cutting the cheese.  We're estimating about eight minutes of gift-giving, with another couple of minutes of jokes thrown in for good measure.

It's a hot, muggy morning as I walk down Main Street in Brattleboro, VT. Proudly sporting my white tee with a Jersey cow playing a saxophone atop of a wheel of cheese on the back. I'm also carrying a cooler full of water bottles and ice. The streets are quiet, but I'm expecting them to be busy with spectators within minutes. As I peak around the corner of a large  building on Frost street, I see heifers lined up along the fence, tractors, students with band instruments, 'pooper scoopers' dressed up as Fruit of the Loom characters and people doing last minute touches on their float.