Full Disclosure: This event was free and put on by Yelp. I am in no way being compensated for this post, and the opinions are completely my own. Yelp events are not at all blog related, and in fact, anyone can qualify to be Yelp Elite and get to go to some pretty cool events. I just decided to blog about this one because it seemed like something you all would want to hear about. Check out your local Yelp page for more info!
During the month of July, our local Yelp chapter is hosting a bunch of different pizza related events around town as part of Yelp’s Big Bite! (I know a few are already full, but there are many that still have room so if you are in the Madison area, check out the link!) Last week, I went to an event about mozzarella making at Luigi’s, and this week I went to an event at Fromagination.
First off, if you aren’t familiar with Fromagination, it is a small locally owned shop in downtown Madison filled with cheese and cheese companions. (If you recall, I was at Fromagination earlier this year for the Grilled Cheese Happy Hour event. That post talks more about all of the wonderful things Fromagination has to offer as well.) The event that I went to earlier this week was all about learning how the store started and what they have to offer, as well as some cheese pairing tips and of course some delicious food sampling.
Ken (the owner and founder) and Gisele (who has also been at the store since day one), who led the discussions, were so friendly. It was clear they care very much about not only what is in the shop, but also that each customer finds something they like and learns a little bit about cheese and cheese pairing while they are there. They made it clear that they aren’t there to tell you what their favorite cheese is but to help the consumer figure out what their favorite cheese is through sampling and discussion.
We chatted about different kinds of cheeses, where the cheeses in the shop come from (mainly Wisconsin, but it rotates), and some of the accompaniments. After that we discussed how to put together a cheese tray, and then got to sample from that delicious cheese tray. Aside from just straight cheese, Fromagination also sells sandwiches and salads and things, so they put some of those together for us to try as well.
The cheese and accompaniments of course were all delicious – my favorite way to eat cheese (that isn’t on a sandwich) is on crackers with a bit of honey or preserves. YUM! The sandwich that I tried was turkey, cheese, and green apples, and it was delicious! Cheese and apples are one of those unexpected pairings that are just so good together!
Overall it was a great event! I really wish I got downtown more often to shop at Fromagination. Well, maybe its a good thing that I don’t, our refrigerator would probably be filled with cheese!
So tell me: What is your favorite way to eat cheese?! Anyone else a fan of the cheese and apple combo?
Filed under: Event Tagged: | #Yelpsbigbite, cheese, Fromagination, madison, Yelp
Cheddar and sungold tomato preserve grilled cheese is the BEST. That’s my fave way!
That sounds delicious! I’m not a huge fan of tomatoes, but preserves might be the way to go, you get the flavor without biting into a big chunk of tomato.
[…] fun Yelp event this week as part of #YelpsBigBite – a fun cheese class at Fromagination! I learned lots of things about cheese, and cheese companions, and I got to eat some tasty cheeses […]