On July 19, 2015, cheese lovers descended upon the historic Shelburn Farms Coach Barn for the annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. Tune in to hear host Diane Stemple interview cheesemakers live from the festival in this special on location episode of Cutting the Curd. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus.

On this episode of Cutting the Curd, host Diane Stemple talks to Debra Dickerson, who has been passionately involved in the cheese world for over two decades. A board member of the American Cheese Society, Debra lays out the necessary details about the organization plus highlights the upcoming ACS Conference before welcoming cheesemonger and author Gordon Edgar to the show to add to the discussion. Tune in as the conversation winds down with an interesting talk on European buyers taking over American cheesemaking companies. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. There is a panel for every interest in the cheese world and I think as the American Cheese Society has evolved and as the conference has evolved, the panels have become more meaty and more engaging and relevant for the future of the industry. [21:28] --Debra Dickerson on Cutting the Curd

Tune in for a special episode of Cutting the Curd as Greg Blais and Emily Acosta take listeners through a plethora of cheese travel stories told by attendees of a recent Academie Opus Caseus sponsored gathering.

Jason Hinds joins host Greg Blais in Cutting the Curds continuing discussion on lost cheeses. Find out how two World Wars changed the course of traditional English cheese production and about todays growing renaissance of cheese in the UK. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. We have to sell cheese on the front foot. When you stand in front of a customer and that initial engagement happens theres an instant you have the fear or no fear. You step forward or step back. If you step back, the customers smell the fear. [24:00] --Jason Hinds on Cutting the Curd

On this Cutting the Curd Book Review, host Diane Stemple talks to Nina Teicholz, investigative journalist and author of The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet. Tune in to hear how certain fats might be the key to reversing the epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. The book has been called a nutrition thriller. It really attempts to tell this question that is at the center of everyones mind which is: why are we as a nation getting so fact and sick? [3:20] Its impossible, I think, for these large institutions to be the stewards of good science. [14:15] --Nina Teicholz on Cutting the Curd

In this episode of Cutting the Curd, host Greg Blais learns about some new and exciting cheese ventures in the Pacific Northwest. Dan Utano, cheesemaker and production manager at Ferndale Farmstead Creamery talks about recreating Italian cheese recipes in Washington State, and Anna Juhl joins in studio to discuss the latest Cheese Journey offering to Oregon State. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. Theres a lot that can go wrong in cheesemaking. If I was easy everybody would be doing it! [17:00] Whether youre doing it with your hands or a machine, its what you understand about your milk, culture, how you taste, grade, evolve your cheese, thats what going to define you. [22:40] --Dan Utano on Cutting the Curd

As the record drought in California - the worst in hundreds of years - continues to make headlines, food producers across the state are forced to adapt. For Sue Conley of Cowgirl Creamery, this means cutting down on certain styles of cheese. In this next installment of Cutting the Curds Lost Cheese series, tune in to hear Sue, Greg Blais and guest co-host Matt Rubiner discuss the drought, cottage cheese, and the present and future of dairy in California. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. We stopped making it [cottage cheese] before the the drought hit because it is a water intensive cheese. [10:40] This drought, what its done, has made every commodity precious so our whey is in demand and we actually get a little bit of money for it. [14:50] --Sue Conley on Cutting the Curd

A few months ago, Joe Salonia of Gourmino Cheese launched a hashtag to promote a cheese we all know and love: #SavetheEmmentaler. While this quintessentially Swiss cheese may seem ubiquitous at cheese counters across the U.S., like many well known European cheeses today, legal, cultural, and economic forces are shifting production of Emmentaler away from its historic origins. Tune in to hear host Greg Blais discuss this topic with Joe in Cutting the Curds first installment of our Lost Cheese series. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. Gourmino is essentially a cooperative of cheesemakers operating in the heart of Switzerland... were the only company thats making and aging Emmentaler in the Emmental. This is the cheese that the culture of Switzerland is constantly trying to improve year after year, generation after generation. --Joe Salonia on Cutting the Curd

Discover the incredibly versatility of yogurt as an ingredient (with the added bonus of probiotic health benefits!). On this Cutting the Curd Book Review, host Diane Stemple chats with James Beard award-winning journalist and author Janet Fletcher about her new book - Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus. With yogurt, it has a long history, so there are many traditional recipes that are not well known in this country and I wanted to introduce them to people. [9:40] I think one of the strengths of the book is the recipe for making yogurt from home - its a little different! [14:53] --Janet Fletcher on Cutting the Curd

To many, Kyle MacLachlan is best known for his roles in cult films such as Blue Velvet, or for his prominent roles in television shows like Twin Peaks, Sex in the City and Portlandia. To host Greg Blais, however, Kyle is a favorite regular customer at the cheese counter! On this special episode of Cutting the Curd, tune in to hear Kyle talk about his Washington State-based wine label - Pursued by Bear - as well as his love of cheese and passion for good food. This program was brought to you by Academie Opus Caseus.