Taste of Maine Event in DC

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On Tuesday, April 23rd I attended the inaugural “Taste of Maine” event hosted by Maine’s Senate delegation: Susan Collins, and Angus King. I brought with me 14 pounds of Maine cheese from 14 different cheese makers to show how diversified and delicious the award winning cheeses of Maine can be.

Former State veterinarian Don Hoenig, who is currently serving a fellowship in Washington, DC, encouraged the Guild to get involved, and the Maine State Chamber of Commerce organized the event, which went off without a hitch. It took place in the Kennedy Caucus Room on the third floor of the Russell Senate Office Building across the street from the Capitol. The beautiful room, and the abundance of good Maine food, made for a very successful event.

The Maine Senators address the Taste of Maine attendees

UMaine Dairy Sanitation Workshop

May 16, 2013 – 8:00am-5:00pm

Nutting Hall, Room 204 – University of Maine, Orono campus (links for directions and a campus map).

Lunch is included and coffee and snacks in the morning.

Space is limited to the first 30 people. Cost for Guild Members: $30.00 / Non-Guild Members: $60.00

This workshop will cover an overview of sanitation topics such as bacterial pathogens related to dairy products, milking/milk room sanitation, as well as facility sanitation. Ronda Stone from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry will also talk about sanitation from an inspector’s perspective. Other special guests will include Sarah Spring, Spring Day Creamery who will discuss her own recent sanitation issues and how she overcame them. We will also have hands-on activities in the Pilot Plant to take the theory we learned and put it to practice.

For more information about this 1 day training and how to register, please visit this web site: http://umaine.edu/food-health/food-safety/dairy-sanitation-workshop/.
Due to the hands-on activities, we have to limit the attendance to 30 people.

Please contact
–Beth Calder (581-2791 or [email protected]) if you have questions in regards to the workshop.
–Melissa Libby if you have registration questions at 1-800-287-7170 or [email protected].

Workshops 2013: Scholarships

Guild members voted to offer HALF scholarships to two Guild members during each of the scheduled 2013 Workshops (Natural Wraps, and Washed Rinds). Any Guild member was eligible.

The Guild Board members have voted on which members should receive the the scholarships, and the top two vote getters have been identified. (Board members who applied for scholarships were not allowed to vote to award a scholarship for the class to which they applied.)

Congratulations to:

WASHED RIND CHEESES (March 31 – April 1)
Sarah Spring
Heather Donahue

NATURAL WRAPPED AND CLABBERED CHEESES (April 20 – 21)
Sarah Spring
Amy Clark

Thank you to everyone who participated, and happy cheese making!

–Eric Rector
President, Maine Cheese Guild