QuesoDiego - The San Diego Cheese Club -

Queso Diego April 2025 Meeting Announcement – Grilled Cheese

Date: Tuesday, April 15
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: AleSmith – 9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, CA 92126 – likely in the Barrel Room (check the sign in the tasting room or your email in case of last-minute changes)

Get ready for a night of gooey, crispy, melty goodness at our Grilled Cheese Extravaganza! Bring your best grilled cheese game and come prepared to cook, taste, and share.

No traditional potluck this time—just all things grilled cheese!

If you won’t be grillin’, please bring a side that complements grilled cheese.
Plan to make 2-3 sandwiches, cut into bite-sized pieces to share. Work solo or as a team – it’s up to you!
Taste, mingle, cook, and repeat!

Please RSVP BY CLICKING HERE BY FRIDAY, APRIL 11

Checklist of items

Folding tables
Non-electric cooking surface (griddle, propane camping stove, chafing dish, etc.)
Lighter (if needed)
Cooking pan with lid
Cooking utensils (spatula, tongs, etc.)
Ingredients & equipment to make and share your grilled cheese creations
Knife for cutting your bites
Cutting board
Serving spatula
Paper towels
Paper plates
Printed recipe and/or signage
Lawn chair (please bring one for yourself)

April is National Grilled Cheese Month. Every year, Queso Diego celebrates this with a Grilled Cheese Extravaganza. Members bring equipment and ingredients to make and share the most amazing grilled cheese creations imaginable!

We will NOT have our traditional potluck at this meeting. If you’re not planning to make a grilled cheese, please consider bringing something that might go well with grilled cheese. Additionally, if you have any of the grilled cheese equipment or supplies listed above, please consider bringing them.

Remember, we can bring only homemade alcohol (non-commercial). Better yet, enjoy an AleSmith beer – Queso Diego members get a 10% discount.

Again: Please RSVP BY CLICKING HERE by FRIDAY, APRIL 11

For further details, please see here: April-2025-Queso Diego Grilled Cheese Extravaganza

Pro Tips:

Prep/cook/chop/cut/shred/mix/marinate in advance. Do anything you can in advance.
Think outside the box – get creative about flavor combinations and even consider dessert grilled cheeses.
When you leave your home to come to the meeting, don’t worry about putting your cheese in a cooler. You’ll want your cheese at room temp for grilling.
Butter (or mayo) the outsides of your bread, not the insides.
Cook at a low-med or medium heat, so you don’t burn the bread while waiting for the cheese to melt (a lid on your pan helps trap heat and melt the cheese).
You may remove the rind if using something like a Brie.
Use a cheese that melts well. Avoid high moisture, low/no fat, or too acidic cheeses. Cheeses that won’t melt include Halloumi, Feta, Cotija, Ricotta, Paneer, Queso Fresco.

Further resources:

Check out these resources to get the creative juices flowing:

Queso Diego March 2025 Meeting Announcement

Our March Queso Diego Meeting will be on March 18, 6:30 PM at AleSmith Brewery (9990 AleSmith Ct., San Diego, CA 92126)

The March meeting topic is Irish cheese

We are scheduled to meet upstairs in the Mezzanine. Please take the stairs or elevator from the tasting room to the Mezzanine. (Note: Consider keeping a camp chair in your car as a backup in case of a last-minute change of rooms. The Mezzanine has chairs we can use, but other rooms do not.)

The potluck and socialization begin at 6:30, and the meeting starts at 7:00. Please bring a dish to share. Homemade cheese and homemade brew are encouraged. (No outside commercial alcohol, please.) Please consider supporting AleSmith, one of our club sponsors, by ordering beer in the tasting room. Also, check the refrigerator in the AleSmith gift shop for the latest cheeses from CheeseSmith.

Announcements

We are saddened to share that Don Rutherford, a longtime member and former officer of Queso Diego, recently passed away. Our thoughts are with Carol Rutherford and their loved ones. Don will be missed.

Join us for the Cheese & Libation Expo 2025 from May 16th to May 18th at The Brick in Liberty Station. Meet the finest cheese & libation artisans while enjoying unlimited cheese, bottomless drinks, and curated bites from Dinner Bell SD. Plus, snag a tote bag packed with goodies, shop at our pop-up boutique, and enjoy exclusive pairings & collaborations. Sign up early with code ‘quesodiego’ for $15 off! Buy tickets here: Cheese & Libation Expo

If you need anything from the Library of Cheesemaking, please make a request in advance to arrange delivery at the meeting. Please check the list of offerings and send an email to QD-Library-Request@googlegroups.com.

April meeting: April 15 at 6:30. The very popular grilled cheese meeting.

Queso Diego 14th Anniversary Cheese and Bubbly Pairing

In celebration of Queso Diego’s 14th anniversary, we are holding our popular annual “Cheese and Bubbly Pairing” event. This special multi-course cheese and beverage pairing event is curated by our outgoing and incoming board members. This event WILL sell out, so be sure to secure your seat!

Please note that this special ticketed event is in lieu of our normal February meeting. Regular meetings will resume in March.

Anniversary Pairing
Tuesday, Feb 18 at 6:30 pm (No early entry)
Marina Village Conference Center, Terrace Room – 1936 Quivira Way, San Diego, CA 92109

Early-bird Pricing (On or before 1/31):
$25 per member
$35 per guest

Regular Pricing (2/1 or later):
$30 per member
$40 per guest

This event is open to:

2025 Individual Members and one guest.
Household Memberships and up to two additional guests.

Important Details:

Tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets WILL NOT be available at the door.
Non-members who wish to attend must first join the club as a 2025 member ($20) and then purchase anniversary party tickets at the member price.
Tickets purchased beyond the stated limits will be canceled and refunded.
- Additional guests beyond these limits will only be allowed if any tickets remain unsold as the event date approaches.
PayPal: Please send payment to payments@quesodiego.org
- Select the “Sending to a friend” option.
- List attendee name(s) in the “notes” field.
- For further payment instructions: Queso Diego payment instructions

If you have any questions or wish to make alternate payment arrangements, please contact president@quesodiego.org

Queso Diego January 2025 Meeting Announcement

Please join us at our January Meeting this Tuesday, January 21 at 6:30pm at AleSmith (9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, Ca 92126)! We will be meeting in the MEZZANINE

(upstairs).

OPENING PRESENTATION

Curt Wittenberg will give a short presentation on cheeses of Tasmania.

MAIN PRESENTATION

Vice President Lisa Gonzalez will take us on a virtual tour of the California Cheese Trail. https://www.cheesetrail.org/

LIBRARY OF CHEESEMAKING

Queso Diego has a collection of cheesemaking equipment and supplies for most of your cheesemaking needs. To make a request from the library, find what you need on the Library of Cheesemaking Google doc then e-mail <qd-library-request@googlegroups.com> with your request. Note: only paid members have access to the library.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PAPER PLATES, NAPKINS OR UTENSILS?

Do you have any paper plates, napkins or plasticware at your place? If you have anything that’s just sitting around and taking up space, you’re welcome to bring it to the meeting to donate to Queso Diego. We’ll put it to good use!

MEETING LOGISTICS

We’re meeting in the MEZZANINE area (walk in the main entrance, past the main bar and gift shop towards the Barrel Room. Before the Barrel Room, use the stairs or elevator to go UPSTAIRS to the Mezzanine). (While the Mezzanine has seating, it’s not a bad idea to keep a camping chair in your car as a backup in case of a last-minute change of room.)
Upon arrival, please check-in at the check-in table.
Please set up your potluck item ON THE TABLES. Any beverages you bring can be set up on the top of the bar. We have labels and label stands, grab a sharpie and label what you bought.
Members are encouraged to bring homemade cheese, acpotluck item, or a beverage. If bringing alcohol, only homemade alcohol is allowed (NO COMMERICAL ALCOHOL). Better yet, enjoy some of AleSmith’s tasty beverages!
Potluck/socializing begins at 6:30pm. The meeting starts at 7 pm.

We look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!

Queso Diego November 2024 Meeting Announcement – Fondue!

FONDUE NIGHT is coming up next Tuesday, November 19, at AleSmith at 6:30! The Barrel Room is in use, and we are working on finalizing the exact space we will be meeting in with the AleSmith folks, and will send a follow up email as soon as it’s finalized.

AleSmith Brewing Co.
9990 AleSmith Ct
San Diego, CA
Tues, Nov 19, 6:30pm
Specific gathering location will be updated when finalized

This meeting is a BRING/MAKE/SHARE meeting! Here is the spreadsheet where people have started putting who is bringing what: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/192wmsxgAqWl-_PJ-2QbsRzuEkteSywHUNzx8UkKU8zs/edit?gid=0#gid=0.

You’re welcome to create a team, join an existing team, or bring a Fondue-friendly accompaniment. If there is a team that doesn’t have a Fondue Pot, Cindy C has one or two she can lend if you reach out…

Fondue Meeting (Nov 19) Schedule:

6:30 – Arrive and setup your equipment, but don’t start cooking yet.

7:00 – Brief meeting… to include 2025 officer elections, Epic Cheese Competition winner awards and a couple announcements (including our Holiday Party in December). This meeting part will be brief, then it’s time to FONDUE!

2025 Club Membership and February 18th Anniversary Party:

You are welcome to pay dues for 2025 at this meeting, which will remain the same as 2024 ($20 for an individual or $30 for household). And for anyone who joins at the November meeting, your dues will also cover 2025 as well. In addition, our Anniversary Party will be Tuesday, February 18, 2025. We celebrate Queso Diego’s anniversary with a FABULOUS cheese and beverage pairing, and this event will sell out again. If you would like to lock in (and avoid paying by PayPal), you can also pay for the Anniversary Party as well. This Anniversary Party price remains the same at $25 for Members.

Holiday Party:

In December, Queso Diego does our annual Holiday Party, which will be Tuesday, December 17 at 6:30pm. This event will be offsite (NOT at AleSmith), and an email with details will go out to all paid 2024 clubmembers, as this event is open to clubmembers only. For now, mark your calendar!

Elections for 2025 Officers:

We have nominations for 2025 officers, and at the meeting, there will be an opportunity to add nominations and we will hold the election. We have a couple open positions… please consider (and email me at president@quesodiego.org) if you are interested in these open position and I can share more details and answer questions.

Membership Chair
Secretary
Event Coordinator

Queso Diego October 2024 Meeting Announcement

Join us at our October Meeting this Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30pm at AleSmith (9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, Ca 92126)! We will be meeting in the MEZZANINE (upstairs). Further meeting logistics are at the end of this email.

MAIN PRESENTATION

We’re excited to to have Jenny Eastwood, owner of Smallgoods Cheese Shop & Cafe and a Certified Cheese Professional, give a presentation on cheese tasting accompanied by a cheese flight of her choosing.

MEETING LOGISTICS

We’re meeting in the MEZZANINE area (walk in the main entrance, past the main bar and gift shop, towards the Barrel Room. Before the Barrel Room, use the stairs or elevator to go UPSTAIRS to the Mezzanine). There is seating in the Mezzanine.
Upon arrival, please check-in at the check-in table
Please set up your potluck item ON THE TABLES. Any beverages you bring can be set up on the top of the Bar (and we have labels and label stands, grab a sharpie and label what you bought).
Members are encouraged to bring homemade cheese or a potluck item or beverage. If alcohol, only homemade alcohol is allowed (NO COMMERICAL ALCOHOL). Better yet, enjoy some of the tasty AleSmith beverages!
Potluck/socializing beginning at 6:30pm, and the meeting at 7:00pm.
A quick note about bringing a LAWN OR CAMP CHAIR: We always need chairs when we meet in the Barrel Room. The Mezzanine has seating, BUT please a bring a lawn or camp chair anyway. That way, if there is ever a last minute change from the Mezzanine to the Barrel Room, we’ll be prepared. (I leave my camp chair in my car.)
Finally, if you need anything from the Library of Cheesemaking, please email your request to QD-Library-Request@googlegroups.com. Due to travel, there may be a delay in response, but you can arrange to pick up your requests at the November meeting (or perhaps before).