Tag Archives: cheesemaking

Queso Diego March Meeting Announcement

Join us at our March Meeting on Tuesday, March 19th at 6:30 at AleSmith (9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, Ca 92126)! We will be meeting in the MEZZANINE area.

MAKE AND BRING your homemade Chevre (goat cheese). Get creative with the flavoring(s) you would like to add to your Chevre… Savory? Sweet? Spice? Herbs? Fruit?

At this meeting, we will provide crackers and have a Chevre tasting! We will also have a Grilled Cheese presentation in advance of our Grilled Cheese Extravaganza coming up on April 16. Between the Brie class in January, and your homemade Chevres, there may be cheesemaking questions (general questions, process questions, troubleshooting questions, etc.), and we will take a little time tapping into club members to answer your questions. And do you have a picture of your cheese that you would like to ask about? Email that picture to (president@quesodiego.org) no later than March 17, and I will have it to project at the meeting. Finally, we will also have a special announcement for a Cheese Contest (spoiler alert… the winner will get to make their winning recipe professionally with Peter Zien at CheeseSmith!).

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)
Upon arrival, please check-in at the check-in table
Potluck items will go on the bar, and your homemade Chevre will go on a separate table we will have. We will have labelling… grab a sharpie, put you NAME and WHAT YOU BROUGHT!
There are chairs in the Mezzanine (no need to bring lawn chairs in). Optionally bring a jacket.
Members are encouraged to bring homemade cheese (especially Chevre!) to this meeting, potluck item, beverages. If alcohol, only homemade alcohol is allowed (NO COMMERCIAL ALCOHOL). Better yet, enjoy some of the tasty AleSmith beverages!
Potluck/socializing beginning at 6:30, and the meeting at 7:00

Queso Diego January Meeting Announcement

Join us at our January Meeting on Tuesday, January 16 at 6:30 at AleSmith (9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, Ca 92126)!

At this meeting, a cheesemaking presentation will be given by Larry. Also, we will specifically go over making Chevre (goat cheese), and we will be GIVING AWAY 20 free Chevre cheesemaking kits where you can get some goat milk and make your own goat cheese with basic equipment you probably already have in your kitchen. Hang on to those kits though, and make your goat cheese mid-March, as we will be having a club Goat Cheese tasting at the March Meeting! Any level of cheesemaker can do this. If you’re newer to cheesemaking, this is an easy (and good) one to do!

We’re meeting in the BARREL ROOM (walk in the main entrance, and walk between the main bar and gift shop straight back to the Barrel Room)
Upon arrival, please check-in at the check-in table
Please bring a lawn chair and jacket (we have no control over the temperature in the Barrel Room, and it is January)

Members are encouraged to bring homemade cheese, potluck item, beverages. If alcohol, only homemade alcohol is allowed (NO COMMERICAL ALCOHOL). Better yet, enjoy some of the tasty AleSmith beverages! If you do bring something for the club to enjoy, please provide everyone with a short description about it prior to the commencement of the potluck
Potluck/socializing beginning at 6:30, and the meeting at 7:00

Club Membership dues for 2024 and February Anniversary Party (on Feb 20):

Payments to Queso Diego are via PayPal to payments@quesodiego.org. Please ALWAYS use the “Friends and Family” option to avoid paying extra fees. If used, we will not be collecting the extra fee. (In addition, you can also pay at our regular meeting on January 16).

February Anniversary Party Tickets are $25 for member tickets and $35 for non-member tickets. Because this event usually sells out, members can bring one non-member guest for now. Please note that this pricing is through January 31. On February 1, the pricing goes up by $5 ($30 member/$40 non-member). In the PayPal Notes section, please indicate “Feb Anniv Party” along with your name and the name of another person you may be paying for.

To pay for your 2024 Queso Diego Club Membership, it is $20 individual, or $30 for a couple. In the PayPal Notes section, please indicate “Membership” along with your name and the name of another person you may be paying for.

We look forward to seeing you at the meeting on Tuesday!

Queso Diego November Meeting Announcement

Our November meeting will be next Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., at AleSmith. Please bring something to share for the potluck, and don’t forget to bring a chair.

Our meeting topic will be:

How Microbes Influence the Flavor and Texture of Cheese: Choosing cultures for cheesemaking
by Curt Wittenberg (your Sister Noella)

This month’s presentation will review the many influences of bacteria and molds on the properties of cheese. In that context, Curt will review some of the many types microbes available to our members from the Library of Cheesemaking and what to expect when using them. Cheese samples will be shared during the presentation to illustrate some of the differences that can be expected in your cheesemaking.

We will also hold our board election at the meeting. We are still looking for nominees for Event Coordinator so let us know if you are interested. Lynda Juniper will be available to collect 2023 dues ($20 individual, $30 family).

Also as a reminder the holiday party will be on Tuesday, December 13. More information and directions to follow.

Hope to see you Tuesday!

Queso Diego October Meeting Announcement

Gianaclis Caldwell

Be sure to join us for our October meeting. This will be a special meeting as we’ll have a Skype presentation with Gianaclis Caldwell.

Please RSVP to: https://forms.gle/Xw8BNYUkNj4cTgMTA

From Curt’s notice:

“…we will have cheesemaker, goat farmer and author Gianaclis Caldwell as our virtual guest for a presentation on the challenges of amateur cheesemaking and how to beat them followed by the opportunity to pose your questions to one of our most cherished cheesemaking educators.

This is a special opportunity for those of you interested in goat husbandry, amateur and professional cheesemaking and related topics to an expert who’s goal is to share her knowledge with others. What did you always want to know about cheesemaking? Do you have a question you have posed at Bix’s Corner that stumped everyone? Have you always wondered how to preserve your goat milk, how to choose a starter culture or which type of rennet is best for a particular cheese? Bring your questions to the meeting or, better yet, send them to me and I will call on you to ask it at the meeting. Too shy to pose your question? I will pose it for you!”

The meeting order will be a bit different, with the presentation right at the beginning and then the normal club business.

As usual, Social half-hour starts at 6:30 with the general meeting starting at 7. Please consider bringing a tasty treat to share.

Bring a friend and a chair. It may be getting a little cooler this month so consider bringing a coat.

The meeting is in the Barrel Room, where it has been for a while. Go down the hallway between the bar and the store and through the doors at the end of the hall.

See you on Tuesday.

Queso Diego May Meeting Announcement

I hope you’ve all recovered from last months Grilled Cheese event. This month we have a great presentation planned. Peter Zien, of CheeseSmith and AleSmith, will be here to talk to us about pasteurization. This is a critical process in Cheesemaking and many food endeavors, but few people know what it does and why it’s important. You don’t want to miss this meeting.

As always, our friendly potluck and social time will start at 6:30. Please consider bringing an item to share. The last few months have been wonderful. Don’t forget your chair and a coat.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the Valle Guadalupe trip. It’s sold out at 30 people. I’ll be sending a notice to those that signed up with the almost final details.
Be prepared to send me your deposit after I send the notice. We have a great trip planned. I’ll send all the details to you hopefully by Monday.

See you next Tuesday.

Queso Diego February Meeting Announcement

Our first general meeting of the year is next week. Tuesday, February 19th, 6:30 PM at AleSmith Brewing Company.

We’re starting the year with a little ”History of Cheese”, presented by Marci Richards.

As always, the meeting will start at 6:30 PM with social time and our amazing potluck filled with cheese and cheesy things brought by all of you to share. Feel free to bring something. We can have homebrew but no commercial beer or wine.

PLEASE, no sharing of food until the table cloths are on the tables at 6:30 PM. At 7:00 PM we will start the formal meeting.

Remember, the weather is a bit cool and the brewery can be chilly so bring a wrap or jacket. Also, bring a chair for maximum comfort. We don’t have access to chairs at the brewery.

We look forward to seeing you there.