Tag Archives: march

Queso Diego March 2025 Meeting Announcement

Say Cheese!

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 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 March Virtual Meeting Announcement

Please join us on St. Patrick’s Day Eve for “Mold is Green(ish), Mold is Gold(en)” to celebrate Irish cheeses and greenness.

There will be a presentation about Irish cheeses and Molds (the fuzzy kind, not the forms)……..and we are having a St. Patrick’s Day themed cheese board contest. Winners will get prizes (sorry, no pots of gold).

6pm – DEADLINE for photo entries (see below)

6:30 – 7pm: Social Hour

7pm – Presentation and Contest (voting will be about half way through the presentation and winners will be announced after the presentation)

Zoom information was sent to the members email list.

CHEESE BOARD CONTEST:

Cheesy rules:

One entry per member
Must be original design and made by member (not professional)
Minimum of 2 and maximum of 4 cheeses
At least 50% of the cheeses must be Irish, green(ish)/mold(ish), or specifically made for St. Patrick’s Day
Photo submitted by 6pm, March 16th at the very latest, earlier is better (see instructions below)

Cheese boards should be cheese-centered, as we are a cheese club

So, who are the judges???………………..you are! Cheese board photographs will be presented to the group during the March meeting and then we will take a vote/poll to decide the winners.

Photo entries:

Submit one photo to mjrhjm@hotmail.com
Include your name with the photo
Submit no later than 6pm, March 16th

Your name will not be included when the photographs are presented for voting.

Queso Diego March Meeting Canceled

Though we’d love to see everyone in their green attire, the board has decided that in the best interest of our members and the community, making cheese at home, listening to an educational cheese pod cast, reading cheese articles, or tasting new cheeses (or Irish cheeses) is a better alternative for St. Patrick’s Day (aka March meeting).

Never made cheese? There are some great, easy recipes for beginners on this website – https://cheesemaking.com/collections/recipes?_=pf&pf_t_skill_level=beginner. They also have intermediate and advanced recipes. This is a great website to look through for cheesemaking recipes. Remember, you can get your cheesemaking supplies locally at Curds and Wine; QD members get a 10%, just show your card. Curds and Wine are closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

Podcast – Behind the Rind

Cheese articles – check out the last page of the March newsletter

New Cheeses – Check out Smallgoods new store in La Jolla; they have cheeses and meats that are amazing and all made in the USA – 10% discount for QD members.
Venessimo has cheeses from around the world; they have locations in Mission Hills, Del Mar, and Liberty Station – QD members get 10%.

Traditionally, we recognize “Grilled Cheese Month” at our April meeting. Last week, the board decided to move this event; it is currently scheduled for July. We will be in contact regarding the April meeting.

Stay health and dry,

Marci

Queso Diego March Meeting Announcement

Fine Microplane Grating Hard Cheese

Our March general meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, March 19th, 6:30 PM at AleSmith Brewing Company. The meeting will be in the barrel room, which can be accessed through the doors down the hallway to the left of the main bar, just past the restrooms.

The featured presentation will be Hard Cheeses by the club’s founder, Chris Banker. He will be discussing hard (firm) cheeses and how to make and age them. We will also have an introduction to grilled cheese to provide details and ideas for our April grilled cheese meeting.

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.