We convened in the conference room at Springfield Creamery, where Sue Kesey, her daughter Cheryl and Nancy Hamren (the Nancy of Nancy’s Yogurt) gave us a history of the business and the hippie serendipity that resulted in Nancy’s Yogurt. We had a tasting of all the products, which are all natural with no additives or preservatives. The creamy cottage cheese and the cream cheese were delightful revelations to those who had never tried them.

Next stop was Toby’s Family Foods, where we met Toby, whose product, tofu pate, was the result of creating a vegetarian sandwich filling for her kids that would help their lunches fit in with more traditional fare in the school cafeteria. A lot of people over the years have believed the tasty concoction was really egg salad. After a tour, Toby put on a fabulous spread (in both senses of the word) for us, sharing variations of tofu pate, as well as Genesis Juice.

After an enjoyable and delicious lunch we proceeded to Glory Bee Foods and marveled at their vast array of products — not just honey! We all enjoyed shopping at the retail store, buying beeswax candle making supplies, agave syrup, honey, olive oil and other items.

Our final tour of the day was at Golden Temple. We toured the production facility where cereal and granola is made and Yogi Tea is packaged. We enjoyed the potpourri of delicious odors. That evening we toasted a fabulous field trip with delicious cocktails and food at Bel Ami restaurant.

Those of us who stayed overnight spent the next morning at the Farmers Market and Saturday Market before meeting for lunch at Cafe Yumm! Mark and Maryann Beauchamp shared the story of their business with us. As with the other stories we’d heard during our Eugene field trip, it involved considerable serendipity, passion for good food and fun.

“Eat good cheese. Eat less of it. And Enjoy.”

That was the advice from Steve Jones, founder of Steve’s Cheese, and the host for Wednesday night’s Wine and Cheese Tasting; an exclusive event put on for the Portland Culinary Alliance. Teaming up with Dougal Reeves of Square Deal Wine Company, the two took a mix of 18 PCA members and their guests through the world of American cheese.

The theme of the evening’s cheeses was selected varieties of goat and sheep’s milk from small farmers throughout the U.S. who are making hormone-free and certified organic cheeses. The majority of those we sunk our teeth into was made from raw milk and had been aged 60 days or more prior to consumption (a legal requirement for serving raw cheese).

“Very stinky cheese,” “So soft,” “Creamy,” “Sweet, nutty, and salty,” “Can anyone else smell chocolate aromas in this cheese, or is it just me?” were just a few of the comments coming from the happy mouths and noses of those seated around the large, wooden table basking in the wide array of flavors that paired so perfectly with each chosen wine. “This wine really makes the flavor of the cheese pop,” said one patron enjoying our first combination: an Ampelidae Armance B sparkling white from the Loire Valley and Nancy’s Camembert cheese from Old Chatham dairy; the largest sheep’s milk dairy farm in the U.S.

As the evening moved along, the cheese continued to get passed around and our wine glasses seemed to continuously refill themselves, which, of course, paved the way for an entertaining evening of great conversation and sharing amongst all who were in attendance. We worked our way through seven more pairings that seemed to only get better.

Throughout the event Steve was asked many questions and showered us with his expertise in the world of cheese, selecting cheeses and preserving cheese. A few of his tips on cheese purchasing and storage:

1. Purchase your cheese in paper and avoid plastic wrap, which can impart a negative flavor on cheese.

2. Change the paper every three days.

3. It is ok to wrap the cheese in paper, and then tuck it into a plastic baggy or Tupperware container. This allows the cheese to breathe, but does not cause it to dry out.

4. Eat the cheese within three to five days if it’s a soft variety. Hard cheeses can last three to five weeks.

5. Parchment paper is a good option for storing as is wax paper.

6. Try to avoid the “cut and wrap” program – cheese that is already cut, wrapped tightly in plastic and placed on grocery store shelves for days. He also noted that Steve’s Cheese always cuts away the outer layer of a wedge of cheese each day if it’s been sitting in plastic prior to serving.

7. “Find a good cheese monger and come see us every three days,” Steve Jones.

For more information on Steve’s Cheese or Square Deal Wine Company, visit: http://www.stevescheese.biz or http://www.wineaccess.com/store/squaredeal/.

-Jennifer Fields

din din is the name for Courtney’s monthly dinner parties that are open to the public. Since September 2007 Courtney has been serving up her specialty dinners at a variety of venues throughout Portland. On May 12 she took over Reynold’s powder blue Lacanche stove and served one treat after another.

For starters we sampled endive with tapenade, smoked escolar and pancetta with a sparkling Basque wine. Then we enjoyed a rosé broth garnished with a spear of toast laden with broccolini and a poached Persephone Farm egg. The main course was chorizo in a tomato sherry sauce crowned with two plump sauteed shrimp and a tasty round of fried lemon, served with polenta. The perfect ending to the meal was a refreshing dish of poached apricots in quince syrup with a slice of Ossau Iraty cheese.

With everyone seated around one big table, there was opportunity for multiple conversations, as well as a bit of fun when we all engaged in the telephone game, sending phrases in whispers from ear to ear until the last person pronounced the mangled result. Pictured here, Caryn Servis and Courtney announce the winning team of guests who came up with the theme for the Madlibs game to be played by the next round of guests at din din. For information on future din din events, contact Courtney at dindinparty@yahoo.com or 971-544-1350.

This past Sunday, PCA members, Ecotrust staff, and members of the Portland community gathered at the Billy Frank Conference Center for an educational conference on school lunch.

Ecotrust’s Deborah Kane opened with a presentation of school lunches from past to present. We learned about the National School Lunch Act, and health initiatives for school lunches, and discussed the possible correlation of childhood obesity to the nutritional quality of present day school lunches.

Kristy Obbink, the Nutrition Services Director for Portland Public Schools, then took the mike and gave us a behind the scenes look at school lunch service. Following her comments, Representative Brian Clem shared with us his work to improve the state of school lunch in Oregon and his unique position as a state representative who also works as a farmer.

Clem went on to moderate a panel of movers and shakers on the school lunch scene, made up of the state’s first Farm to School Coordinator, Cory Schreiber; Ecotrust’s Farm-to-School Manager, Michelle Ratcliff; and Joyce Dougherty, the Director of Child Nutrition Programs for the Oregon Department of Education. Once Clem opened it up for questions from the audience, it become clear just how motivated and interested our community is in improving school lunches, and just how primed our panel members are to make it happen.

What also become obvious, and was stated by one woman who was visiting from Iowa, was that people from surrounding states look to Oregon as a leader on this issue. We are the first state in the nation with a full-time farm to school coordinator in both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education, and can become a national model for crafting solutions that result in healthier children and at the same time support our state’s agricultural economy.

The event ended with a discussion on the hopes audience members have for school lunch in the future. Some called out “a garden in every school,” others championed organic offerings and all made it clear that there is more work to be done and that motivated individuals will make these milestones happen.

For information and notes on the meeting, and to learn more ways to get involved with this issue, visit www.ecotrust.org.

Dine Around is a new program to give members a heads up on hot new chefs and restaurants in the Portland area. Chef and cooking school owner Robert Reynolds, the chef liaison on the PCA Board of Directors, chose his former student, Suzanne Bozarth, as the first Dine Around focus. Suzanne and her partner, Ken Yates, own and operate the James John Cafe in the St. Johns neighborhood. Our April Fools program marked the launch of their new dinner service. Suzanne and Ken have been serving breakfast and lunch only for more than a year while becoming a favorite spot for neighborhood residents.

With the help of Benny Bettinger, former chef at Paley’s Place, Suzanne served a tasty main course of braised lamb shoulder and white beans and arugula and orange salad, followed by ice cream and cookies.

PCA members and neighborhood guests were served wine as they arrived. Appetizers of smoked trout on crackers were passed among the crowd. Once we were seated we had a delicious sampling of thinly sliced charcuterie. Good conversation flowed at the three long tables for a memorable and enjoyable evening.

First course was beer bread, made with the spent grain from the brewing process, and a delicious cheddar spread made with Black Strap Stout. Those who couldn’t stop nibbling the bread were delighted with BridgePort’s gift to all attendees: a loaf of beer bread. The “Keep Portland Beered” bumper sticker was much appreciated, too, and will probably show up on some members’ bumpers.

Beets were poached in Ebenezer Ale for the salad, a mix of greens, apples, goat cheese and hazelnuts, which was paired with Ropewalk Amber Ale. Chef Henniger decided to pair the fish course, cod and crispy polenta, with IPA because he thought that BridgePort’s flagship ale, accounting for 85% of its production, complimented the cod’s lemony butter sauce.

The chef said that he rarely actually cooks with beer because too much cooking can turn the taste of beer bitter. His preference is to add beer toward the end of cooking, so it lends its flavors to the food. On the other hand, he likes to bake with beer. He recommended adding porter to brownies or chocolate cake.

Janie Hibler told us about her recipe for the shortbread with warm Oregon marionberry-port sauce, noting that it’s one of her favorites from her cookbook, “The Berry Bible,” partly because it’s so easy and quick. It takes no more than 20 minutes from start to finish. She gave us an interesting overview of cookbook writing and the long, arduous process of bringing her research, recipe testing and writing to published form. And she encouraged everyone to get out and pick some Oregon berries this summer. But watch the calendar. If you’ve waited until after about July 12, you may have missed the peak of Oregon’s berry season. And by the way, July is Oregon Craft Beer Month. Freeze some berries, Janie advises, so you can enjoy them year round — with beer, perhaps?

During his demonstration of baked goods that originated in Wales, Ireland, Thailand and Australia, Patent was being filmed by a Swedish film crew from Shanghai. They were making a documentary about people who had lived in a certain apartment house in Shanghai and they tracked Patent down to his PCA event at Bob’s Red Mill. It was an international night, indeed!

For his cookbook, Patent found 130 recipes from 32 countries or ethnic groups, but the sources for his recipes were all immigrants living in America. In Missoula alone, he found 18 people who contributed recipes from their own heritage. All the contributors invited Patent into their homes so he could observe their traditional methods for producing their pastries, savory bites and breads.

Patent demonstrated and shared samples of Irish soda bread, Welsh griddle cakes, Thai fritters and Anzac cookies from Australia that commemorate the World War I Battle of Gallipoli.

Members and other guests purchased “A Baker’s Odyssey” and had Patent autograph their books. Six lucky members of the audience found “Winner” stickers on the bottom of their plates and received free books, which Patent was glad to sign with the words, “Happy Baking!”

From time to time, these new members will also be helping us out with an event. For our upcoming event at Bob’s Red Mill, they’ll be giving a seat at our event to two lucky winners from their site. We’d like to extend our thanks - and a warm welcome!

PCA members and guests who attended Saturday’s program at The Gilt Club could have had a V-8 but instead opted to get their cucumbers, tomatoes and red peppers in vodka, shaken with ice and other tasty ingredients and sipped from a martini glass. As we arrived we were served a refreshing cocktail made with cucumber-infused vodka, basil and lime. Called Tracy’s First Love, it’s Gilt’s most popular cocktail.

Owner Jamie Dunn and bartender Jess Koenig put us to work making our own bacon salt. We mashed crisp (deep-fried, in fact) bacon with a muddling stick at the bottom of a glass. We added Morton coarse Kosher salt and mashed it some more. The rims of our martini glasses were dipped in bacon salt after being rubbed with a wedge of lemon.

It was for a cocktail called the BLT and we observed the process from beginning to (slurp!) end. The specialty BLT infused vodka was already prepared, so we didn’t have to wait the days or weeks for a vodka infusion to be just right. But we got to see how it’s done. Tomatoes were grilled and sliced and red peppers were roasted, peeled and sliced. Into a vat of vodka they went, along with torn fresh basil leaves. Once the red vodka’s ready to go on display in the bar, it goes in a bottle or an attractive glass jar purchased from infusionjars.com

We also learned about infusions using tequila, brandy, gin and amaretto, with a vast number of fruits and vegetables. At Gilt Club they even make a mole infusion, with cocoa nibs in vodka. You can see their entire cocktail menu at giltclub.com.

Cheese lovers in the Portland area are offering the Gregorys a hand with the Cheese for a Good Cause fundraiser to be held Friday, February 1, 6-9 p.m. at the Ecotrust Building, 721 NW 9th Ave., 2nd floor. For a suggested donation of $25-50 attendees will enjoy local beer and wine and Northwest and international cheeses. Purchase tickets by clicking here.

Black Sheep Creamery’s artisan cheeses are available in Portland at Steve’s Cheese, Foster & Dobbs, Curds & Whey and Market of Choice.