The Cheese Ball returns
Join me for my big book event in Philadelphia...or hop on a virtual cheese class!
I keep reading about loneliness in the news. Let me offer an antidote: come hang with the cheese community at Madame Fromage’s Cheese Ball & Book Party on October 21 in Philadelphia! You will find yourself in a veritable vat of kindness, clustered among people who enjoy talking about fermentation, farming, and the pursuit of deliciousness as a spiritual practice. You will not have to talk about work, mortgage rates, or your 5-year plan. This is why I hosted my first Cheese Ball in 2012. I love cheese people, and I wanted to create an event where people could meet makers, discover new hunks, chat cheese, and maybe even dance with a cheesemonger.
On October 21, 2023 I’m hosting my 5th Cheese Ball at RUBA Club in Philadelphia (7-11 pm). I’m calling it Madame Fromage’s Cheese Ball & Book Party because, it’s also a celebration of my new book and the many people in it. In fact, a number of the cheesemakers & creameries highlighted in its pages will be there sampling and selling cheeses, including Birchrun Hills, The Farm at Doe Run, Goat Rodeo, Mystic Cheese, Boxcarr, Perrystead, and Cherry Grove Farm. Plus, you can meet the book’s illustrator Aly Miller who will be selling swag, connect with Cheese Journeys about her European tours, peruse gorgeous boards & cheese globes by Artifaqt Design, and pick up a signed book from Capricorn Books!
Snag a ticket, bring a friend or fly solo (you won’t be alone for long), and connect to other cheese lovers. You can graze all night from the community cheese board we set up in RUBA’s first-floor cabaret space. My friend Geoff, a seasoned cheesemaker, will be the “Cheese Lifeguard” on duty to answer questions and save anyone drowning in a pool of runny Brie. Upstairs, you can sample regional cheeses from makers in the Sampling Salon (7-9 pm)— a ballroom that will turn into a Dairy Disco (9-11) with DJ Lola Kinks.
Proceeds benefit the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild.
Dress code ranges from barnyard overalls to ballgowns. Dress as you wish!
Cheese Classes
If you can’t make The Cheese Ball but you still want community, check out my virtual cheese classes, which start this month — each one focuses on a different style of cheese. I’ve capped the classes so that they’re small and we can have conversation. Consider this my personal invitation to join a little curd-nerd club!
We’ll meet online each month to explore a different style of cheese. I’ve provided a list of suggested cheeses and possible pairings for each session. Here are the first three virtual classes I’m offering:
Looking for an in-person cheese-board class? Check out my Cookbooks & Conversations event on October 11, 2023 at Philadelphia’s Guild House Hotel.
Friends, thank you for supporting my cheese habit, for buying my book, for reading this little missive. As you may know, I trained as a writer, and I teach writing for a living. I started my career publishing books of poetry and fiction, then I found cheese. And cheese people. I stopped attending writing conferences (too back-stabby) and started attending cheese conferences (toothpicks for all)! Nothing makes me happier than being immersed in a room full of cheese lovers, chatting cheese. If you want to join this all-swim, let me pull you in!
Lead photo credit: Evan Kalman