Jury Duty & the Brink of Sanity

Hello! Sorry for the break in regularly scheduled programming...wait, I take that back, the schedule has always been far from regular. So, while there is nothing new in the way of blog regularity, the newness is abundant in the way of Mission Cheese, and why not throw in a jury summons?

The plans for 736 Valencia are cruising along at freaking warp speed (thanks Josh!), which means decisions have to be made regarding all equipment (hood, range, refrigeration...lots of refrigeration for precious cheese, beer dispensary, dish washer, ice maker, freezer, & sinks) as well as building materials to be used for, well, everything (bar top, tile, flooring, cabinetry, bus station, tables, chairs, lights). All this and some hourly work I have picked up in a cubicle that shall remain nameless (must. pay. rent.) has kept me more than busy, but sane-ish. I knew jury duty was on it's way. I had already claimed hardship 3 months earlier, but I was sure this time I would not even be called in and all would be lollipops & rainbows.

Sunday call..."please call back on Monday, November 8" (phew)

Monday call..."please report to 850 Bryant (a.k.a. Suckfest, USA) at 9:45 on Tuesday, November 9" (NO! This is awful, but it's only one day & surely I will not be selected)

Tuesday, as the visions of lollipops & rainbows fade into the distance, I walk through 4 consecutive blocks of puke-scented sidewalk (really, how can it last for that many blocks?!?) to arrive at the San Francisco Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant, to wait. Waiting in the juror holding area was luxurious...wifi, tables, room to sprawl & I was pretty much able to go about business as usual. Then there is waiting in the courtroom...cell phones off (no service even if you wanted to be a rebel) trying to read a book as my to-do list scrolls through my mind...over & over. Sweating. Hours later I fill out an 8 page questionnaire & am told to return the following day at 10 am. Walk back to the train attempting to hold my breath through 4 entire blocks and go about my busy day.

Wednesday...ahh Wednesday. As a responsible citizen I report for duty at promptly at 10 am, to wait. Of course, since the plan was to head directly to the courtroom for jury selection, I left my computer & MC blueprints (yes, I hauled everything with me on Tuesday) safe & sound at home. So my productivity was limited to adding items to my to-do list (not helpful), iPhone capabilities...which are slim in SF (thank you AT&T), and my book. Trying my best to get lost in Garlic & Sapphire (by Ruth Reichl...love her!)...but...sweating.

After an hour of waiting, we are called into the courtroom for more waiting & then I painfully listened as 20 jurors were dismissed by the council. Then, instead of starting jury selection we are told of some complications & to return to the courthouse at 1:30. It's now 11:45, and I am stuck in Suckfest without my productive devices and a 30 minute one-way train commute home or to my hourly cubicle. I walk aimlessly debating what in Sam Hill to do with this precious 1.75 hours (yes, the sidewalk still wreaks). Finally, I decide to make the trek home for a quick lunch & to reunite with my computer for 20 mins. Awesome.

Following my lovely half hour at home, it was time to make the trek back to the corner of Strung-out St. & Vomit Way, to wait. Yes, it's true. More waiting in the hallway, no service, no luxurious juror holding area. Sweating...from both my brisk walk in the lovely San Francisco heat wave, and general anxiety about my growing to-do list. We are called back into the courtroom for yet another roll-call, and another 15 jurors are excused by the council. (ahhhhhhh!) Then, get this, we are told that due to some legal matters that have arisen, we are going to have to come back on Monday at 9 am to START the jury selection process. (good-bye flood gates) Wrinkly chin & sweating (now profusely) I wait for everyone to exit & approach the clerk to say something like...

"I cannot come back here on Monday. Can I file for some sort of special starting a small business hardship...see, there's cheese...I mean Mission Cheese...and (sniffle sniffle)...it needs me."

After grasping the situation, the clerk hands me a hardship form & I write my story of MC & all of the things that need to be done in the next 2 weeks & beyond. Ending with an old-fashioned-blue-book-hand-cramp (do they still use those?) & a sincere declaration of my respect for the judicial system, noting that I have served on a jury in the past & will serve again...but serving now may lead to severe anxiety & high blood pressure.

I hand my plea to the clerk, and she returns to tell me that the judge will not have time to look at it now, and I will have to come in on Monday to hear her decision. I felt the strong urge to throw myself on the ground wailing & pounding in a full-blown tantrum, but as a composed adult, I took my sweaty wrinkly chin self back out to the sidewalks-of-stench and put in a desperate call to Oliver. (lucky guy!) I explain the horrific situation to him as I cry/laugh (but mostly cry) & walk back to the train (that's 4 trips all day). Following Oliver's advice (your the best!) I head straight home to get cracking on my lengthy to-do list...aaaand why not whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies for cozy comfort to be followed by Strauss egg nog & bourbon (duh). In my cookie-making-scurry I dropped the kitchen-aid mammoth mixer on my finger & broke a rubber spatula in half. (somebody pass the bourbon already) Awesome.

Then, somewhere in between cookies & egg nog, I received an "Unknown" call, which happened to be the clerk (eek!) excusing me from duty & wishing me good luck on "the cheese!" (fist pump fist pump...dance party...fist pump)

We must all learn from this experience (very serious). Cheese saves the day! Always.

Meet Cheesemakers...tonight!

Tonight, at a lovely space that goes by the name of Local: Mission Eatery, there is an amazing opportunity to spend time with cheesemakers/magicians from 4 creameries new to the bay area. They will share the story of their journey into cheese, what keeps them going through the back breaking work of it all, & give us a little glimpse of the soul behind the delicious-ness waiting for us at the cheese counter. Their time is precious & tonight we are very lucky.

We will be tasting cheese from Bohemian Creamery made by Lisa (here at right), Bleating Heart made by Seana Doughty, Barinaga Ranch made by Marcia Barinaga (cute as a button with her sheep below), and Nicasio Valley Cheese Co made by Rick LaFranchi & family (his sister Jan will actually be in the house to represent). Oh, and we will also be pairing them with California beer & wine...not bad for a Tuesday night!

There are still a few tickets left, so buy them here & come have some fun & connect with lovely makers of CHEESE!

Measuring Progress

Progress with the shop is moving right along and I plan to do my best to keep the updates coming as we navigate the loopty-loops of opening up shop. This progress I speak of is largely due to this fella. Meet Josh Lowe (450 Architects), Mission Cheeses' architectural designer. The story of how I found Josh goes a little bit like...

Oliver: "I think I know someone who we could talk to about the details of architecture"

Me: "Wait...do we need an architect?" (delusional)

Oliver: "Well, it would be worth talking to him just to get a better understanding of the process" (smarty)

Me: "Alright. Sounds good. Let's meet for dinner."

We had dinner with Josh & his wife Carleigh & the rest is really history. Peeeas & carrots!

Needless to say, Josh & I have been seeing a lot of each other these days as we storm ideas for the space that will bring Mission Cheese from fantasy land to reality. He has challenged me to express the soul of MC into words & pictures, which he is translating, as we stare at our computer screens, into the design of the space. He rocks & I feel so stinking lucky to know that Mission Cheese is in such good hands.

This past Tuesday we spent over 2 hours taking every last measurement of the space (he actually did all of the work while I tried to figure out how to measure from the floor to the ceiling with a floppy measuring tape...which Josh executes effortlessly in this photo). Sounds like a snore, but I find this whole process to be fascinating. Can you imagine the excitement when walls, tables, chairs, & cheese knives start rolling in?

Josh, these curds are for you!

Cheese, It's What's For Dinner?

It has taken a few days of pondering the perfect way to share the Good Food Awards judging experience, and...I think...I've...got it! Make sure you have your volume on (very important!), press play below (give it maybe 20 seconds to get going...wait for it), scroll (slowly), & get excited.

Hoedown from Rodeo from Eleanor Stewart on Vimeo.

Cute!!!














Ohhhh....






Ahhhhh...







OH MY!




Really...










Get real!













YES!!!











Is that...oh yeah.














Amazing!













(fist pump, fist pump!)




























Eh hem. In summary, it was delightful day of tasting semi-soft cheeses from across the country with Daphne Zepos (cheese writer, importer, & educator extraordinaire), Juliana Uruburu (Director of all things cheese at Pasta Shop), & Eskender Aseged (Chef & creator of Radio Africa Kitchen). I was truly honored to be a part of the first annual Good Food Awards. Winners will be announced on their website November 15 & more fun to come in January!

Go ahead, do a heal click, no one is watching.

Scrumptous Events for October!

After a weekend of celebratory toasts with some of my favorite people on the planet...this show is officially on the road. The flood gates have lifted. The levee gave way. We have blast off. Full speed ahead. Well...you get the point. There's a lot to do to get Mission Cheese ready for her coming out party. BUT, there is always time for cheese-tastic events, 3 cheese-tastic events to be exact (2 for you 1 for me!). So, without further ado...let's start with some fun for you! (dork.)

Saturday, October 9th 5-11 pm (Yes, THIS Sat!) - Underground Market in Oakland
We missed 2 markets while biking down the Oregon coast (I survived! It was actually very awesome), but we will be at this Saturday's market serving up Raclette to as many people as we possibly can. They have more vendors than ever before AND it is all outdoors & much easier to navigate than the one in SF. So, I highly recommend it. Here is a list of the vendors that will be there in addition to yours truly.

Sunday, October 10th (this one is for me!) - Good Food Awards Judging takes place
In honor of the Global Work Party happening on 10/10/10, I will be volunteering my time to judge delicious cheese for the Good Food Awards organized by Seedling Projects. I will be tasting 50 different artisan cheeses & reporting back on the experience...not the winners, which will be announced at a par-tay in mid January. Seems more like a dream come true & less like volunteering...but I'll take it! (Seriously, all links in this paragraph are truly worth clicking on...amazing people doing amazing stuff!)

Tuesday, October 26th 7-9 pm - Mission Cheese & Local: Mission Eatery present...Meet the Cheesemaker!
We are teaming up with Local: Mission Eatery to bring you the opportunity to meet 4 fairly new remarkable NorCal cheesemakers & taste their cheese paired with local beer & wine. You know how much I adore cheesemakers, so this is your chance to hear their story & feel the love yourself. Marcia of Barinaga Ranch, Lisa of Bohemian Creamery, Seana of Bleating Heart, & a member of the LaFranchi family (it's a family dairy!) of Nicassio Valley Cheese will be joining us for the event & I just couldn't be a pinch happier. Tickets are $65, and I believe there are only about 30 of them. So...get yours while the gettin' is good!

I told you they were cheese-tastic...and really, all-around-FUN-tastic! Wouldn't you say? I do apologize for my overly geek-tastic (daaaa hahaha) behavior this post. Sort of.

Break Out the Fist Pumps & Imaginary Drum Sets!

After many weeks of practicing my best patient behavior, I rode my bike on down to the Mission this afternoon & signed a lease for Mission Cheese! The space is, in fact, in the Mission (double entendre...hooray!) on Valencia St. between 18th & 19th right in the heart of San Francisco deliciousness...and it's going to be magical come February 2011 (ish-er-around-there).
I feel like a proud mother-to-be entering the third & final trimester (I guess I cannot say I know what that really "feels" like, especially seeing as I still enjoy wine, beer, whiskey cocktails & raw milk cheeses...but it seems like a fairly good analogy, no?) I am relieved & ready to move on to the next stage, I am stinking excited to see her (yes, it's a girl! duh.) actual silhouette, and I will count down the days until she's ready to say "Hello world! I'm Mission Cheese & I'm beautiful!" Something like that. I am also, fist pumping on the regular & it's really only a matter of time until the imaginary drum set comes out this eve (I have a few meetings first...have to keep my composure).

I would like to extend many curds of gratitude to the family & friends that kept me grounded over the past few months. While the process was long, it was actually pretty smooth...but my emotions definitely told a different story at times. (Hello! These things are too be expected from a mother-to-be...right?) Oliver definitely took the brunt of it, a trend that is likely to continue (sooorry...I love you). Also thanks to Pam (my agent...not sure what I would have done without her!) & Ron (landlord!) for being so kind & working with this rookie. You all rock & I see delicious cheese in your futures.

There you have it folks! I think that is about all I can write today...just too busy fist pumping.

More to come...much much more...seat belts required!

ACS...Hit the Highlights

This little diddy recapping the cheesiest week of the year is much over due, but as they say, better late than never, eh?

As expected, my week in Seattle was jam-packed with cheese enlightenment, friends new & old, and good good times. I had the privilege of staying with my friend and Seattle resident cheesemongress, Sheri. (She & her hubby Morgan were first-rate hosts!) I was beyond pumped to see her in action in her beautiful shop, Calf & Kid, in the magical Melrose Market. Attention anyone in Seattle or passing through in the future: Go here. Pikes is worth a look, but this collection of thoughtful purveyors is a must see...and taste. Sheri stocks her case with an amazing selection of cheese from around the globe with a strong representation of local Washington beauties. Some favorites that I had never tasted were by Black Sheep Creamery, Gothberg Farms, Estrella Family Creamery, & Kurtwood Farms. Scrumptious.

Speeeeaking of Kurtwood Farms, Culture Magazine (yes, this is a cheese-centric publication) & Rogue Creamery just so happened to be throwing a little shin-dig to kick off the conference at this lovely farm in Vacharon, just outside of Seattle, to which Sheri scored an invite for herself & a cheese-loving guest (lucky me)! Kurt, of Kurtwood Farms (duh) hosted a beautiful farm house eat-fest highlighting some amazing cheeses, including his own, Dinah's Cheese. Kurt, former chef & cafe owner, moved out this plot of land in 1991 & has crafted this majestic farm since (the pic above is of the farmhouse kitchen & left is the milking barn). Dinah's Cheese, named after his first Jersey cow, is made from the milk of the four cows on farm & has been in high demand since it hit the market & commandeers the cover of the latest Culture Magazine (yes...a cheese-centric mag to which I am most certainly a subscriber) & a generous feature including a centerfold (oh la la). The party was amazing & chock full of cheese greats including Sue Connely, Janet Fletcher, Willi Lehner, and you could just feel the energy & soul of the American artisan cheese movement. Loved it & the pizza from the wood-fired oven. I know...I am a brat (by that I mean spoiled brat, not a German pork-sausage...that would be weird).

The actual conference started bright & early Thursday morning with sessions ranging from Health & Mental benefits (summary: it's good for you! Hooray!) of cheese to Cheese Shop Do's & Don'ts. While I could go on for days about the amount of exciting cheese info that I sponged over 3 days of seminars, highlights go to...

• Ari Weinzweig of Zingerman's discussing their open book finance approach to reducing stress, motivating staff, & operating profitably (it helps). For any budding small business-makers out there, may I suggest, "A Stake in the Outcome: Building a Culture of Ownership for the Long-Term Success of Your Business" by Jack Stack & Bo Burlingham & "Managing By The Numbers: A Complete Guide To Understanding & Using Your Company's Financials" by Chuck Kremer. I know...perhaps you are snoring or thinking " I would rather stab my eye with a fondue fork," but if the success of Zingerman's is any indication...this stuff works, and it can be fun. Honest!

• Herve Mons of Mons Formagerie & perhaps the best affineur in the biz, RaefHodgson of Neal's Yard (& also son of founder Randolph Hodgson), and Doug Earb of Landaff Creamery were on a panel discussing the affinage (aging) process of cheese...always one of my favorite topics! Listening to this panel talk about the process of bringing cheese from it's infancy to adolescence & finally adulthood really brings the process to life. Herve spoke of a "hospital" portion of his caves in France that pays special attention to cheeses in need..."and as with any hospital, you either come out better, or not." Slightly starstruck by Herve & his cheese fame, this session certainly earned highlight status.

• Last on the highlight list is a tasting, but not a cheese tasting, a charcuterie tasting (cured pork & cheese are best friends...add beer, wine, & crackers and you have quite the wily crew). The panel included Armando Batali of Salumi (& father of Mario Batali...now I know where Mario gets his notorious fiery personality from), Paul Bertolli of Fra'Mani, and Herb Eckhouse of LaQuercia. Needless to say everything we tasted was out-of-this-world, and if you ever have the chance to nab a Mole Salame from Salumi...do what it takes to make it happen. It is heaven in your mouth. Curds of thanks to these guys for bringing class A quality charcuterie to the U S of A. You guys rock!
  

Seems like a very brief recap of a jam packed conference, and I promise to write more later about the festival of cheese (uh huh) & this years big award winners (hooray). To be honest, I have to finish packing for a trip that I am supposed to leave for in about 45 minutes. (yikes!) Yes, in just under an hour I will embark on a road trip (Ride350) up the coast with to Astoria, OR...and then ride my bike back to Cali (almost...Gold Beach) all with 7 lovely friends in the name of climate change. I have padded spandex. Wish me luck.

STILL working on the space situation, for those that are curious. I should have news soon (translation...before Oct 1). It has been a real nail biter of a situation!