Biggest cheeses sure to please this weekend in Picton

Festival founder Georgs Kolesnikovs with Chef Sebastien Schwab.

The nation’s biggest and best cheeses are sure to please at the fifth annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival in Picton.

More than 5,000 people are expected to attend the June 6-7 event at the Picton Fairgrounds.

Georgs Kolesnikovs, founder of the show, gathered some of the show’s exhibitors and vendors at the new Mystic Dandelion B&B to offer local media some tastes of what’s to come at the festival.

Georgs Kolesnikovs

“I just feel so satisfied,” said Kolesnikovs, of the the event’s fifth year. What’s really wonderful is the cheeses really are some of the finest in the world. The industry continues to grow because consumer demand is there.”

Kolesnikovs says visitors will have more than 500 products to sample this year.

“I’m thinking that even if you come for two days you can’t taste it all.”

He noted this year a new group of 10 Quebec producers   – under the name Amour  & Tradition, or Love and Tradition – has joined the festival.

“It’s an example of the kind of growth there is in the artisan cheese scene and what has become the grandest cheese festival in Canada.”

Cheesemakers from coast-to-coast will bring more than 150 cheeses for tasting and purchase at the show’s Artisan Cheese and Fine Food Fair.

In celebration of the fifth year, there will be free cheese curds to the first 1,000 guests on Saturday and free grilled cheese sandwiches on Sunday.

The Grilled Cheese Chowdown will feature chefs competing to determine who can cook the grilled cheese sandwiches the quickest in order to prepare the 1,000 needed. Chefs so far include Norm Aitken, of the Empire Restaurant in Ottawa; Eric Brennan of Le Chien Noir Bistro in Kingston and Jackie Dalimonte of Sobeys Urban Fresh. The winning chef will have $1,000 donated in their name to a favourite charity. Donations from consumers will be donated to the Quinte Region Food Share Shelter.

New for this year is the Makers+Mongers popular Saturday evening event that will celebrate artisan cheese and food makers in an expanded Cheeseburgers in Paradise theme and featuring a Jimmy Buffett tribute musician.

The show is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Two entrances will be set up for speedy access. Families are welcome and children age 15 and younger are admitted free of charge when accompanied by an adult.

Admission includes a festival tote bag for hauling home the fromage and other delights. It also includes seminars in the All You Need is Cheese Annex, presented by Dairy Farmers of Canada; live music, the festival dairy farm featuring water buffalo.

Click here to order your tickets online and save 10 per cent off the admission price by entering the promo code CF15WEB before starting your online ticket order . http://cheesefestival.ca/tickets/

New County cheesemakers Glen Symons and Heather Robertson, of Lighthall Vineyards, demonstrated their craft making their sheep’s milk Brie in the B&B’s kitchen.

Georgs Kolesnikovs, founder of The Great Canadian Cheese Festival.