...don't make, don't sell...what do you do?

I had an interesting discussion with my friend and colleague Sasha the other day about what exactly it is we "do". We don't make cheese. We're not retailers. Though I started my cheese career behind the counter and she recently relaunched a Portland cheese shop, we're not really cheesemongers by vocation.

We both volunteer many, many hours on behalf of our professional organization, the American Cheese Society (ACS), and have witnessed the growth and maturation of our industry, working in creative pursuits that promote and educate about cheese. It's a nebulous thing neither of us is quite certain how to explain on a conference badge.

It's indicative of an industry in growth mode. Someday titles for those of us out there who sing the praises of fermented milk will be commonplace. For now, I just embrace the disparate elements of my "job".

I'll admit it, I'm a dabbler. I write about and promote cheese awareness. I produce video, create recipes and do food photography, but there's no one grand vision. I serve as Vice President of the American Cheese Society and cobble together a string of projects that supports me and, hopefully, grows an appreciation for artisan and specialty cheese.

In my busy life as a wife and mother to two boys, now living in a less-than-cheese-centric region, it's difficult to convey what I do to my friends or my family for that matter. Consequently, it's hard for me to appreciate the big picture, too.

It has occurred to me that a blog detailing my life in cheese might be just the thing to do, giving me a place to celebrate a delicious new recipe, my latest cheese find or the completion of a video project. A place where I can cover the exciting things afoot with the cheesemakers I work with, trips to regional festivals and news on the national and international cheese scene.

I hope it also brings an opportunity to connect with and grow a local (Phoenix/Scottsdale) cheese scene. Cheese Club of Scottsdale, anyone?!?

So this, then, will be the place I can point to and say, this...this is what I do. Check back often for: articles including the "Cheese In Depth" series, videos including "On Location" and "Meet Your Maker" vignettes, seasonal, cheese-centric recipes and other cheesy gab. Drop me a line if you have cheesy questions, too! Hope you enjoy!