What to Know
- Cheese 101, an evening class devoted to cheese types and pairings, as well as selecting and storing cheese
- Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery in Pasadena
- Two upcoming dates (March 21 and April 4); $95 per person on Resy
Pinpointing the cheesiest time of the year isn't the easiest calling, but it is pleasant to ponder.
Would you say summer is the best candidate, that prime picnicking period, a time when we love to munch upon easy-to-pack cheese cubes? Or perhaps the winter holidays, thanks to the return of gooey fondues?
Those both have potential, but you'll want to consider the start of spring as the moment when cheese fully and flavorfully reaches its zingy zenith.
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It's a time of year that feels festively farm-y, thanks to all of the baby goats and cows, and it is also when one of the Golden State's biggest artisanal cheese bashes takes place in Santa Rosa.
And in the Crown City, where Cheeseburger Week is an annual tradition just a couple of months before the vernal equinox?
Dairy devotees know that they'll find excellent nibbles, savory slices, and the sort of creamy spreads that pair well with wine around town.
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Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery is definitely one of the well-known cheese stops. The woodsy, lightly retro dining room in the heart of Old Pasadena, debuted in 2021 with an airy and elegant vibe as well as a devotion to all things dairy.
Vanessa Tilaka Kalb, the eatery's co-owner and head cheesemonger, has created a place where fine cheeses are the stars, but there's nothing stuffy about the restaurant's warm approach to cheddars, chevres, and the many wonderous wheels and wedges that regularly fill the cases.
And to get to know those wondrous snackables better? There is Cheese 101, a class that occasionally pops up at the Green Street cheesery.
Helmed by the cheesemonger extraordinaire, the session will "introduce students to the rich world of cheeses, with tastings of different cheese styles, milk types, and pairings."
Selecting and buying cheese is one focus, as is storing that cheese once you return home.
Creating an inventive pairing is also on the syllabus, as is the chance to fashion your own board, which might be thought of as playfully "painting" with cheese, crackers, nuts, and jams.
A glass of celebratory bubbly is also part of the evening event.
There are two classes coming up — each Cheese 101 can be experienced over a single evening — and only 12 students will be included in one class, lending the event an intimate feel.
How to reserve your spot? Roll like a cheese wheel by this site and learn more now.
