Here at culture, we love using unofficial food holidays as an excuse to whip up cheesy dishes, like yesterday’s National Cheeseball Day, for example. Widely known as a retro holiday appetizer, cheeseballs can be reimagined for the everyday dinner table using a wide variety of cheeses, mix-ins, and toppings. Get some ideas here.

In other cheese news:

• Did you miss out on our Culture Cooks event with Chef Damian Sansonetti? Watch it on our YouTube channel! Cook along with us from home, as Chef Damian Sansonetti shows you how to enjoy France’s iconic Bayonne Ham and shares four of his favorite recipes
• Halloumi cheese is gaining PDO status. As of later this month, only halloumi made in Cyprus can be sold in the EU under the name “halloumi.” And by 2024, at least half of all halloumi sold must be made with goat and sheep’s milk; the rest can be cow’s milk. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades called the PDO designation “historic.”
• Calling all mongers! The Cheesemonger Invitational has a second virtual competition coming up this summer: Meat Me Online. “Our goal is to inspire cheesemongers to step up their meat skills in a deep and meaningful way,” the website states. Get more details and enter the competition here.
• Janet Fletcher and Laura Werlin’s virtual Cheese O’Clock events are resuming in May for American Cheese Month! Check out which locally made cheeses and wines are on the docket for tasting and sign up here.
• Speaking of American Cheese Month—the Wisconsin community is getting especially excited this year, as the state celebrates its 180th anniversary of cheesemaking. The Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin plan to engage turophiles by highlighting Wisconsin Cheese in stores and restaurants all month long, and connecting through virtual events. 
• Mother’s Day will be here before we know it, and the best way to treat your mama is with some good cheese and quality time. On Saturday, May 8, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese is hosting a virtual cooking class that will guide participants through recipes that feature eight of their delicious cheeses.
• Picnic-packing just got easier (and cheesier) with Consider Bardwell Farm’s new Bardwell Bites—pre-cut, bite-sized versions of all their popular cheeses that are the perfect grab-and-go snack when you’re out and about this summer.
• What do you consider a “good date?” Well whatever your goals are, it’s time to up your standards. A UK woman went viral on Twitter aftering being gifted a 26-pound wheel of cheese from her date (a farmer). We will no longer be accepting flower bouquets at this time.

Monica Petrucci

Monica is Culture's former Social Media Editor. Coming from a formaggio-obsessed Italian family, she was very excited to combine her passions for cheese and writing at Culture. She loves experimenting in the kitchen and pairing wine and cheese in her spare time.