Now that summer is (almost) officially over, we’re starting to look forward to end-of-year events: comfort food weather, the holiday season, and the release of our upcoming Entertaining issue. Can’t wait to get your hands on it? Check out our YouTube channel for a behind-the-scenes look at the cheeses and recipes that’ll be featured, and stay tuned for more sneak peeks.

In other news:

• Cowgirl Creamery and Smitten Ice Cream just released the collaborative treat of our wildest dreams: Mt Tam Cheesecake Ice Cream. The carton combines Cowgirl’s award-winning triple cream with sour cherry compote and a graham cracker crumble for an ultra-indulgent dessert.
• The first-ever winners of the Maine Cheese Awards were announced by a panel of judges (including culture’s editor-in-chief Susan Sherrill Axelrod!) at the Maine Cheese Festival last weekend. See which Maine-made cheeses took home the titles here.
• The highly anticipated 2021 vintage edition of Rogue River Blue is almost here. It’ll be available on the creamery’s website starting September 22 and is expected to sell out quickly. 
• German dairy-alternative company Formo has secured a $50 million investment to expand their research and sales for fermented dairy products—made without cows. “With our technology, we aspire to lead the paradigm shift towards a more sustainable and equitable food system for this planet,” Raffael Wohlgensinger, Co-Founder and CEO of Formo said. 
• Run, don’t walk: Point Reyes’ newest wheel, Quinta, is back in stock on their website for a limited time. Grab a wheel before they’re gone!
• Along with Foundry Distilling Company in Iowa, Maytag Dairy is rolling out Maytag Mead Honey Wine, a barrel-aged mead made from the raw honey produced by the estate’s bees. It’s made with only three ingredients and full of flavor. We’ll say cheers to that.
• The Culture Cheese Coalition is bringing their Cheese Education Program to Los Angeles—and they’re looking for school-aged students in underrepresented communities who are interested in learning all about cheese! For more info, reach out to president Whitney Roberts.
• You can never have too many carbs (according to us, anyway). Panera Bread just released a grilled mac and cheese sandwich that combines everything we love about two childhood staples—just in time for the dark and cold days of comfort food season. And we say bring it on.

Got cheese news? Drop us a line!

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.