Southern Artisan Cheese Festival
Kathleen Cotter is a man’s dream – the cheesemonger equivalent of a girlfriend who likes watching the game with you. Conveniently located within our favorite butcher shop, Cotter’s The Bloomy Rind makes it easy for men to take a moment to class up their cheese selection while picking up some bottom round.
This weekend, Kathleen will win your heart again with another stellar combo, two staples of most men’s diets: beer and cheese. The second annual Southern Artisan Cheese Festival will not only feature 22 cheesemakers from seven states, but also Southern craft brews from Yazoo, Jackalope, Fat Bottom, Terrapin, Cool Springs, Straight to Ale, Blackstone, Calfkiller, Starr Hill, Red Brick, Lazy Magnolia and Sweetwater.
There’s also non-cheese foodstuffs, live music and of course, wine.
“The goal is to encourage pairing. We’re happy for you to try as much as you like,” said Kathleen, who described the food selection this way: “everything that would go on a cheese plate that’s handcrafted and made in the South.”
The festival will feature cheesemakers who aren’t normally distributed or sold in Nashville, educational tasting sessions and classes such as Cheese 101, Cheese and Beer, and Cheese for Dessert. In addition to unlimited sampling, tickets ($44) come with a $5 voucher that can be put toward a cheese purchase.
“I created it to celebrate and shine a spotlight on everything that’s going on in Southern cheesemaking,” Kathleen said. “I love connecting people with their food source and I think it’s a unique opportunity to meet all the people who make these items. Other than a handful of farmer’s markets here and there, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to meet cheesemakers.”
The Southern Artisan Cheese Festival is at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, October 6 at the Nashville Farmers’ Market.
