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GOURMET NEWS DECEMBER 2019 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 4 FROM THE EDITOR Let me just take a minute here to offer my own con- gratulations to Rogue Creamery for the glory gained by Rogue River Blue, which was named the best cheese in the world at the 2019 World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy. This is a first for any American cheese. I'm particularly happy about this because it's no secret that Rogue River Blue is one of my own very favorite cheeses in the whole world. I've said before, and I'll say it again here that if you ever have a question about whether terroir matters in a cheese, Rogue River Blue is the answer. Its flavor comes, not just from the care with which it's made by Rogue Creamery, but also the care with which the organic dairy herd that supply its milk is hus- banded and the care with which the pas- ture on which those cows graze is tended. That pasture is watered by the rain but also by the Rogue River, which flows next to it. The quality of the water in that river is maintained, not just by the wetlands management practices of the Rogue Creamery Dairy but by every farmer up- stream who ensures that the runoff from his fields isn't poisoning the water. Every steelhead fisherman who drops a line into the river also has a role in making sure that the river isn't polluted, so the Rogue River's waters stay pure to nourish the grass that's eaten by the cows that make the milk that, ultimately, becomes a Rogue Creamery cheese. The farmer who grows the grapes in the biodynamic vineyard where Rogue Cream- ery employees pick the grape leaves in which Rogue River Blue is wrapped for aging makes decisions that ensure that those leaves contain no chemicals that might poison the cheese. It's the relation- ship between Rogue Creamery president David Gremmels and that farmer that helped create the community around the cheese, and that in turn creates the com- munity in which a little blue mold can flourish. Occasionally people will ask why Rogue River Blue – and other handmade cheeses like it – is so expensive when they find it in a store. It's a fair question to ask. The easy answer is that Rogue River Blue is a cheese that's handmade through the ef- forts of everyone employed by Rogue Creamery. The more complicated answer is that it's a cheese that's created by everyone who helps conserve the environment, the terroir, expressed by the cheese. When you buy a wedge of Rogue River Blue, you're not just buying a chunk of cheese to nosh on while you're drinking a nice chilled white wine and listening to smooth jazz – although it's certainly good for that – you're investing in everything and everyone who helps to ensure that Oregon's Rogue River Valley remains a healthy place to live, work, grow – and make cheese. You have to decide for yourself if that's worth the price of your wedge. Congratulations again to Rogue Cream- ery and all who are part of its community. Rogue Creamery has already been named "Best for the World" – now I'm more than glad that you also have the pleasure of making the "Best in the World." Finally, I'd like to wish happy holidays to all the readers of Gourmet News. I look for- ward to seeing many of you again in Janu- ary at the Winter Fancy Food Show. It's always such fun to spend a few days hang- ing out with folks who brought along the cheeses, the jams, the syrups, the breads, the soups and the sausages they made with their own hands and will let me have a taste of them! GN — Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director FROM THE EDITOR G OURMET N EWS ® OSER COMMUNICATIONS GROUP FOUNDER Lee M. Oser MEMBER OF: Periodicals postage paid at Tucson, AZ, and additional mailing office. Gourmet News (ISSN 1052-4630) is published monthly by Oser Communications Group, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715; 520.721.1300. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material or prices quoted in newspaper. Contributors are responsible for proper release of pro- prietary classified information. ©2019 by Oser Communications Group. All rights re- served. Reproduction, in whole or in part, without writ- ten permission of the publisher, is expressly prohibited. Back issues, when available, cost $7 each within the past 12 months, $12 each prior to the past 12 months. Back orders must be paid in advance either by check or charged to American Express, Visa, or Master Card. Gourmet News is distributed without charge in North America to qualified professionals in the retail and dis- tribution channels of the specialty foods and hardgoods trade; paid subscriptions cost $65 annually to the U.S. and Canada. All foreign subscriptions cost $150 annu- ally to cover air delivery. All payments must be made in U.S. funds and drawn on a U.S. bank. For subscriber services, including subscription information, call 520.721.1300. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Gourmet News, 1877 North Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715. WWW.GOURMETNEWS.COM PUBLISHER Kimberly Oser SENIOR ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jules Denton-Card jules_d@oser.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lorrie Baumann editor@oser.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Anthony Socci anthony_s@oser.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jeanie Catron ART DIRECTOR Yasmine Brown GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jonathan Schieffer CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER Susan Stein CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE Spencer Fisher CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Tara Neal tara_n@oser.com CIRCULATION MANAGER Jamie Green jamie_g@oser.com EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Heather Albrecht heather_a@oser.com PUBLISHING OFFICE 1877 N. Kolb Road P.O. Box 1056 Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300 Fax 520.721.6300 SUBSCRIBER SERVICES Gourmet News P.O. Box 30520 Tucson, AZ 85751 520.721.1300

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