Recipe of the Month

This month's recipe, Fresh Radish Sandwiches with Sunflower Sprouts and Goat Cheese, comes from Baetje Farms.
2010 Sponsorship

When you sponsor the ACS Conference, you lay the groundwork for powerful, long-lasting relationships with other people and businesses in our industry.

Please take a few moments to look over the 2010 program, which you may view by clicking here.

We hope you will agree that your participation is not only philanthropic in developing the American artisanal cheese industry but also beneficial to your company's own marketing and public relations efforts.

Des Nouveaux Amis - New Friends

ACS is pleased to announce a new alliance with Canada's leading international food tradeshow, SIAL Canada, also known as the "North American Food Marketplace."

SIAL Canada 2010 runs Wednesday, April 21st and run through Friday, April 23rd at the Palais des Congr�s de Montr�al Exhibition Center. SIAL will provide free trade show visitor registration (a CN$40 value) to the first 50 ACS members to register online.  Just enter coupon code ACS01 to take advantage of the offer.
Read more.
Member Profile

Meet one of our newest members, Jennifer Perkins of Looking Glass Creamery in Fairview, NC. Read more.
2010 Scholarship 
Deadline Approaching

The ACS Scholarship
Committee is accepting applications for scholarships to attend the 2010 Annual Conference & Competition
in Seattle, August 25-28. If you know someone who is eligible and would like to attend, please download an application here.

Scholarships are awarded based on need and merit. This year's deadline is
April 30.
Classifieds

Did you know that ACS offers a Classifieds page that may help you land your next employee, investor or even cheese vat? 

Here's just a glimpse of a few of our current listings:

Trader's Point Creamery Seeking Cheesemaker
Zionsville, IN

Flat Creek Lodge
Seeking Artisan Cheesemaker
Swainsboro, GA

Beecher's Handmade Cheese Seeking
Head Cheesemaker
Seattle/New York

Seeking Investor, Partner and/or Cheesemaker
Finger Lakes, New York
A Newly Independent ACS

two members at conference session
Dear Members,

On April 1, the American Cheese Society celebrated its independence as a self-managed association. The process to self-management began in 2007, and was finally realized over the course of the past few months. Your association reached a level of maturity, built safeguards, resources, and organizational structure while establishing strategic industry alliances that gave the board of directors and ACS advisors the tools to work with our former third-party management group, FSA, to achieve what was an aggressive timeline for transition by April 1.

This transition was achieved with the diligent work of volunteers, board members, Nora Weiser, our ACS Executive Director, and Lara Therrien, ACS Member Services Specialist. They worked around the clock to identify and transition operating systems, meet key transition benchmarks, transfer and safeguard historical data and systems, and establish ACS's new headquarters in Denver, Colorado. My thanks to all who contributed to the transition process over the past three and a half years. Congratulations!

This is your association,
David Gremmels
President
Spring: A Time for Transition and Transformation

Spring is upon us at the American Cheese Nora sixty percent
Society and we're undergoing many changes.
You've heard a lot of talk about our transition to self-management over the last several months.  This transformation began with you, ACS's members.  It grew through the transformative mindset of your board, committees, and dedicated volunteers.  It will continue to evolve in the hands of your new ACS staff, dedicated to serving you and helping ACS achieve its potential as an
invaluable resource for the American cheese community.

Talk of ACS's transition to self-management may not have an apparent impact on you and your business. The day-to-day operations and administration of your association are only relevant inasmuch as you continue to receive your benefits uninterrupted. The importance of this transition is what it ultimately means for you. This association exists solely because of you, our members, and our staff pledges to grow ACS by providing you with:
  • Valuable benefits targeted to your needs and the needs of your business
  • Increased opportunities to network, share information, learn, and be a part of the fun, warm, welcoming, lively, vibrant cheese community
  • Focused, relevant, and timely educational programming that you can immediately apply to impact your daily operations and improve your bottom line
  • Tools and resources when you need them, where you need them
  • Volunteer opportunities that help you grow professionally and personally
  • Proactive communications on the trends and issues vital to your business
  • Strategic alliances that give you broader industry and market access
  • Increased visibility that will raise interest in and demand for American artisanal and farmstead cheeses
  • Stellar customer service
We'll ask what you think - and heed your reply. In the end, when the transformation is complete, you'll have an association that provides exactly what you need before you even know you need it.

I'd love to hear from you and invite you to share you thoughts and ideas with me.

Sincerely,
Nora Weiser
Executive Director
[email protected]

Competition Notes
by David Grotenstein, Judging Chair

Back in November, we didn't think we'd have too many category changes this year. Now, after reassessing the 2009 entries one
last time, the Judging Committee has come up with a few key adjustments or additions for Judging and Competition 2010.

This month we'll present part one of changes (it's a mini-series!) dealing specifically with a significant addition to one category, American Originals. Read entire article.

The Art of Cheese

ACS is feathering the nest at its new headquarters in Denver and we need your help!  Submit high-resolution photos of your cheeses, animals, and farms.  We'll enlarge, print, frame, and hang them so ACS's office is a reflection of you, your work, and your lifelong dedication to the art of cheese.

The fine print about sharing your fine prints:

  • Photos should be at least 300 dpi in jpg or tiff format
  • Please submit one photo at a time to: [email protected]. (You may submit up to five photos total via email) OR if you use Flickr, email us the link to your album, and we'll check them out online.
  • By submitting photos that you own the rights to, you give ACS permission to reproduce these images solely for office wall d�cor in whatever format we deem appropriate (believe us, it will look fabulous!).
  • Please submit your photos by Friday, April 30.

Questions?  Ask our resident photographer, Lara.

Thanks for helping us put the finishing touches on ACS's new home!

Cheese Communities
 
Keep up with all the latest ACS buzz on a variety of social media.  If you haven't already, check out our Facebook Fan page, our twitter feed (@cheesesociety) or our the newly launced ACS blog.
 
A talented team of featured contributors will keep you in the know on all things cheesy with regular postings throughout the week. We'll also be spreading the word on the curd to the cheese-curious beyond our industry with general interest pieces so pop by and "fan" or "follow" ACS and invite your friends, too!
Fancy That!

ACS members will have a well-defined presence at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York, owned and produced by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc. (NASFT).  As part of our alliance with NASFT, ACS members who are members of NASFT as well have the oportunity to be grouped with other ACS members.  Read more.

Mark your calendar: the show takes place Sunday, June 27 through Tuesday, June 29 at the Javits Center.