In this session, you'll gain an understanding of how history, politics, and religion have influenced cheesemaking and cheese styles. How does a country's topography influence its cheese production? What are the origins of cheese? How have cheesemaking methods evolved over time?

Learn the traditional and delicious art of stretching fresh mozzarella alongside a Murray’s expert. Start by tasting exceptional versions of fresh pasta filata-style (pulled curd) cheeses, like mozzarella, bufala, and burrata. Then, the real fun starts as you get hands on with fresh cheese curds, stretching and creating your own high-quality mozzarella.

Explore the role raw materials and technique shape the final product of cheese through milk science and sensory observation. Taste through a bevy of cheese styles and introduce your palate to the flavor characteristics of each and every family of cheese. And learn how the cheesemaking process influences flavor and texture.

Affinage: that magical final step in the cheesemaking process, the culmination of every measure taken to ensure an exceptional wheel of cheese. Learn how, through brushing, washing, patting, flipping, and other methods, affinage and aging changes the flavor, texture, appearance, and durability of cheese.

After hours of exhaustive cheese research, it's time for an afternoon of matchmaking. You'll get to know Murray's pairing principles, exploring how wine, beer, and other accompaniments can enhance your cheese experience (and vice versa). A delicious journey to end your cheese-filled weekend.

In this session, we're putting your knowledge to the test! We’ll introduce the tools of the trade and learn how to break down whole cheese wheels. We’ll also portion and plate the cheeses we've tasted for presentation, creating a cheese board. We'll blind-taste cheeses to determine what milks and techniques were used, as well as in what regions the cheeses originated.