When in Raleigh...

So I'm back at the Annual American Cheese Society's Conference! My brother and I ate more cheese than a human probably should in three and a half days at last year's conference in Montreal.

This year I'm on my own in Raleigh, North Carolina. So far I'm diggin' it, too!

Although this is considered a working trip, it's a great chance to get away from the daily grind that I usually face and, I guess, refresh myself. So needless to say that when I woke up this morning to a string of frustrating emails it's not how I envisioned my first morning in Raleigh.

At the Farmers Market!

But thank goodness for the Raleigh Downtown Farmers Market! As soon as I decided to ignore my phone and walk to the weekly showing of artisan cheeses (a few more on display than usual in honor of the cheesiness this week!), fresh produce, meats and baked goods, I instantly felt better! How the heck couldn't I have?! (The triple chocolate chunk cookie I picked up from a local baker for breakfast also probably helped).

There was just a plethora of fresh, local and good food with happy people, live music...all eating, too! Definitely my kind of scene. People in Raleigh just seem happier, too--they're so nice it's hard not to smile! I first stopped (after I got my cookie) at a stand that only had products made from their 5,000 blueberry bushes! Not just your typical blueberry jam, but blueberry juice, syrup and even salsa (which was intriguingly sweet and spicy). The farms owner had her nine-year old son helping her, who proudly offered me a taste of his family's salsa (kind of reminded me of myself when I was nine and working in the store!).

Never too early for beer and cheese!

Then, somehow I migrated to the local beer and cheese pairing (funny how that works). Unfortunately, I found the cheese to be underwhelming in flavor, but am anxious to give Raleigh's cheeses another try later in the week. Since we've been on the craft beer craze at the store, I'm all about the beer now. And Raleigh definitely makes some tasty ales. A couple standouts have been Mother Earth Brewing's Sisters of the Moon (an intense hop aroma and bitterness with a mouthful of flavor) and Lonerider's Sweet Josie (an American Brown style balancing bitter hops with chocolate and aromatic malts).

The line for the grilled cheese competition...
worth the wait!

And you'll never guess what they had at the Farmers Market?? A GRILLED CHEESE COMPETITION! Seven of the area's best chefs created the best grilled cheese they could and put it on display for all to try and vote! Keep in mind that about twenty minutes before I had a goat cheese, speck, fig and balsamic grilled cheese from a grilled cheese truck, so I was ready for this! 

Hard not to be happy here!

After my fill of grilled cheese I walked around downtown Raleigh for a bit, which seems to be developing into quite the city with lots of eateries, bars and pubs and fun shops. I have to admit, I started my day in a disappointing corporate way, but thanks to the good people of Raleigh (and a little grilled cheese), I think I'm ready for the Rally in Raleigh (the cheese rally, duh!).

Your foodie friend,

Dougy