The recent sold out success of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival inspired me to turn my attention to a festival closer to home – The Great Canadian Cheese Festival – coming to Prince Edward County, in Eastern Ontario in June 2011.

I talked with Georgs Kolesnikovs who conceived of, and is organizing, the festival.

Q:  Georgs, what is your background as it relates to cheese?

I am a cheese lover. A taste of Oka almost 50 years ago, when it was still made by Trappist monks, sparked in me a lifelong love for cheese. That love has ripened into full-blown passion as more and more mouth-watering cheeses are being churned out by artisan and specialty cheesemakers across Canada. I’m a lifelong journalist, thus, it’s natural for me to want to communicate that passion.

Which is what led me start the blog CheeseLover.ca and, now, to organize the first festival of Canadian cheese.

Q:  What drew you to the idea of putting on a cheese festival, and a Great Canadian one, to boot.

Quite frankly, I was disappointed with the typical wine and cheese shows as they are so light on cheese. Having a fair amount of experience with events, it didn’t take me long to conclude that it was time for Canada to have a genuine festival of cheese—and for me to produce it.

I’m calling it The Great Canadian Cheese Festival for several reasons:

• Canadian cheese is indeed great,
• The Festival will truly be a coast-to-coast representation of cheese,
• It will be a great celebration of all things cheese, especially Canadian cheese.

Q:  When and where is it happening?

Saturday and Sunday, June 4 and 5, 2011.

At the historic Crystal Palace in Picton, Prince Edward County. Two hours from Toronto, three hours from Ottawa, four hours from Montreal, just a few minutes off Highway 401.  Look for future events in Hastings, Lennox & Addington and Frontenac Counties, all part of Eastern Ontario’s burgeoning artisan cheese region.

In The Great Canadian Cheese Festival Part 2, I’ll talk with Georgs about his vision for the festival and how you can get involved.  Stay tuned!

Contributed by Galen Newman – Invest in Cheese Team