In This Issue...
2016 Member Survey
The Traditional Cheese Advocate
The Traditional Cheese Advocate
Certification News
Cheese in the News
Planning for Performance
It's Time for American Cheese Month!
Victory for The Cheese Party
Sodium Reduction: Webinar Recording
Sodium Reduction: Upcoming ACS Member Webinar
The Cultured Kitchen
Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treaters stop
at creameries and shops
collecting chunks of ch ees e.


Have You Renewed Your Membership Yet?

It's time to renew your ACS membership for the 2017 calendar year! If you haven't yet renewed, you can do so by following the steps below:

1. Log onto www.cheesesociety.org with your username and password. (Your username is your email address on record).

2. Once logged in, click on "My Account."

3. Click on "View My Transactions."

4. Click on "Pay Open Orders."

5. In your open order, make sure the box next to your name is checked, and click "Next" to proceed to the payment screen.

If you have any questions, please contact the ACS office at 720-328-2788. We look forward to supporting you in 2017!

Apply for the 2017 Official Conference Cheesemonger Team!

Are you passionate about cheese, thrive on a team, and love the idea of working behind the scenes at the Annual ACS Conference? The role of Official Conference Cheesemonger ("OCC") might be for you! Each summer, a team of three OCCs oversees and manages the movement, storage, and preparation of thousands of cheeses and accompaniments that play a starring role in the ACS Conference.

The 2017 Official Conference Cheesemongers will receive roundtrip airfare to Denver, seven nights' stay at the Conference hotel, personalized chef's jackets, a profile in the printed Conference guide and on the ACS website, and registration for our 2018 Conference (you'll be too busy in Denver to catch the sessions!).

Learn more and complete your application today! All applications must be submitted no later than January 11, 2017.
 
If you've missed The Traditional Cheese Advocate -- our quarterly update o n ACS's efforts to promote, preserve, and protect traditional cheesemaking -- you can check out archived issues here: 
The Great American Beer Festival: Cheese Party Campaign Headquarters!

We were thrilled to kick off American Cheese Month at the Great American Beer Festival , where ACS staff and volunteers (including several ACS Certified Cheese Professionals®) sampled more than 500 lbs cheese to attendees. See photos from the event below, and check out "Cheese Focus: How American Cheesemakers are Using Craft Beer" by Janet Fletcher for a look at the latest in cheese and beer pairings around the country.


Certification News 
 
2017 Exam Applications
The next ACS CCP® exam will be held on July 26, 2017 in Denver. Applications will be accepted January 6 through March 31, 2017. Anyone who did not pass this year's exam, or who deferred and wishes to take the 2017 exam, will not need to reapply: simply contact Jane Bauer by March 31.

2013 ACS CCPs: Today is Your Last Day to Recertify!
ACS CCPs from the 2013 class need to recertify this year in order to retain their ACS CCP status. Luckily, recertification is easy: details are available here. If you are a 2013 ACS CCP, simply access the Recertification Application, click on "ACS Certified Cheese Professional®," and start your application! October 31 is the last day to recertify. 
Foresight is 2020  
 
It has been a busy time for ACS and its leadership. Wrapping up a successful American Cheese Month, which featured over 100 events and special promotions throughout the country, the Board of Directors came together in Denver last week for a strategic planning retreat. As ideas flew and thinking grew larger, our direction seemed to magically crystallize. Questions of "who we are" aligned with our strong vision statement, "ACS is the leader in supporting and promoting American cheeses." This statement is clear, concise, and still relevant a decade after it was first penned by an earlier group of industry leaders.

This hard work paid off by funneling into four strategic initiative efforts that the ACS team in Denver will now flesh out into tangible, achievable, measurable goals to move our industry forward through 2020:
  1. Infrastructure: ensure that we do what we do as efficiently and transparently as possible 
  2. Content Development and Access: combine high quality education and timely, comprehensive resources with easy access for users
  3. Marketing: clearly communicate who we are, what we do, why we do it, and how it benefits members and our industry
  4. Membership Model: grow membership through an inclusive membership model, with cheesemakers at the hub, that reflects industry stakeholders and supports the way people want to engage today
We are excited to share the details of the ACS Strategic Plan 2020 with all of you in the new year. The plan will be designed with you, our members, in mind, to ensure that we continue to address your needs and meet them well into the future.  
 
All the best,
 
Jeff Jirik and Nora Weiser
President and Executive Director
Thanks for Making American Cheese Month a Success!

Today marks the close of the sixth annual American Cheese Month. We are always impressed by the creative approaches our members bring to this celebration each year. Just a sampling of members' events and special offerings are below; you can find more American Cheese Month celebrations and events listed on the official website or Facebook page, or by searching Twitter and Instagram for #AmericanCheeseMonth. Is your event missing? Let us know how you celebrated!
  • Rogue Creamery donated 1% of all October sales to the American Cheese Education Foundation in honor of American Cheese Month.
  • Marigny Social Club hosted a dinner with a tasting menu featuring Cowgirl Creamery, Rogue Creamery, Jasper Hill Farm, and Hook's Cheese Company.
  • Di Bruno Bros. dedicated a section of the company's website to American Cheese Month, featuring American Originals and award-winners.
  • Zingerman's Creamery offered "Fall for American Cheese," a program highlighting favorite cheeses found at the 2016 ACS Conference.
  • Cheese + Provisions in Denver hosted regionally-themed "cheese tasting bars."
  • Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine celebrated with special retail and restaurant offerings, including an American Artisans Gift Collection.
  • Culpeper Cheese Company hosted "Originals, Impostors, and Interlopers" dedicated to American goat cheese and wine pairings.
  • Food Dance hosted a beer and cheese pairing with Founders Brewing Co.
  • Redhead Creamery hosted a beer and cheese tasting featuring eight wheels of their cheese, each soaked in a different style of beer.
  • Cheese festivals from The Wedge in Portland to the Maine Cheese Festival introduced consumers to new cheeses and the producers who make them.
  • Countless cheese and specialty food retailers across the country celebrated with special tastings, demos, and discounts. There are more than we can list here, but we are thankful for your ongoing support of this great event!

Thank you to everyone who continues to keep American cheese top of mind each October. We wish you all a wonderful start to the busy holiday season! 

  
Victory for The Cheese Party! 

ACS launched the Cheese Party this year to raise the visibility of American artisan and specialty cheese among consumers and industry members, while supporting the work of the American Cheese Education (ACE) Foundation. Funds raised via this campaign will support American cheese research and education -- and there's still time to make a contribution by purchasing Cheese Party gear or making a tax-deductible donation to the ACE Foundation! Visit www.cheeseparty.org to learn more...and watch and share these fun Cheese Party videos, which bring some measure of levity to this contentious election season!
Sodium Reduction: FDA's Voluntary Initiative  

On October 11, Kasey Heintz, MS, Interdisciplinary Scientist, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, presented FDA's current thinking regarding the importance of, and detail on, FDA's Voluntary Sodium Reduction Targets Draft Guidance. Click on the image below to watch the full webinar recording and learn more about the Guidance. Please note that the video is password-protected for members: use password acsmember to view it.

ACS has submitted Comments on the Voluntary Sodium Reduction Targets to the Federal Register. 

 

The Best Whey To Show Your Support for The Cheese Party



It's not too late to showcase your Cheese Party pride! Shirts and bumper stickers with fun campaign-style slogans like "Building a Cheddar Future" and "In Gouda We Trust" are available for sale at www.cheeseparty.org...or you can download free print-at-home Cheese Party campaign posters to hang in your shop, office, or home.

Right now, ACS members will get $5 off the official Cheese Party tee at checkout!

Proceeds from sales benefit the non-profit American Cheese Education Foundation, 



Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
and Blue Cheese Walnut Pesto     

In years past, I have not embraced the pumpkin-y nature of October. Instead I have looked to other foods like artichokes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beets, and chard to satisfy my fall cravings. But this year I decided to walk down the pumpkin-patch road with open arms. This soup is silky and luxurious with just the right amount of sweetness and spice. The blue cheese pesto adds an element of peppery surprise that you will want to put on just about everything. So, if you are like me and have shied away from that good old Halloween staple, stop yourself right now and go make this soup!

Make this recipe, plus find many more from The Cultured Kitchen, here!