5th Chocolate & Cheese Festival: Blending a Pinch of Science with a Dash of Art

Premier handcrafted chocolates and cheeses were once imported to the U.S. by only the most discriminating food-crafters across Europe. Luckily, things change and today Utah and surrounding regions are home to a growing number of talented, award-winning food artisans, many of whom will be showcasing their products at this year’s Chocolate and Cheese Festival, presented by the Natural History Museum of Utah, at the Rio Tinto Center, Saturday and Sunday, March 24 – 25, 2018, from 10am to 5pm.

Andy Mueller, National wholesale Director for Beehive Cheese in Ogden, Utah, says “The Chocolate and Cheese Festival has always been a great way to showcase our artisan cheese in front of a crowd who appreciates what we do. It's one of the best events of the year, and we always look forward to participating!”

It's become one of the Museum’s most popular events and the perfect opportunity for families, friends and members of the community to meet and talk with local artisans, taste their amazing creations and lend support by spreading the word and purchasing a delicacy or two to enjoy at home.

Using fresh, natural high-quality ingredients lovingly created by hand or with traditional processes is just part of what distinguishes small-batch food artisans from typical mass food producers. They are also part artist, part scientist, who experiment, tweak and fuss about with ingredients and techniques day after day and year after year. Theirs is a quality over quantity business model that seems to be resonating more and more with health-conscious consumers around the globe.

According to DeAnn Wallin, one of the passionate owners behind Solstice Chocolates in Murray, Utah, “The most rewarding thing about being a craft/artisan/bean-to-bar chocolate maker [is that] I love seeing the joy chocolate brings to people, especially as they discover and explore everything artisan chocolate has to offer. It’s a world of its own.”

This year festivalgoers looking to treat their taste buds and pick up some practical tips to use at home can sign-up online for one of the mouth-watering workshops taking place in addition to the main festival happening in the Museum’s expansive Canyon area.

Workshop dabblers can investigate the art of pairing chocolate with the perfectly flavored cheese, discover the history of Burrata, a unique cream-filled mozzarella or taste their way through a history of chocolate makers and flavors from around the world. Visit the event web page at https://nhmu.utah.edu/events/2018-chocolate-cheese-festival to register for workshops, for a complete list of vendors and for additional festival information.

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About the Natural History Museum of Utah

The Natural History Museum of Utah is a premier scientific research and cultural institution. It opened to the public in 1969 and moved into a spectacular, award winning new home in 2011. The Museum’s 30 scientists oversee active field research programs throughout Utah, and elsewhere, and help care for natural history collections of more 1.6 million objects. The Museum offers innovative exhibitions and educational programs to thousands of residents and visitors each year, including timely and interactive temporary and permanent exhibits, numerous special events and other programs. The Museum reaches 450,000 people annually, at the Rio Tinto Center and in communities and classrooms statewide.