Now in its fifth year, Cheese Journeys offers insider access to explore the world of cheese and other specialty foods that no other tour can provide. While Cheese Journeys founder, Anna Juhl, and her team of experts often take travelers to Europe, their first East Coast getaway will be to Philadelphia and Chester County, PA.
Cheese-loving travelers will spend Labor Day weekend exploring and tasting Chester County and Philadelphia’s rich bounty of fine cheeses, artisan spirits, local beers and wines and farm-to-table cuisine as Cheese Journeys brings its unique mix of culture, craft and luxury travel to Pennsylvania for its first-ever East Coast Cheese Journey on September 1–4.
Co-hosted by writer and cheese maven Tenaya Darlington, a.k.a. Madame Fromage, and Cheese Journeys founder and CEO Anna Juhl, this carefully curated trip combines the perfect blend of city and country in what will surely be an unforgettable food travel experience. Local artisans, chefs and experts will lead intimate, custom tours and tastings in both Philadelphia, one of the country’s top culinary destinations and the center of a thriving cheese scene, and throughout the rolling hills of Chester County, a region with deep agricultural and dairying traditions and some of the finest farmland in the country. The gorgeous Inn at Grace Winery, situated on 50 acres in the Brandywine Valley, will be the peaceful home-away-from-home for Cheese Journeys travelers throughout the Pennsylvania trip.
“I fell in love with the people and the food culture of Philadelphia the first time I met up with Tenaya and Emilio Mignucci, owner of the legendary DiBruno Bros. specialty food store, several years ago. The city’s food culture is diverse and authentic, and the beautiful farms and rolling hills of Chester County remind me of the rural countryside where I grew up in the Midwest. I knew then it would become an obvious choice for an American Cheese Journey,” says Juhl, whose five-year-old company, Cheese Journeys, is based in New York City and operates internationally.
“Chester County is Pennsylvania’s Loire Valley. With its fertile soils and lush pastures, it’s become a hub of cheesemaking on the East Coast and a stunning place to visit,” adds Darlington. “I’ve spent the last decade exploring the many creameries around Philadelphia, and I can’t wait to share these experiences with the guests on this Cheese Journey. Anna Juhl creates exquisite itineraries, and this long weekend will be nothing short of a feast for the senses.”
Over four deliciously decadent days, travelers will discover the traditions, innovations and passion that distinguish the region’s exceptional cheese and artisan food offerings. Highlights include visits to two of the area’s celebrated cheesemakers, Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm and Tom Schaer of Meadowset Farm; a private meet and tasting with the cheesemakers from the award-winning Farm at Doe Run; a “Cheese Festival” at Artisan Exchange as local artisans will create a cheese-themed experience in honor of the visit; dinner at the nationally acclaimed Talula’s Table; and a private after-hours event at DiBruno Bros. during which the expert cheesemongers will create unique pairing concoctions especially for the Cheese Journeys group.
While cheese is at the heart of the trip, the journey is also an opportunity to get to know other local artisan products and their talented creators. Guests will tour and meet the owner of Rowhouse Spirits, a tiny artisan distillery that has emerged as a standout in Philadelphia’s craft spirits scene; sit down to a special tea and sweets tasting with tea expert Alexis Simons; visit food portrait artist Mike Geno’s gallery of luscious paintings; meet third-generation Phillips sisters at their namesake mushroom facility, Woodlands at Phillips; enjoy a tour and tasting at Victory Brewing Company’s newest state-of-the-art facility; experience a woodcarving demo at the studio of woodworker and designer John Luttman; and tap into Madame Fromage’s food photography and cocktail expertise during a workshop and hands-on cooking demo with Grace Winery’s chef.
The region’s local, seasonal food ethos is reflected in this meticulously planned itinerary, distinctive accommodations and stunning menus, all hallmarks of international Cheese Journeys to France and England, which have been inspiring travelers since 2013. Visit Cheese Journeys for more details on the September 2017 Philadelphia and Chester County Getaway and upcoming international cheese travel.
- Photos: Cheese Chick Productions
