2008 Seattle Cheese Festival

Chef Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez, co-owner of the Harvest Vine, gives at cooking seminar and talks about his special asparagus sauce.

Friends, (from right) Erin Dillon, Dost Bardouille and Katie Paul, enjoy the cheese during the festival.

The fourth annual Seattle Cheese Festival was well underway on May 17, 2008. The festival featured cooking demonstrations from local chefs including Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez, the owner of the Harvest Vine; tastings from a variety of Washington vineyards, and others.

The lack of melted cheese in the record-setting, 90-degree temperature was testament to the number of people that attended the festival. I had never seen that many people in the market, prior to this event.

This event was a definite treat as it made me aware of the variety and taste of the local fare, and represented a nice introduction to the taste of Seattle for this food-loving, new Midwestern “transplant.”

It was also a nice way to enjoy the culture of this great city. The people that I met were really warm, friendly and fun loving

Seattle Cheese Festival

As I did the “tourist” stroll through Pike Place Market yesterday, I noticed a workman hanging the banner for the upcoming fourth annual Seattle Cheese Festival scheduled for May 17-18. With no set plans for the upcoming weekend, I  thought this would be a perfect opportunity for taking people photos and to have some cheese.

I did a little bit of research and found that this was the fourth year that the Cheese Festival was returning to Seattle. There are over 250 cheeses that will be available for tasting along with educational seminars, chef demos, and wine tasting.

I have heard that the weather is supposed to be great, but I’ve learned that the only sure thing about Seattle weather is that it’s unpredictable.