A Taste of Terroir (In Person)
It is one of our favorite times of year, Anniversary Week. Each year we celebrate the day we opened our doors and started spreading joy through cheese. We are so excited to celebrate our 12th birthday! This year we will be celebrating with a special event series: A Taste of Terroir. Terroir is the set of unique local conditions including the soil, topography, weather, and vegetation where a product is grown, harvested or produced. We will be celebrating the diverse land that creates the ever-evolving flavors of products we know and love. Each event will feature a producer who is a master at their craft and local to Austin (Each event will be held In-Person at our Cheese House, 500 Park Blvd; from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.).
Saturday, 2/5 - Cheese & Wine with Southold Cellars
Regan and Carey Meador established Southold Farm + Cellar on the North Fork of Long Island in 2014, then were lured by the charms of Gillespie County and Fredericksburg culture to relocate the winery & vineyard to Texas in 2017. Speaking of terroir, their sole mission is to "make wines that speak of place and time, that thrill and delight our friends, family and ourselves." To capture that ethic in a bottle, Southold embraces the unique conditions of each season – consciously circumventing stylistic emulations of other regions or forced consistency.
Sunday, 2/6 - Cheese & Coffee with Cuvee Coffee
Cuvée started as an experiment in craft – one that continues to this day. It began in 1998, when Mike McKim began building a direct-trade network to ensure higher quality & more consistent access to coveted coffee varietals. It continued into a world-class lab in Austin, where every roast is custom-dialed to enhance the terroir of each unique bean. More recently, curiosity led Mike & Co. to pioneer Nitro Cold Brew in a widget-activated Nitro can. And then, of course, they went ahead and built the world’s coolest cold brewery. The tinkering never ceases – and we are HERE for it!
Monday, 2/7 - Cheese & Chocolate with Madhu
"Madhu" is named for co-founder Harshit Gupta's mother, a well-loved cook. In Hindi it means 'Honey' or 'Sweet.' Gupta & Madhu partner Elliott Curelop started in their Austin kitchen, experimenting with combining flavors of Indian cuisine with their favorite sweet: chocolate. In 2017, they began to release their perfected creations, made with Fair Trade cacao sourced from the Tumaco region of Colombia. In Austin, they roast, crack, winnow, grind, flavor, temper and wrap all their bars by hand. The layers of terroir run deep, and take our intuitions of combining cheese & chocolate into delightfully unexpected territory.
Tuesday, 2/8 - Cheese & Honey with Two Hives Honey
When West Texas-raised Tara Chapman got the beekeeping bug, a 2015 Austin Food & Wine Alliance grant helped launch her vision: Two Hives Honey. With a goal of keeping bees localized to their native hives, and without additives like high fructose corn syrup or paraffin wax, Two Hives wrangles neighborhood micro-apiaries managed by unlikely beekeepers all across Central Texas. With deep reflections of seasonality & terroir, Tara's dream of micro-apiaries truly captures the unique tastes of Texas. "Every neighborhood in Austin should have its own honey," Tara says. And so it is!
Wednesday, 2/9 - Cheese & Mezcal with Susto Mezcal
Susto Mezcal, a project from Grupo Compadres, is the evolution of a long-standing friendship between two families in Austin, TX, and one in Oaxaca. The five partners began serious conversations about launching a mezcal that honored the craftsmanship of mezcaleros, while presenting the unique terroir of mezcal to Texas & beyond. They partnered with mezcalero Crispín Perez in 2017, a respected Oaxacan master mezcalero exclusively utilizing espadín joven agave, and Susto Mezcal officially came to life!
Thursday, 2/10 - Cheese & Wine with Wine for the People
Wine for the People is helmed by winemaker Rae Wilson, a food & wine industry veteran with roots as a sommelier. Her wines are made from 100% Texas fruit and showcase the breadth of the state's distinctive terroir. Based in Texas since 2005, Rae learned winemaking in Napa Valley and Portugal, and upon a return to Austin, established Wine For the People. The winemaker's three labels (Dandy Rosé, The Grower Project & La Valentía) reflect their philosophy: wine should convey a sense of place. Truly – a new generation of Texas wines.
Friday, 2/11 - Our Birthday! An Evening with John & Kendall Antonelli
Celebrating the 12th(!) anniversary of opening Antonelli's Cheese Shop, this annual event illustrates the vibrant path of proprietors John & Kendall Antonelli through a one-of-a-kind tasting journey. In 2010, the newlyweds (former CPA John, and human rights advocate Kendall) radically changed course to live their passions, with a goal of nourishing and giving back to their community. At this standalone event, John & Kendall personally welcome you into the turn-of-the-century Cheese House to guide you through their story – as told with cheeses (and curated food pairings!) that represent milestones, epiphanies, and treasured discoveries along the way.
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Expect each tasting to be about 1 hour and a half, followed by the opportunity to purchase the cheese & sundries you tasted and have them brought to your seat! We look forward to getting cheese-y with you!
This item is NOT available for shipping.
Please note that event tickets are non-refundable. Tickets may be exchanged for store credit / event tickets of equal value if given 48 hours notice.
In accordance with local guidelines, masks are highly encouraged but optional for both guests and hosts.
If you are feeling unwell on the day of the event, please let us know and we are happy to rebook you!
Our event hosts have access to free and rapid Covid testing to help ensure their safety and the safety of their guests.
Our public cheese classes are ideal for 1-7 people.
If you are coming with a group and would like to be seated together, please purchase all of the tickets together.
Please respect our event hosts’ goal to create a positive and unforgettable experience for all attendees. If your group is loud or disruptive, our event hosts will give you a warning. If they must address you a second time, you will be asked to leave the event with no refund given.
If you would like to have the whole space for your group, inquire about a private event booking!
We will do our best to accommodate allergies. Please note your allergy in the booking comments.
Note that Antonelli’s does not currently carry or offer Vegan Cheeses for classes.
On our tasting plates, we often offer a mix of both pasteurized and unpasteurized cheeses.
Antonelli’s Cheese is not a certified nut or gluten free facility.
Unless specifically listed as a 'family' event, we ask that all guests for in-person events be 13 years or older.
Please note that class content is often catered for an adult audience and the majority of class time is structured tasting and guided instruction with some breaks for socializing.