Cheese Boot Camp

Murray's Cheese (NYC) recently held its first Cheese U Bootcamp--an intense 3-day course filled with lectures, demonstrations and tastings. The 15-hour course covers the history of cheesemaking, the flavor characteristics of every family of cheese, the aging process, the chemistry of cheese, a cheesemaking demonstration, and pairing cheeses with wine and beer.

This serious course of study is intended for serious cheese enthusiasts, chefs, culinary students, restaurant owners or anyone else who wants to have a strong foundation in the world of cheese. The Cheese U Boot Camp includes suggested readings, optional take home assignments, a final exam, and even a graduation certificate. The cost is $495.

Murray's also offers a slate of less intense, less expensive ($50), one-night cheese courses that cover the basics of cheese, wine and cheese pairing and a variety of other interesting topics. In March, New York magazine designated these courses as NYC's best post-secondary education opportunities. The third Saturday of every month they also offer $10 tours of their underground cheese caves for those interested in the process of cheese aging. The next time I'm in NYC, I'm going to try to work one of these classes into my schedule.