That's so cheesy

Cheese Master Martin Melendez puts Canadore Chef Daniel Esposito to work Friday as they demonstrate the fine art of cheese making.

From Gouda to Gorgonzola dairy is a $30 billion industry in Canada and according to Agriculture Canada (2004) 459 million kilos of cheese is consumed by Canadians annually. While the subject may be a cheesy one Canadore Hospitality students were treated to an invaluable lesson Friday as they learned firsthand the fundamentals of making one of the country’s favourite foods.

For over 68 years Thornloe Cheese in Thornloe, Ontario has been producing cheese products in Northern Ontario using old-fashioned cheese making techniques with the fresh milk produced by dairy farmers in the region.

Thornloe Cheese Factory’s professional Cheese Master Martin Melendez stopped by the campus on College Drive to test Chef Daniel Esposito abilities while demonstrating the age old art of cheese making.

Members of the North Bay Northern Lights Culinary Association also got in on the action by taking notes and sampling Melendez’s wares with the students.

Melendez demonstrated that if the students wanted to impress friends and family they could whip up a quick batch of soft cheese, however, he stressed that truly good quality cheese is a time consuming process that requires good organic ingredients.