The Alpine regions of France and Switzerland are paved with wheels of cheese—let Formaggio Kitchen be your guide.
How do you know you’re in the Jura region of France? Just listen for the faint ringing of cowbells. Miles of green pastures house the beginnings of the most widely eaten cheese in France—Comté. In June, Formaggio Kitchen (formaggiokitchen.com) is inviting turophiles to experience this world of cheese firsthand with a 12-day visit to the Alps (registration ends May 20). “This opportunity is unheard of,” says Formaggio Kitchen South End’s imports manager David Robinson, who is co-hosting the trip with Anna Juhl, founder and CEO of Cheese Journeys (cheesejourneys.com). You’re getting an opportunity to see a side of life in France and Switzerland that people just don’t get a chance to see, and that’s really special.”
Attendees can learn and experience methods of cheesemaking that have essentially stayed the same for hundreds of years.
The journey begins on June 14 in Geneva before guests depart for the Jura region. In between nibbles of local meats and cheeses, a visit to the “Comté Cathedral” (Fort Saint-Antoine) will give visitors a look inside the premier cheese cave that boasts over 100,000 90-pound wheels. “To me, it’s where the heart of French cheesemaking really is,” notes Robinson. “It’s this abandoned fort, and when you walk in, you’re basically underground. You couldn’t design a cheese cave better than this.” To further immerse travelers in the region, Robinson and Juhl arranged memorable experiences like wine and liquor tastings, a private vineyard picnic, candlelit dinner and cowbell-making demonstration.
Attendees will receive a private tour of Fort Saint-Antoine, which is not open to the public, where they can meet a team of cave masters and learn how they age, rate and rotate their inventory.
Kodak moments continue in Switzerland’s Vaud Alps where guests, with renowned cheesemaker Blaise Chablaix, see the process of L’Étivaz Alpage cheesemaking. Throughout the adventure, savor fondue on the hillside, visit the village of Gruyères, indulge in a Michelin-star meal, enjoy cooking demonstrations, a leisurely boat day at Lake Annecy, picnics in the Bauges Mountains and more. Just be sure to take it all in.
During the trip, Robinson will host a cheese education class.
“I hope [the guests] will develop an appreciation for what it means to make a product like [these cheeses] because there’s so much work involved,” shares Robinson. “We’re talking about traditions and methods that have virtually gone unchanged for hundreds of years, and people are good at it.” After each day, rest your head at Chateau St. Philippe, a 1,000-year-old hotel in Saint-Jean-de-la-Porte, France. The occasional free afternoon invites you to explore the grounds, curl up in the library with a good book and lounge by the outdoor pool overlooking Mont Blanc. La vie est belle
Photography by: COURTESY OF CHEESE JOURNEYS; DONTSTOP/ISTOCK
