Bless those marketing budgets that are funding more and more free public pop ups for you and I to enjoy. The Cheeses of France Marketing Council is putting plenty of cheddar behind a cheese tour that’s meant to convince you of the udder deliciousness of French cows. Forget Spain, the Americas, those low-lying Netherlands next time you’re in the cheese aisle. French cows have the tastiest milk.

Need proof? We’ve got proof. Saturday, Oct. 22, the Cheeses of France Pop-Up Cafe is taking over Openhouse Gallery with dozens of cheeses and a Top Chef. Contestant Ash Fulk, the 31-year-old California native and chef at Hill Country Chicken, will be on hand to prepare classic American dishes with French flair for guests to sample. Let’s whet the palate a bit: Camembert and brie grilled cheeses; BLT with comte; croissants with morbier, chaource and Saint Nectaire; mac + cheese with comte and mimolette; egg pie with beaufort; dips with blue cheese and camembert.

All the while, you’ll be sipping on some wine – sample size, not glass size, but presumably from France as well – and flagging down servers for endless bites of cheesy goodness. Expand your cheese horizons and impress future dinner guests by saying, “Yes, I’ve had St. Andre, St. Albret, St. Agur, St. Felicien, Les Gourmandises au Kirsch, Les Gourmandieses au Noix and Chevre au piment d’Espelette all in one day.”

That day is coming, so mark your calendars with a red, white and blue flag. Saturday, Oct 22 from 11a-7p is an ode to French cheese at Openhouse.

Start getting hungry with Cheeses of France on Facebook + Twitter
Join Ash Fulk on Facebook + Twitter
Be part of the Openhouse Gallery crew on Facebook + Twitter for the most pop ups on earth, exclusive invites and definitely pictures of cheese.

Greg Spielberg | October 11 2011
greg@openhousegallery.org