"tour" news and stories

City slickers at Jasper Hill Farm. Photo: Dimitri Saad

The cows knew something good was going on. There they were, chewing their cud and jamming out to R&B. One was visibly swaying to the beat.

The beasts behind a few of the brilliant cheeses at Vermont's family-owned Jasper Hill Farm and its extraordinary, 22,000-square-foot cheese-aging cave, built right into the earth (one of only two like it in the nation), are up on their current pop for two reasons. As sales and outreach specialist Zoe Brickley told a group of self-proclaimed dairy enthusiasts, it's both because "the barn boys like it" and because the cows do: "If cows are stressed out, their production goes down. Happy, contented cows are best for milk quality."

Jasper Hill seems intent upon making its fellow cheesemakers happy and contented too, by providing aging facilities for 10 to 12 farmers throughout New England. With their enormous cave, they have recreated an atmosphere that has been "historically used" to create cheese, which is a boon for many local cheesemakers, who traditionally had to rely essentially upon tricked-out refrigerators. Owned by two couples (brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler), Jasper Hill is helping keep artisanal cheese alive in New England, and sustaining some of the top fromagers in the country.

After the jump, how they do it and a look at the caves and aging process.

According to the popular blog TV Squad, Top Chef has plans embark on a national tour.

The tour will begin June 21, and pass through 20 cities. A few cheftestants will be present in every city, offering cooking demonstrations, food tastings, and tips to their adoring public. Check out the more info from the press release here, plus a schedule of the tour after the jump.

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Are you a chocolate lover with nothing to do this weekend? Well, perhaps a chocolate tour would be fun.

The Los Angeles Times Daily Travel Blog brought us a post about chocolate tours in some cities. San Francisco was the first one mentioned, but you can also find tours in Boston, New York, Seattle, and Chicago. Unfortunately, but understandably, the tours are limited to big cities.

If you're going to be in one of these places this weekend, or plan on it in the future, maybe looking into a chocolate tour would be something to think about. I'm going to be in San Francisco this summer, and I'll definitely be on that tour.

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TurnHere is a media company that has videos that try to capture the real essence of their subjects, which range from "insider" tours of neighborhoods around the country and the world and tips on activities and restaurants. Basically, they're short films on where to go, what to do and why you would want to do it.

The restaurant and food videos are particularly interesting (of course) because video review/tour of a restaurant can show you so much more than just a photo or written review can. Many of the restaurant videos include interviews with customers, chefs and shop owners. Some of the videos are sponsored and some are not, but even the sponsored ones seem much more "real" than anything you'd see on the Food Network. For a preview, check out a guide to the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley, a look at Canter's Deli in Los Angeles and the all-dessert restaurant ChikaLicious in New York.

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The New York Times recently featured a story about the tastings and tours offered by several California olive farms. Located mostly around Napa, many of these olive-growing, olive-oil-producing farms allow visitors to check out their facilities and sample what they produce. The article also gives some insight into the blend of old and new technology involved in harvesting olives and creating a variety of nuanced oils. There's also talk of the proper way to taste olive oil, which, if done correctly involves lots of slurping and coughing.

[Photo: Peter DaSilva/NYT]