Culture Exchange
Utah food artisans in a wide variety of fields have been honored internationally, nationally and locally—and now it's time for cheese to take center stage. The first annual Utah Cheese Awards hopes to draw attention to the state's thriving cottage industry of folks applying the art and science of creating cheese. Launched by artist/entrepreneur Steve Jerman—you might know him as the designer of the Downtown Farmers Market logo—created the event after his own four-month "internship" working at Cache Valley's Rockhill Creamery inspired him to draw attention to Utah cheese-making. While judging on the 69 entries from 16 companies was completed in August, the winners will be revealed at the Expo-Fest on Oct. 28, 3:30-9:30 p.m. at Church & State (370 S. 300 East), which is free and open to the public; a $5 skip-the-line reserved ticket is available at select vendors. Enjoy live music and cheese samples, plus goodies from other exhibitors including City Weekly's sister publication, Devour. Visit utahcheeseawards.wordpress.com for more details.

Dairy-Free Mac
The Utah Cheese Awards aren't the only upcoming event where you can enjoy cheesiness—or at least the vegan-friendly non-dairy equivalent. Factory Farming Awareness Coalition sponsors the 2017 Vegan Mac Down at Impact Hub Salt Lake (150 S. State) on Oct. 21, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Participating chefs from local restaurants—including Zest, The Big O Doughnuts, Seasons Plant Based Bistro and Piper Down—present their best for those who want the comfort-food joy of mac & cheese without any animal products. Attendees get a chance to sample all the offerings and vote for the winning recipe, be entered in a raffle for free prizes, plus taste food from several additional local vegan vendors, all while enjoying live music by Josaleigh Pollett. Tickets are $8 per person; visit bit.ly/2gAyMPu for more.

Quote of the Week: "Give me a good sharp knife and a good sharp cheese, and I'm a happy man." —George R.R. Martin

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