Covid-19 has all of us adjusting our business models; scrambling to stay healthy and service our customers. I have suspended my Cheese Plates on the Patio at Blue Haven Bee but wanted to continue to provide Specialty Cheese and other Specialty Foods for my customers here in NE Georgia. I approached the Owners of Blue Haven Bee in Canon, Georgia and Sweet Combs of Honey in Downtown Lavonia with a concept to provide Specialty Foods here in Franklin County.
Blue Haven Bee is a local wine bar in Canon, a popular destination with a pleasant patio overlooking verdant farm land. Sweet Combs of Honey is a local Art Gallery that features many NE Georgia and Upstate South Carolina artists along with Georgia Grown specialty foods. (The Man and I visited Blue Haven and met Monroe in 2014 when we first returned to Georgia to care for Miss Anne and The Tall Guy. You can read about the early days of Blue Haven and beekeeping here.)
Both graciously agreed to hosting my Grab n Go refrigerators’ concept.
Working with Ike Williams ACS CCP at Gourmet Foods International I began formulating a menu that had good price points and provided premium quality. I first tasted Chevoo Goat Cheese at a GFI food show in Atlanta. Lenny Moonsammy was working the Chevoo booth and we had known each other going back to her days at Bellwether Farms. Now, I had an opportunity to bring Chevoo (pronounced sheh-VOO) to the good folks of NE Georgia.
The Owners and Founders of Chevoo moved to the US from Australia and found a niche in the dairy market; creating marinated goat cheese like they enjoyed growing up Down Under. Using the highest quality ingredients, they produce in-house a line of goat cheeses blended with herbs and spices and then marinated in botanical-infused EVOO. Their goat cheese spreads are blended with the same highest quality ingredients to produce a unique line of spreads.
Simone from Chevoo sent along a generous selection of the EVOO-marinated cheeses and spreads for me to sample. Included were four spreads and five EVOO-marinated goat cheeses. Because it is impossible for The Man and me to consume (although we would surely try) all these lovely cheeses, I offered to prepare lunch for the good folks at Blue Haven. I created a grazing table with the goodies from Chevoo (we also enjoyed four cheeses from Hickory Nut Farms which I will review in the near future). It was bottling day at BHB and resident Winemaker, Jabe Hilson, and his daughter joined us for the tasting.
I used these fine cheeses and paired them with some of my other favorite specialty food items including Parmesan Whisps (Eden’s favorite), Kelly’s Jellies and 34 Degrees Crisps along with Sartori Sarvecchio and Danielle Prosciutto, all available from my Grab n Go Refrigerators.
By the end of the lunch, all of the cheese in the EVOO was gone – some eaten on top of the field greens that I dressed with the various infused EVOOs. Everyone was raving!! I baked baguettes for the spreads and they were all consumed as well. With everything being “scarfed up” is all the review needed to attest for the quality of Chevoo products. On top, the attendees fought over who got to take the left over EVOO home… it was a hoot; you know how much fun it is to watch families “interact”.
Here’s a list of the Chevoo goat cheeses and spreads I served(edited from the Chevoo website):
Goat Cheese in EVOO: (The persons mentioned below are owners and employees of Blue Haven)
Dill Pollen & Garlic – Silky goat cheese gently blended with locally harvested dill pollen, in a garlic-infused EVOO blend. (Brianna’s favorite.)
Italian Black Truffle – Italian Black Truffles have been gently folded through this decadent goat cheese. With a delicate earthiness. (Andrew swooned)
Fennel Pollen & Orange – Creamy goat cheese gently blended with fennel pollen, in an orange-infused EVOO blend.
Urfa Chili & Lemon – Velvety goat cheese gently blended with Urfa chili peppers, marinated in a lemon-infused EVOO blend. (My favorite. Enough heat to make it interesting, but not enough to set off alarms.)
Tupelo Honey & Lime – Creamy goat cheese gently blended with Tupelo honey, in a lime-infused EVOO blend.
Goat Cheese Spreads:
Everyday Original Spread – Every Day Original takes silky goat cheese then blends it with robust olive oil and French grey salt, for a creamy smooth upgrade of regular cream cheese.
Country Herb & Garlic Spread – The perfect complement to the Everything Bagel, yet it goes with any savory cracker or crusty bread, Country Herb & Garlic will please guests or make a satisfying solo snack. (Another of Brianna’s favorites.)
Zesty Citrus & Honey Spread – A personal favorite at CHEVOO. This addictive combination of citrus and sweetness is a unique twist you’d never dream up. Zesty Citrus & Honey is sure to be a favorite. (Hillary’s favorite.)
Creamy Black Truffle Spread – A decadent truffle treat, yet light enough to crave daily, Creamy Black Truffle is sure to tempt truffle lovers everywhere, with high quality truffles that can only come from Italy. (This time when Andrew swooned, we almost lost him…)
If you’re not lucky enough to live in Northeast Georgia, you can purchase Chevoo at their website or my Amazon Influencer Storefront.
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In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager with certifications that also include ServSafe Certified Instructor and Proctor. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
Chevoo sent me samples of their goat cheese in oil and goat cheese spreads. They also gifted me a Chevoo cheese board but no other compensation was offered or accepted.
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission from any purchases you make through those links. I thank you for patronizing my store front.
All opinions are solely those of The Man, me and/or Spaulding Gray (2008-2013). In this posting, the opinions of the good folks at Blue Haven Bee are also incorporated.
Some photos courtesy Chevoo Goat Cheese.
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