A la Mode on the Road: New York State Dairy Tour

Just before the holidays, I had the chance to take my very first press trip, sponsored by the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council.  My charge was to head on up to the Finger Lakes region of New York State to experience local food, wine – and of course – dairy.  It was a weekend of locavore love, social media camaraderie, picturesque scenery and, as you can imagine, LOTS of milk, yogurt and cheese products!

Thanks to the folks at Chevy, I was able to #DrivetheDistrict in a cherry red Impala, which made for a smooth and comfortable ride for my travel companion – my dear friend Adriana – and me.  Our six-hour trek took us through Western New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Upstate New York with long stretches of highway made all the more enjoyable by gorgeous peak foliage and a never-ending Beatles playlist.

Of course, there were the obligatory stops at Cracker Barrel and Krispy Kreme Donuts.  Because it’s just plain sacrilege to NOT stop at one or both when on a road trip, yes?

I’ve posted here on the blog my unwavering love of Greek yogurt and all things cheese, as well as my commitment to using organic milk products whenever I can.  So when the opportunity arose to get the inside scoop on how some of my favorite dairy products were made, I was ready to get mooo-ving (sorry, couldn’t resist.)

We arrived late on a Friday night and settled in to our two-story townhouse suite at the Geneva on the Lake resort.  It look me a night of getting used to sleeping without a TV in my room and adjusting to the rural “quiet,” which posed challenging for this city/suburban gal.

The next morning, we were able to take in the full bounty of the gorgeous villa that was Geneva on the Lake in the daylight.  The grounds were well-maintained, and the views, just breathtaking. For those of you interested in architecture and history, Geneva On The Lake was built in 1914 as a private home. Modeled after Villa Lancellotti in Frascati, Italy, its interior includes Italian marble fireplaces, wall tapestries, Ionic columns and wood-coffered ceilings. The villa later became a monastery, and then, in 1981, an elegant small resort.  And over the course of our weekend, we got to explore different pockets of this historic treasure for various meals and events.

Following a continental breakfast in the Lancellotti Dining Room overlooking Seneca Lake, we boarded a bus to head on over to Cornell University in nearby Ithaca, for an Ivy League education on the latest happenings in the dairy industry within New York State, brought to us by some fine folks of the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council.

We spent a few hours at Cornell, first touring The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’  (CALS) test kitchens and bottling facilities – where we got to sample Cornell-made ice cream, ice milk and frozen yogurt, along with their very own Big Red Cheddar, a proprietary recipe made exclusively on campus at Cornell.

It was then time to head to the lecture hall, for a series of presentations on New York State’s important role in the dairy industry.

It was fun to learn about the “Yogurt Boom” and get a hands-on lesson on what makes Swiss-style yogurt different from Greek yogurt (in the former, fermentation occurs in a tank, is stirred, cooled then packaged, while Greek yogurt is fermented then strained usually via a separator, smoothed then filled.)

And it was also pretty neat to hear about how Cornell is leading the way in reinvigorating the New York State cheese market, which is largely predominated by California or Wisconsin.  By partnering with one of my FAVORITE supermarkets – Wegmans – on a three-year pilot program, Cornell’s food science team is hoping to bolster training in artisanal cheese making throughout the state.  That means that you’ll begin to see highlighted New York State cheese products in select Wegmans’ stores that were actively supported by the Cornell food science group.

Our last presentation was by David R. Just, Associate Professor of the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, who shared some interesting findings regarding ways New York State is encouraging healthy eating across state-wide lunchrooms, and the role Cornell has played in championing the cause.  It was fascinating to see how behavioral psychology can coax school children to make better food choices in the cafeteria – from presenting apples and oranges in fruit bowls opposed to stainless steel bowls to stacking white milk in arm’s reach, with chocolate milk harder to get to.

After an in-lecture lunch (and some cheese sampling!), we re-boarded the bus to visit the Cornell Dairy Plant, and met with a local farmer and Cornell student who helps to run the plant.

Then it was back to Geneva on the Lake for a little rest to gear up for a New York State wine and cheese pairing cocktail hour followed by a locavore’s dream dinner in the candlelit Lancellotti Dining Room.

Our wine and cheese pairing consisted of local cheeses from area artisanal cheese maker, Muranda Cheese Company, and and wines from Anthony Road Wine Company…who also comes down to NYC Farmer’s Markets on a regular basis (that’s quite a hike from upstate NY!) We sipped and savored while a fireplace crackled in the background, which made for a lovely prelude to the gourmand experience awaiting us in the dining room.

Here was the dinner menu:

There’s nothing I love more than a well-rounded dining experience. Of course, there was the food – the fresh, local ingredients, and the gourmet touches like the roasted garlic compounded butter on my aged filet and the mascarpone cinnamon whipped cream that accented my pumpkin cheesecake. But it was also made amazing by the exquisite setting and the fun companionship – my dear friend Adriana, my blogger buddies.

We laughed, we ate, we drank. Rinse and repeat for four courses.

The Gourmand Mom completely wowed me with the story of her 4-year-old son’s Indian dinner-themed birthday party.  I was thrilled to pieces to meet Mommy Delicious in person and dine with my social media buddies Cindy of Whatever Works, Terry of Cook’s Tour and Clarissa of The Posh Parent,.   And what a treat to spend a rural weekend with SOUP-er star, Serena Norr, who I typically see only at blogger events in the city.

Overall, it was a terrific weekend that opened my mind to dairy-related issues, fed my need for culinary adventure and introduced me to some new friends.

And a special thanks to the folks at Cabot who sent over a big box of love upon my return home!

Where will my next adventure take me?  Be on the look out for more from a la mode on the road in the year ahead!

oxox

-mom a la mode

{My trip was sponsored by American Dairy Association & Dairy Council.  Meals, lodging and travel expenses were covered as part of this trip.  A car was provided to me for the weekend by GM.  All opinions expressed here are solely my own.}