Level 1
Associate
Mode
Classroom
Trainer
Cheese Coach | Level One Certification at Churchtown Dairy
About
Why Choose This Course?
Your Cheese Expertise Recognised
Sharon Ruwart, longtime cheese educator known as Cheese Coach, offers the Level One Academy of Cheese Associate Certification course at venues in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. This full day workshop will introduce you to the special characteristics of artisan cheese, from the pasture to the plate. Sharon will lead you through the entire cheesemaking process in an interactive, entertaining way. You’ll take home an Academy Delegate Pack with all the information you need to take the Associate Exam on your own time, or simply to refer to as you continue to explore artisan cheese. The course price also includes 12 months’ access to the Academy’s Online Learning Road of rich resource material.
Level One Cheese Course Churchtown class flyer FINAL
What makes this course distinctive?
This Level 1 course is taught at Churchtown Dairy: 250 acres of biodynamic farmland in the historic Hudson Valley, home to a working herd, an on-site creamery, and an aging cave.
At Churchtown, the classroom, farm and dairy are steps apart. Over the course of the day, participants visit the herd and observe a milking, view the creamery equipment through the dairy window, and see firsthand where and how the farm’s cheeses are made. This unique setting brings the journey from pasture to plate to life in a way no ordinary classroom can.
Back in the classroom, each module will be presented in an engaging way with active tasting, lively discussion and interactive learning that sticks. Sharon uses the stories behind the cheese — the people, the animals, the places — to bring the whole process to life.
What’s included
– Full-day instruction with Sharon Ruwart, Academy of Cheese Fellow and official US training partner
– Tasting of over a dozen iconic cheeses from around the world, plus cheese from the farm
– A visit to the Churchtown herd and observation of a milking, plus a view into the working creamery
– A vegetarian lunch made with local, artisanal ingredients
– The official Academy of Cheese printed course materials
– One year of access to the Academy’s online course materials — everything you need to know for the Level 1 exam
– Level 1 exam fee
– All Academy study hours count toward American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) education requirements
About the optional exam: After the course and your own self-study, you may choose to sit the Academy of Cheese Level 1 online exam. Taken at your own pace, it earns you the Associate designation upon passing.
Course benefits at a glance
Official Academy of Cheese Level One Content
A full day of immersive, classroom-style learning that prepares students for the Academy of Cheese Level One assessment. Delegates will leave with the official Academy Delegate Pack.
Taste Exceptional Cheeses
Experience a guided professional tasting of 12 carefully selected cheeses.
Unique Venue
Churchtown Dairy brings the journey from pasture to plate to life in a way no ordinary classroom can.
Audience
Who is the course for?
If you work in the industry — as a cheesemonger, cheesemaker, dairy farmer, distributor, affineur, or retailer — this rigorous course leads you to an internationally recognized credential, building on the knowledge you already have.
If you’re a passionate artisan cheese enthusiast who wants to understand what happens between the pasture and the plate, this course gives you the knowledge and confidence to purchase, present and enjoy cheese like an expert.
If you’re ready to go deep into cheese, this course is for you.
Cheese Lovers
Food Lovers
Cheese Retail Assistants & Managers
Chefs & Front of House
Sommeliers
What Will I Learn?
This Level 1 course will introduce the nine modules covered by the Academy of Cheese Associate exam. Sharon will go deep on the topics most alive at Churchtown, and ensure every participant knows their way around the rest for self-study.
Milk Production and Cheesemaking
Maturing, Affinage & Grading
Buying & Distribution
Presenting & Serving Cheese
Communicating About Cheese
Cheese Industry Knowledge
Regulation & Good Practice
Iconic Cheeses
A deep dive into the 25 iconic cheeses on the Level 1 exam — tasting over a dozen throughout the day, using the Academy’s Structured Approach to Tasting Cheese (SATC) framework
Gallery
Gallery
Training Partner
The Cheese Coach
Certified executive coach and Academy of Cheese Fellow, helping enthusiasts & cheese industry professionals meet their cheese goals.
About
Why Choose This Course?
Your Cheese Expertise Recognised
Sharon Ruwart, longtime cheese educator known as Cheese Coach, offers the Level One Academy of Cheese Associate Certification course at venues in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. This full day workshop will introduce you to the special characteristics of artisan cheese, from the pasture to the plate. Sharon will lead you through the entire cheesemaking process in an interactive, entertaining way. You’ll take home an Academy Delegate Pack with all the information you need to take the Associate Exam on your own time, or simply to refer to as you continue to explore artisan cheese. The course price also includes 12 months’ access to the Academy’s Online Learning Road of rich resource material.
Level One Cheese Course Churchtown class flyer FINAL
What makes this course distinctive?
This Level 1 course is taught at Churchtown Dairy: 250 acres of biodynamic farmland in the historic Hudson Valley, home to a working herd, an on-site creamery, and an aging cave.
At Churchtown, the classroom, farm and dairy are steps apart. Over the course of the day, participants visit the herd and observe a milking, view the creamery equipment through the dairy window, and see firsthand where and how the farm’s cheeses are made. This unique setting brings the journey from pasture to plate to life in a way no ordinary classroom can.
Back in the classroom, each module will be presented in an engaging way with active tasting, lively discussion and interactive learning that sticks. Sharon uses the stories behind the cheese — the people, the animals, the places — to bring the whole process to life.
What’s included
– Full-day instruction with Sharon Ruwart, Academy of Cheese Fellow and official US training partner
– Tasting of over a dozen iconic cheeses from around the world, plus cheese from the farm
– A visit to the Churchtown herd and observation of a milking, plus a view into the working creamery
– A vegetarian lunch made with local, artisanal ingredients
– The official Academy of Cheese printed course materials
– One year of access to the Academy’s online course materials — everything you need to know for the Level 1 exam
– Level 1 exam fee
– All Academy study hours count toward American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) education requirements
About the optional exam: After the course and your own self-study, you may choose to sit the Academy of Cheese Level 1 online exam. Taken at your own pace, it earns you the Associate designation upon passing.
Course benefits at a glance
Official Academy of Cheese Level One Content
A full day of immersive, classroom-style learning that prepares students for the Academy of Cheese Level One assessment. Delegates will leave with the official Academy Delegate Pack.
Taste Exceptional Cheeses
Experience a guided professional tasting of 12 carefully selected cheeses.
Unique Venue
Churchtown Dairy brings the journey from pasture to plate to life in a way no ordinary classroom can.
Training Partner
The Cheese Coach
Certified executive coach and Academy of Cheese Fellow, helping enthusiasts & cheese industry professionals meet their cheese goals.
Audience
Who is the course for?
If you work in the industry — as a cheesemonger, cheesemaker, dairy farmer, distributor, affineur, or retailer — this rigorous course leads you to an internationally recognized credential, building on the knowledge you already have.
If you’re a passionate artisan cheese enthusiast who wants to understand what happens between the pasture and the plate, this course gives you the knowledge and confidence to purchase, present and enjoy cheese like an expert.
If you’re ready to go deep into cheese, this course is for you.
Cheese Lovers
Food Lovers
Cheese Retail Assistants & Managers
Chefs & Front of House
Sommeliers
What Will I Learn?
This Level 1 course will introduce the nine modules covered by the Academy of Cheese Associate exam. Sharon will go deep on the topics most alive at Churchtown, and ensure every participant knows their way around the rest for self-study.
Milk Production and Cheesemaking
Maturing, Affinage & Grading
Buying & Distribution
Presenting & Serving Cheese
Communicating About Cheese
Cheese Industry Knowledge
Regulation & Good Practice
Iconic Cheeses
A deep dive into the 25 iconic cheeses on the Level 1 exam — tasting over a dozen throughout the day, using the Academy’s Structured Approach to Tasting Cheese (SATC) framework
Gallery
Gallery
Don't Forget to Share
#StudyCheese
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