Vortex of Mouthwatering Cheese

I am delighted to have attended my first ever Colorado Cheese Fest last Saturday.  While the glossy and generic space of the Embassy Suites was an unlikely venue for earthy cheesemakers from all around the West to gather and share the fruits of their labors, the cheeses were delectible just the same. Highlights included Avalanche Goat Cheese's Cabra Blanca from Basalt (CO), Jumpin' Good Goat Dairy's First Snow from Buena Vista (CO), James Ranch's Mature Belford from Durango (CO), Cypress Grove's Truffle Tremor (CA) and Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk (CA).  It was a treat meeting the craftspeople and seeing the passion they hold for their work.  All of these cheeses can be shipped, and many are available at The Truffle in Denver or at Fromage to Yours in Centennial.  Who needs crackers when there is cheese like this to be had.