Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Cheese sculpture at State Fair



Cheese Sculpture Popularity Growing 08/16/2011by Andy Eubank



Just a few hundred feet from the always popular and packed dairy bar at the Indiana State Fair sits the newest cheese sculpture commissioned by Indiana dairy farmers. Over 1420 pounds of Indiana cheese was used to create the giant slice of birthday cake for the 80th birthday of the Indiana Dairy and Nutrition Council.Cheese lady Sarah Kaufmann again crafted the sculpture in the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion. "This is fabulous cheddar from Indiana, from Pace Dairy in Crawfordsville. They're the big cheddar manufacturer in the state and we get two 640 pound blocks in. On the first day I'm splitting them with wires to make different configurations of squares."The cheese lady told HAT it's just impossible to be around that much cheese day after day without sampling it. "Well it's my job as quality control to taste the cheese, and every once in awhile when I'm scraping, this beautiful ribbon of cheese comes off, and I have to. I have to have a taste."Delicious pepper jack cheese has been incorporated into the sculpture and that cheese has become a dairy bar favorite since being added to the menu this year as a grilled sandwich on sourdough bread.At the official unveiling of the sculpture last week there was a huge crowd, and Deb Osza, general manger of Milk Promotion Services of Indiana, explained that the sculpture is becoming a traditional state fair destination for Hoosier families.
"We have so many people here lining up trying to take a picture. They want to get up close and see, and they just marvel at this beautiful sculpture that's made out of cheese. And it really helps us tell our message about dairy farming and how they care for their animals and the land while they're producing wonderful milk which is used to make cheese. So it kind of demonstrates the whole cycle and I think people get that message."See the creation as it remains on display inside the Pioneer Our Land Pavilion through the end of the fair Sunday, August 21. And hear more from Deb and Sarah at the HAT blog, hatchat.net.

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