Jungle Jim’s Cheese Fest

I LOVE cheese. So this was the place. Cheeses from Spain, France, Wisconsin, marinated in coffee, cocoa, filled with bacon, kissed with honey… and butter and crackers, jams, olives… Tables upon tables of samples you can then buy at Jungle Jim’s. Ticket prices vary if you want to add wine and beer. This year’s fest, Feb. 13 – 14, 2016, will have more appetizers to sample. I’m there!

Only one weekend after the Bacon Fest in Des Moines, I found myself ponying up to the creamery booths at Jungle Jim’s Cheese Fest in Cincy. I’m pretty certain my body is officially pissed at me. My fridge is loaded with recovery veggies as we speak. All this to say, wowzers, what a great deal and fun afternoon of cheese sampling and discovery.
I walked away with a new favorite cheese from Cypress Groves in California — their cheese was a close tie with the Trillium and European Cultured butter from Tulip Tree Creamery in Zionsville, IN. For $ 15 you can sample your way through cheeses, charcuterie, olives and more. I loved the way they organized the space by origin (East Coast (primarily Vermont), European, regional, West Coast, etc.). And, if you’re looking to kick your ticket up to the next level, for $ 25 you can sample wines and beers every few stations between the cheese. That appeared to be a heck of a deal as well. When it’s all said and done, you can go downstairs into the marketplace to purchase your favorite frommage finds of the day.