Run of show:

• 9AM: Pick up outside of Five Leaves:

• 11:00 AM – Arrive at Cherry Grove

• 12:00–1:00 PM – Farm tour, hang, and snacks

• 2:00–3:00 PM – Milking demo

• 3:00 PM – Mozzarella stretch

• 4:30 PM – Dinner

• 7PM Return home

The Chef

Tristan Kwong is a Cantonese American chef whose cooking reflects both his cultural heritage and the diverse environment of his upbringing. Raised in Queens, NYC—one of the most culturally rich places in the world—Tristan’s culinary perspective is shaped equally by his lived experience and his roots. His food, often cooked over an open fire, aims to be both comforting and unexpected. With time spent at Bonnie’s in Brooklyn, he has developed a style he calls “New Cantonese American”—a reimagining of Chinese and American classics that blurs the line between the two in thoughtful, delicious ways.

Location: Cherry Grove Farm

Situated on land owned by the Hamill family for more than a century, Cherry Grove Farm was started in 2002 as a direct outgrowth of the Hamills’ passion for the land, their Central Jersey community, and the idea of responsible, sustainable food production. While initially home to beef cattle, pigs, sheep, and laying hens, the farm shifted its focus to the production of artisanal cheeses with the addition of dairy cattle in 2005.

Cherry Grove uses the farmstead cheesemaking model, meaning that we do everything on site, from raising and milking the cows to making and aging our cheese. By keeping the process in-house, we are able to ensure that we are using only the best quality milk from humanely treated cattle who graze through the farm’s 200 acres of verdant pasture.

Within a decade of its founding, Cherry Grove established itself as one of the region’s premier cheesemakers, garnering numerous national awards that reflect the care taken in every step of the cheesemaking process. 

The food: 

Snacks and treats along the way.

The drinks: 

Wine pairings and N/A bevys

The workshop: 

Learn the basics of using rennet to turn milk into cheese in a mozzarella-making demonstration. Then we’ll go through the tips to stretching a sweet, tender curd into your own fresh mozzarella balls. We’ll wrap up class with a cheese tasting and comparison between your farmstead fresh mozzarella and cave-aged Cherry Grove Farm cheeses. Depart with some fresh mozzarella and our signature class folder full of cheesemaking information and recipes to use at home.

Amenities:

• Flushable toilet