Belle Chevre Opens Cheese Shop and Tasting Room Featuring Artisan Cheese, Classes, Ice Cream

ELKMONT, AL, April 25, 2013 (Press-News.org) he award-winniing artisan creamery Belle Chevre has opened its first-ever retail space in historic downtown Elkmont, Alabama. Belle Chevre's Cheese Shop and Tasting Room features Alabama's very own handmade goat cheese, as well as a full cafe menu, chevre ice cream counter, and a space for cooking demos and cheesemaking classes.

The Cheese Shop opens early Thursday through Saturday and is open daily for lunch and early dinners, making it a perfect spot to stop in and enjoy a homemade baked good, an old-fashioned bologna sandwich (made with artisan veal bologna), or a cheese plate. The shop will be scooping Belle Chevre's very own goat cheese ice cream, a luscious confection that wins over even the most hesitant chevre consumers. Classes on offer at the Cheese Shop include cooking demos and DIY Cheese tutorials, as well as occasional painting classes and even yoga.

Descriptions of the classes can be found on Belle Chevre's website. The schedule of classes for the creamery is as follows:
APRIL 24: Cheesemaking 101
MAY 1: The Instant Party : No-Cook Appetizers
MAY 8: Pick-Me-Up Picnic
MAY 15: Cheesemaking 101
MAY 22: Perfect Pool Food
MAY 29: Belle Chevre Flight & Breakfast Cheese Tutorial
JUNE 5: Cheesemaking 101
JUNE 19: Southern Cheese Flight

Belle's Cheese Shop and Tasting Room is Huntsville's only gourmet cheese shop, and in addition to selling Belle Chevre's complete line of award-winning cheeses, shoppers will also find any imaginable companion for cheese, including artisan jams, cheese boards, utensils, southern honey, crackers, and more. Belle Chevre held the grand opening on April 13, which was attended by visitors all over the South and included the Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and regional officials.

"We are so proud to finally open our first retail space," says Tasia Malakasis, president of Belle Chevre. "After years of selling out of our tiny creamery's office, it's fabulous to have a beautiful, historic space to display our handmade Alabama cheese." Located at 18849 Upper Fort Hampton Road, the store's official hours will be 9-5 Mon-Fri, 8-5 Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. The telephone of the store is 256-732-3577.

Belle Chèvre has produced a variety of internationally acclaimed chevres since 1989 using time-tested European farmstead techniques. The company is purposefully small, and each chevre is hand made by its passionate cheese makers. The result is an artisan cheese with a mild and distinct taste and texture that reflects the care with which it was made.

Belle Chèvre cheeses have received numerous national awards from the American Cheese Society and the American Dairy Goat Association, and has been featured in many top culinary books and magazines. Declared "American Treasure" by the internationally known authority on cheese, Steven Jenkins, and acclaimed by chefs and cheese lovers the world over, Belle Chèvre is available at upscale retailers including Dean and Deluca and the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills as well as larger outlets like Whole Foods Market. For further information, please contact us at 256.423.2238, 26910 Bethel Road Elkmont, AL 35620-3242.