BACH 8/2025 - Conley/Straus - History of California Cheesemaking & Tasting

Please join us Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. for an extraordinary in-person opportunity to hear Sue Conley, co-founder of Cowgirl Creamery, and Vivien Straus, creator of the California Cheese Trail map, speaking on the history of cheese in California.

​Note that while this is our usual 4th Sunday meeting date, it will be at 2:00 p.m. rather than our normal 5:00 p.m. ​​

The presentation will take place at the historic Embarcadero Ferry Building in San Francisco, and will include a curated cheese tasting.

​Sue Conley grew up in Washington, DC, then earned a BA in Political Science at the University of Tennessee. Subsequently she attended the Restaurant Management program at San Francisco City College. After working in San Francisco restaurants, Sue co-founded Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkeley, CA.

After 11 years at Bette’s, Sue began working closely with Straus Family Creamery to market the first certified organic milk in the west. She then started Cowgirl Creamery and Tomales Bay Foods with her long-time friend, Peggy Smith. Through their efforts, a network of dairies and cheesemakers have flourished in coastal Marin and Sonoma. Sue retired in 2019. She participates on the boards of the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Sonoma Agriculture and Open Space District, American Cheese Society and the California Artisan Cheese Guild.

Vivien Straus grew up on a dairy in northern California. Over the years, she witnessed the loss of small farms. In response she founded CheeseTrail.org, a resource which advocates for California cheesemakers. She currently manages Straus Home Ranch. Previously she ran sales and marketing for Straus Family Creamery, and later worked at Cowgirl Creamery. In addition, she's an actor, writing and performing comedic autobiographical shows about her quirky life on and off the farm.

Tickets:

Tickets are limited. The cost is $40 per person plus Eventbrite fees and includes the presentation, cheese tasting, and wine. Note: If the event is sold out, we recommend putting yourself on the waitlist - we will attempt to accommodate people if possible.

As always, it is super helpful if you can indicate your interest for the event on the BACH Events page on Facebook *in addition to registering here on Eventbrite*.

Host or Publisher Andrew Sigal