For You Cheesy Types

Look at me. I was an advertising art director and one day decided it was time to figure out this "blog" thing I'd heard so much about. After all, my brother had started one for his trip to Spain, so how complicated could it be?

And now, nearly two years later, you're reading the (gasp!) 428th post on GoodStuffNW. And I've got a new career as a food writer. Who would have thought?

If you've been kinda sorta interested in what it might be like to be behind the counter at a cheese shop, or really, really like cheese (let's not go into particulars, OK?), there's a seminar this summer that might just have your name written all over it. It's called "Becoming a Cheesemonger" and it's a five day intensive residential seminar that, it says, "will teach how to plan, merchandise, stock, finance, run and profit from a cheese shop."

Presented by a new group of local food experts calling themselves Food By Hand Seminars, they aim to teach the craft and business of artisan foods to "entrepreneurs who want to open a retail shop specializing in traditional foods and foodcraft." Upcoming seminars are planned on becoming a butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer and retail baker.