{"id":47502,"date":"2024-05-07T17:27:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T21:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=47502"},"modified":"2024-05-07T17:28:16","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T21:28:16","slug":"meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two\/","title":{"rendered":"When Milkmaids Meet: A Movement Finds Its Footing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Milkmaids pose for a picture after a great day of connection. Photo Credit: Babs Perkins.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the second annual (yes, I said annual) Meeting of the Milkmaids<\/a> at High Lawn Farm<\/a> in Lee, Mass.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Meeting of the Milkmaids (MOTM) is a gathering of women in cheese organized by a group of women from different areas of the cheese industry. The goal of the day is to provide a space for women to come together, connect, and build community.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s event was a grown-up version of the inaugural meeting<\/a>. Last year, 35 women were packed like sardines into a small, hot room above a barn. This year, 50 women leisurely meandered in a spacious, breezy barn with sprawling views of the Berkshire mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, no one knew what to expect other than a day spent alongside women in cheese. This year, I had a pretty good idea of what I was getting myself into. There would be women, comradery, positivity, emotional connection, and most likely a few tears. But even with my well-informed expectations, I was still blown away by the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Meeting of the Milkmaids Organizers (from left): Rachel Waschitz Banks, Kate Truini, Becky Collins Brooks, Indigo Munoz-Weaver, and Lily Orr.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year, the test run was amazing. This year, with our sea legs and a tighter plan, it felt like the Milkmaids has its identity, and it\u2019s valuable in the way of giving women a voice,\u201d said MOTM founder Becky Collins Brooks. \u201cAnd all those voices together create a really rare thing where differences aren\u2019t just honored but celebrated, and in fact are necessary toward building a very strong community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I thought it might be hard to match (let alone top) the experience of last year\u2019s inaugural gathering,\u201d said MOTM founding member Babs Perkins. \u201cBut honestly, the heart and humanity, knowledge and community spirit present in that space was nothing short of magic. There’s a sort of alchemy that happens\u2014kind of like cheesemaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Milkmaids enjoy the sun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
The day included a tour of High Lawn Farm’s dairy operation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The day was structured perfectly. Attendees had plenty of time to mix and mingle (we are women after all), pet calves, and take in the scenery. And the speakers did an excellent job of filling their daunting 90-minute time slots with engaging and interactive content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we heard from writer Hannah Howard<\/a>, who, after reading an excerpt from her book Plenty<\/em>, served us a writing prompt: \u201cHow I fell in love with cheese.\u201d After taking a few minutes to jot down our responses, we had the opportunity to share with the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Writer Hannah Howards reads from her book Plenty.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cheesemaker Lily Orr shares how she “fell in love with cheese.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I was struck by how eager everyone was to share their story. Often, when a speaker asks people to share with the group, it can be like pulling teeth to get volunteers. That was not the case here. The room was immediately filled with raised hands, patiently waiting to be called on. People shared how cheese had saved them, how it made them feel of service, connected them to their family, and brought them purpose in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, we heard from Kate Arding, co-owner of Talbott and Arding<\/a> in Hudson, NY, who shared about her time championing British farmhouse cheeses at Neal\u2019s Yard Dairy in London, followed by her experience working on the team that launched Cowgirl Creamery. I\u2019ve spoken to Kate many times and was familiar with her resume, but hearing her personal anecdotes and seeing photos from this transformative time in American cheese underscored just how novel this was at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For my generation, organizations like the American Cheese Society and makers like Cypress Grove<\/a> were well established by the time we started working in cheese. It\u2019s easy to forget that the American artisan cheese scene was started by a group of \u201cgoat ladies<\/a>\u201d in the 1980s as a part of a back to the land movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listening to Kate talk about her history, I was struck with a feeling that we were at a similar inflection point. I know that may sound corny, but all movements start somewhere. And this one seems to have taken hold by tapping into women\u2019s deep desire for community and authentic connection. \u201cWomen are a life force in the cheese world\u2026The passion women bring is the 5th ingredient to cheese,\u201d said Olivia Haver, affineur at the Farm at Doe Run.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Babs Perkins and Olivia Haver pose with a signed event poster. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
All. The. Cheese.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

I could go on and on about how special the day was, but I don\u2019t want to evoke any more FOMO than you may already be feeling. I look forward to seeing what connections will arise from this year\u2019s meeting and am eagerly awaiting MOTM 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related Reading<\/strong>: When Milkmaids Meet: The Power of Women-Only Spaces<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This gathering of omen in cheese provides a much needed space for connection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":47505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"coauthors":[33619],"class_list":["post-47502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Milkmaids Meet: A Movement Finds Its Footing - culture: the word on cheese<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Milkmaids Meet: A Movement Finds Its Footing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This gathering of omen in cheese provides a much needed space for connection.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"culture: the word on cheese\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-07T21:27:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-05-07T21:28:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/IMG_2306-1-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1544\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Josie Krogh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Josie Krogh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/meeting-of-the-milkmaids-take-two\/\",\"name\":\"When Milkmaids Meet: A Movement Finds Its Footing - 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