Being a brand ambassador on The Loaf Love Tour is kind of like a grilled cheese sandwich… it sounds amazing, but getting the cheese to melt perfectly without burning the bread is not an easy task. With a forever-changing call time, chaotic traffic, and unpredictable weather the team always has to be prepared for changes! Fun, hectic, animated, amusing, are just a few words that come to mind when describing what it’s like behind the scenes, but they still don’t suffice. Check out all these photos from behind the scenes.

We like to keep our YUM buses nice and shiny! Being cheesy at the car wash

Car wash is all done, so we decided to take a photo. Aren’t they shiny?!

Cubing these tasty loafs for our event days, we call this a Cubing Party!

We always have fun at work, but even when we’re off the clock we stick together and stay cheesy!

 Post by Elida

By Tillamook

Being a Tillamook Cheese Brand Ambassador on the Loaf Love Tour is one exciting job! We are a team of 6 unique individuals sharing our love for the Tillamook brand to the people. We are on the road traveling city to city for several months, creating lifelong cheesy memories, meeting and creating Tillafans. What’s there not to love about it?

The best part of our job is driving to and from events. It’s awesome to drive these fun little VW Yum buses. We love to see the smiles, laughs, thumbs up and waves! If you stop by for an event we’d love to take a picture of you next to one!

Cleaning the Yum buses and maintenance is crucial to keeping them in great condition. We take great pride in the Yum buses as they are unique and so nicely detailed. We clean them often and Ray does weekly maintenance to make sure they are in tip top shape! Look at him cheesn’!

I like to clean too! :)

A lot of prep work goes into each day of our events.  We cube our Medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack cheeses so that we’re able to share our love of cheese in cute tiny cubes! It’s one of my favorite activities because we have so much fun listening to music and catching up while we’re cubing! We call this a cubing party!

Setting up at the stores can be a challenge. Taking all of the materials out of the YUM for the event and carefully putting the kiosk together takes time and care because we want to look our best for our Tillafans! It is a really great display when we have the Tillamook banner up, cheese trays out, and tooth picks in place! Our events are the best!

We are excited to share our love of cheese and hope to make it a memorable event! We do that by giving away Smile Sticks & Buttons. Taking pictures next to the YUM bus and enjoying cheese samples are all part of the experience! Mary is one of our Tillafan’s from California and has been following the Loaf Love Tour online. She took the time to see all of us Brand Ambassadors while in San Francisco. It’s always nice to see our Tillafans and share our Tillamook excitement! Hope to see you on the road!

Post by DeeDee

By Tillamook

Last Saturday, I spent the day at the San Antonio Zoo celebrating Mother’s Day in true cheesy style! My friendly brand ambassadors helped spread the Tillamook Loaf Love by sharing cheesy samples and taking photos. In honor of Mother’s Day, the first 100 moms who came to the zoo dressed in orange even got in free! Visitors played bingo all across the zoo and shared their photos on Instagram for a chance to win a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese!

Here are some photos from the Instagram contest and my day at the zoo!

The Loaf Love Tour will be in San Antonio until May 23 giving out samples, coupons, and smiles to everyone they meet – so don’t miss out! Be sure to check out the tour schedule to see if there are stops near you!

I’ll be hanging out on Twitter and Facebook if you want to say hi!

By Loafy

To celebrate National Burger Month, we’re sharing burger recipes from some of our favorite Texas friends! This recipe comes from Lauren’s blog, The Talking Kitchen. 

Yield: Makes 4 burgers – layer 2 to get the double deluxe…or share with a friend 

Ingredients
¾-1 lb grass-fed ground beef
½ onion, minced
¾ tsp seasoned salt
¼ tsp ground cumin
4 slices Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese – I love the sharp cheddar too!
Buns
Toppings: pickles, caramelized onions, grilled onions,

Special Sauce (Makes about ¼ cup)
2 tablebspoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon Trader Joe’s Hot and Sweet Mustard (to die for!) – (substitute 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard)
1 tablespoons Panca Chili Paste (substitute ketchup and hot sauce)
Dash or two Worcestershire sauce
Sprinkle salt and pepper

Preparation
Start by getting the grill fired up… I don’t have instructions on that, check with a friend, your man, or the Internet.

For the burgers, place the ground beef in a bowl and add the onion and seasonings. Mix with your hands, but be careful not to overmix the meat. Form into 4 equal sized patties, try to fit the width of your bun. Smaller buns means more burgers. Patties should be room temperature before placing them on the grill – this way you won’t shock the meat. Using a brush, lightly oil the burgers or using a grill-brush, make sure the grill is greased – BEST TO DO THIS AWAY FROM THE FIRE. Cook the burgers for 2-3 minutes per side, place the cheese on the flipped side about 30 seconds before it’s done. Cook to your preferred doneness, these were medium.

To create the double cheeseburger deluxe, first give the bun a quick toss on the grill – AND I MEAN QUICK – those babies burn fast. Once slightly toasted, smear on some special sauce or your favorite condiments. Add the onions, pickles, burger 1, burger 2, then a few more onions and pickles, top with a sauced bun top and chow down.

Napkins and friends to share with are recommended.

Enjoy!

Keep up with The Talking Kitchen:
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By Tillamook

To celebrate National Burger Month, we’re sharing burger recipes from some of our favorite Texas friends! This recipe comes from the blog Restless Chipotle.

Overview
Smoky cheeseburger sits on top of macaroni and cheese, then is covered with caramelized onion, bacon, and chipotle mayo. A great way to turn a cheeseburger into something even more awesome.

Ingredients
3 lbs ground chuck (80% lean)
2 tablespoons Liquid Smoke
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
8 burger buns
Olive oil for brushing
2 cups prepared macaroni and cheese, made with smoked Gouda and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar
8 slices Tillamook Medium Cheddar
2 medium onions, sliced
1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo, mashed
½ cup Hellman’s mayo
16 slices of crisp bacon, optional

Preparation
Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the onions. Saute slowly, stirring often, until they are golden brown and very tender then set aside. Mash the chipotle and stir it into the mayo and then set it aside.

Preheat the grill to high. Mix the liquid smoke into the burger gently, making sure that it is well blended. Separate the meat into 8 equal portions and gently form into a ¾ inch thick patty. (Be careful not to compact the meat too much. This will make it tough.) Grill for 3 minutes or until the burger is slightly charred with good grill marks. Flip and grill for 3 minutes more (for medium rare) or until the patty is just under temperature for desired doneness.

Brush the buns with oil and put them cut side down on the grill. Add the cheese to the burgers and close the grill cover for one minute to allow the cheese to melt. Remove buns and cheeseburgers from the grill. Place ¼ cup of hot macaroni and cheese on the bottom bun and put the cheeseburger on top. Add 2 slices of the crispy bacon if using and spoon ⅛ of the onions on top of the cheeseburger. Spread the cut side of the top bun with chipotle mayo and put it on the burger. Serve with a good, artisan amber ale and pretzels.

Notes:
Use shell macaroni for the macaroni and cheese – it stays in the bun better. You can use boxed mac and cheese if you must but it won’t be nearly so good.

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By Tillamook

To celebrate National Burger Month, we’re sharing burger recipes from some of our favorite Texas friends! This recipe comes from the blog Real Posh Mom.

Overview
It’s May, which means it’s time to celebrate National Burger Month! It’s well known that Texans love their burgers, but burgers get a bad rap as being unhealthy. I am here to advocate for the All-Natural Burger, where all the ingredients use all the highest quality ingredients without all artificial growth hormones.

Though the term “hamburger” comes from the German city Hamburg, the first documented burger made the scene at New York’s Delmonico’s in 1826. Since then, the juicy meat-and-bun concoction has evolved, like America itself, as a melting pot for creative chefs to add their spin. The recipe below is a perfect fusion of my heritage – American with a Latin flare.

Ingredients
1 lb 90% lean ground grass-fed beef
2 tsp minced chipotle in adobo + 1 tsp adobo sauce
2 garlic cloves, forced through a garlic press
4 slices Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese slices
4 hamburger buns, toasted
1 package Wholly Guacamole Avocado Ranch
1 large tomatillo (¼ lb), husked and rinsed, then sliced
½ cup cilantro sprigs

Preparation
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat. Gently mix beef, chipotle, garlic, and a pinch of salt until just combined and then form into 4 (½-inch-thick) patties. Oil grill rack, then grill patties, covered for 4 minutes. Flip patties and top with a slice of cheese. Grill, covered, until just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Generously spread buns with Avocado Ranch guacamole and assemble burgers with tomatillo and cilantro.

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By Tillamook

To celebrate National Burger Month, we’ll be sharing burger recipes from some of our favorite Texas friends! This recipe comes from Monica’s blog, Lick the Bowl Good.

Overview
When we go out for burgers, we like simple, fuss-free burgers with a lot of flavor. Of course I like fancy burgers with a lot of toppings, but I have a problem paying $20 for a burger. When we crave burgers and I don’t want to make them at home we go to Top Notch in Austin, Texas for a flame-grilled burger. Their onion rings are the best! That place really is a hole-in-the-wall and it’s decor is stuck in the 1970′s but that’s part of the appeal, it’s consistently good and we’ve been going there for years.

But this post is about my homemade burger and Tillamook Sliced Cheddar. We’ve been buying Tillamook Cheddar for years now and it’s the only cheese in our fridge so I was excited to participate in this Grillabration.

Ingredients
Ground beef (85/15)
Salt
Pepper
4 garlic cloves
Tillamook Medium Cheddar slices
Sliced bacon
Tomato
Lettuce
Fried egg
Crostini bun

Preparation
For the burger itself, I seasoned the ground beef (85/15) with salt, pepper, and 4 cloves of chopped fresh garlic. I formed them into ⅓ pound patties then cooked them in bacon grease. I topped them with a slice of Tillamook Medium Cheddar, 2 bacon slices, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg on a toasted crostini bun. The only thing that could have made this better was a little pesto mayo. This burger was messy and huge but it was so good!

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By Tillamook

To celebrate National Burger Month, we’ll be sharing burger recipes from some of our favorite Texas friends! This recipe comes from Kristi Reddell’s blog, Moms Confession.

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 20 mins

Ingredients
1 lb hamburger meat
3 slices Tillamook Sliced Medium Cheddar Cheese
1 pack ranch dip mix
2 tablespoons Slap Ya Mama Seasoning (Cajun seasoning works too)
2 tablespoons worscheshire sauce
¼ cup real bacon bit pieces

Preparation
1. Mix by hand and form into patties
2. Cook on outdoor or indoor grill until well done

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By Tillamook

The Cultured Caravan is on the road again and the next stop for our natural, oh-so-delicious Tillamook Yogurt is Sacramento. We’ll be serving up free samples, coupons, and recipes by the spoonful so we can’t wait to see you there! And don’t forget to let us know how your first bite was using #GoNatural!

By Tillamook

Are you ready to take a bite out of National Hamburger month? Come celebrate this scrumptious occasion with us at your local grocery for our second Golden Ticket event!

The hamburger is indeed quite the cause for celebration. Imagine a warm day in May and you just sat down to enjoy a delicious, juicy hamburger right off the grill. The bun has been perfectly toasted with a thin layer of rich Tillamook Butter and topping the patty is a perfectly melted slice of award winning Tillamook Medium Cheddar. Or if you’d like to add a little spice to your life you could also decorate your hamburger with some of our Pepper Jack Cheese! Those sweet peppers and jalapeños might be the perfect kick to make your hamburger extra spectacular. But, don’t let us tell you what to do, pick out your favorite loaf and make your very own hamburger!

Want to win a free loaf for that hamburger? On May 18th at select stores in Sacramento and San Antonio, we’ll be hiding tickets every hour around various items related to hamburgers. If you are the lucky winner who finds one of the tickets in store you may redeem a coupon for a free loaf of any Tillamook Cheese your heart desires! However, that’s the just the beginning! If you find a golden ticket you will also be entered to win a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese! Imagine all the cheesy creations that you could make with a years’ supply of cheese!

If you want a slice of all this cheesiness, check the Loaf Love Tour schedule to find out which store is nearest to you on this special day. We look forward to see you then!

Post by Elisa of the West Team!

By Tillamook