Your brand ambassadors are ALWAYS this excited!

As long as I’ve been a fan of Tillamook Cheese I’ve also been a fan of The Price Is Right! Recently the Loaf Love Tour crew decided to get tickets to attend the famous game show while in LA. When I got the confirmation email with my name printed on the ticket I couldn’t contain my excitement! Most big groups of people who attend the show wear matching t-shirts that explain where they came from. We really wanted to wear our Tillamook shirts but you’re not allowed to wear branded shirts. Jammin Jason got creative and still figured out a way to represent his cheesiness on a homemade t-shirt.

By Ashley

When I tell people I’m a Tillamook Cheese Brand Ambassador they usually assume I sample and eat Tillamook Cheese all day every day! Okay, okay, I probably do sample and eat Tillamook Cheese almost everyday but we Brand Ambassadors have many other opportunities. I know what you’re thinking; how much better can life get outside of traveling the country, driving awesome Baby Loaf Buses, and sampling and eating Tillamook Cheese!? Truth is, we are often provided with many more marvelous opportunities! Sometimes we appear on local news channels, eat at local restaurants that feature our products on their menus, and more!

I flew into Austin, TX on a Tuesday evening and went straight to work! We didn’t finish the shoot until the sun rose on Wednesday morning! The first thing I realized about filming commercials is how hard everyone works! They stick to a strict schedule and everyone is so driven to get it right! It’s stunning to watch take place. Every single person involved genuinely loves their job. You can feel the vibe of happiness and adrenaline once you set foot on a shoot. Everyone is creative, tells jokes, and are simply really good at what they do! I underestimated the number of people I thought it took to produce a commercial. You need security to make sure neighboring leaf blowers are at a halt and no one steps in the way of a shot. There are people in charge of props, wardrobe, hair and makeup, timing of takes, lighting, sound, camera, directing, and much much more! I was so impressed at how well everyone works together to make cheese magic!

By Ashley

A creative take on the classic grilled cheese! No stove required!

As a Tillamook Brand Ambassador it’s safe to say my life revolves around Tillamook Cheese! I can tell you first hand there is never a cheese shortage on the Loaf Love Tour. We’ve become skilled at experimenting with new ways to prepare and eat Tillamook Cheese. The hotels we stay in sometimes have kitchens, but after three months, I’ve become quite creative when it comes to making food in hotels without them. So, if you ever find yourself somewhere without a kitchen and have a cheesy craving, not to worry! We have some cheesy tour recipes!

My favorite is the classic grilled cheese – no stove or oven required. All you need is a toaster! Simply turn your toaster on its side, place two pieces of bread with a slice of your favorite Tillamook Cheese on each slice, slide it in the toaster with the cheese facing up, and start toasting! Make sure you don’t use too much cheese or it’ll melt off the bread and make a big mess! Always have your plate ready because you don’t want your hotel room floor to become a landing spot for a catapulted grilled cheese! Put the cheesy bread slices together and voila! a simple cheesy treat with no clean up necessary!

Noelle’s go-to cheesy favorite is a baked potato with broccoli and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar! First, she uses a fork to poke a few holes in the potato and pops it into the microwave to cook for about seven minutes. Then she places broccoli pieces on a plate with a moist paper towel over it and microwaves that for about a minute to steam the broccoli. Last she combines the broccoli and the potato with some cheese sprinkled on top and microwaves it a little longer to make sure the cheese is nicely ooey-gooey! Yum!

Maya is partial to quesadillas (which she ate exclusively during our entire stay in Austin, TX!). Her favorite combination is two whole wheat tortillas, Tillamook Pepper Jack and Medium Cheddar, a couple spoonfuls of salsa, and a generous layer of refried beans. After a two-minute warm-up in the microwave, it’s dinner time!

Alyssa gets creative with microwavable bags of rice! Before cooking, she opens just the corner of the steamable rice bag (found in your grocery store freezer section) and adds black beans, Tillamook Monterey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, and rotisserie chicken! Cook for the recommended time on the package and then wrap all that yumminess in a flour tortilla and tada! You have a delicious burrito!

What would you make with Tillamook Cheese and no kitchen?

Happy non-cooking!

-Tillatastic Ash, follow me on Twitter @TillatasticAsh

By Ashley

Cowboy Loafy!

The Loaf Love Tour has arrived in Texas! After several sunny weeks in Arizona, we reached a rainy and stormy Dallas – I think Texas wanted us to feel more at home with Oregon-style weather. After almost a week of rain, we were finally able to enjoy beautiful 80 degree weather on Monday at the Dallas Zoo! It was a fun-filled day with more than 13,000 people enjoying Tillamook Cheese samples, Loaf Love Tour bingo, smile sticks, bean bag toss and of course the super-cute zoo animals!

This was the first event where all five of our Baby Loaf buses were there, and they sure made a big impact! Many people mentioned seeing the new Tillamook Loves Texas commercials that feature one of our awesome Baby Loaf buses on a Texas road trip! In addition to the buses, our cheery cheesy mascot, Loafy was there! The kids and families here in Dallas were getting a kick out of Loafy’s sweet disco dance moves, and I was thrilled to get the coveted job of escorting Loafy around the zoo.

All the kids and families were so excited to see the Loaf Love Tour and taste Tillamook Cheese. I loved seeing so many people fall in loaf with our cheese for the first time! It was a close call between which was the favorite attraction at the zoo today: the brand new koala bears, the jungle animals, or the Loaf Love crew.  I heard one mom asked her son, “What do you want to see first, the reptiles or the tigers?” Her son replied, “I want to go back to the CHEESE!!!” We met so many fun and awesome Texans today. I’m so excited to be spending the next three months in this great state!

I hope to see you all on the road!

Ashley, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador

Follow me on Twitter @TillatasticAsh

Longhorn Loaf Love

Hooray for Dallas Zookeepers!

By Ashley

As a new Tillamook brand ambassador I have read and heard stories about the wonderful Day of Loaf. After a week and a of the tour we, experienced what this day means as we kicked off Phoenix Taco Week. Arizona’s Day of Loaf consisted of an entire day dedicated to driving our amazing little orange VW buses (the Yums) and eating specialty Tillamook tacos at four partner restaurants. The Yums always draw a crowd. Everywhere we went people asked questions and gave compliments: stop lights, gas stations, stores, and even while in motion down road. One lady jumped out of her car at a stop light to give us a business card. Two people pulled up next to us and waved out the window, showing their Tillamook coupon booklet they had received when they met us just days before! I definitely felt like a cheesy rock star! After all, what’s not to love about driving around in 75 degree weather in a bright orange Tillamook bus with the top down?

All this driving led us to some delicious tacos. The first stop was Carte Blanche Gourmet Tacos. We tried a grilled tilapia lime slaw taco with Tillamook Pepper Jack grated on top! Next we went to Fuego Tacos and ate another delicious taco! Our waitress was so fun. She even pinned a Tillamook button in the braid in her hair and Tillamook stickers on her face! (check her out in the pic below!) On our way to Vitamin T we crossed paths with a motorcycle parade (Lucky us! We felt like we were part of the festivities celebrating Arizona’s Centennial!).  Lastly, we made room for one more taco at Ticoz Resto-Bar on their soothing patio alongside an amazing fire pit! Delicious!

The Day of Loaf proved to be a very exciting and FULLfilling day. I don’t think I can count a favorite among my many tacos, but if you’re in Phoenix I hope you get out to try these amazing places! If you’re not here in Phoenix, what’s your favorite taco recipe using Tillamook products?

Hope to see you on the road!

Until next time,

~ Ashley, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador. Follow me on Twitter @TillatasticAsh!

By Ashley