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

We know you have been waiting! It’s that time of year again when our group of energetic, cheesy cheese-loving brand ambassadors hit the road in Tillamook orange in a city near you! They will kick off the tour in Phoenix and Lubbock spreading the Loaf at a store near you. Don’t miss meeting the team! See pictures below and read a short bio about each unique team member and don’t forget to check out the schedule online!

WEST TEAM

Madison O.
Hey cheese lovers! My name is Madison Ornstil and I grew up eating awesome Tillamook Cheese in Oakland, California. I come from a sports loving family, so when I am not eating yummy Tillamook cheese you can likely find me cheering on my favorite teams.  My only issue with sports games is people eating all that processed nacho cheese. To them I say, “GIVE ME TILLAMOOK!” I moved to Portland after graduating college in Chicago. Chicago was great, but I needed more natural cheese in my life, so I decided to move straight to the source.  Can’t wait to see you on tour!

Matt M.
Monterey Matt checking in from Portland getting all excited to hit the road and visit y’all! I have grown up on Tillamook my entire life and am ready to share some of my memories and experiences with you and hope you will share in return. Tillamook Cheese goes best on nacho cheese chips melted in the microwave or on a juicy burger piled high with an egg and bacon. When I am not sharing all my knowledge about Tillamook, I will be enjoying the sunshine in Southern California, spring training in Arizona, and attending many, many country concerts wherever they are. Some favorites include Brad Paisley, Eric Church, and of course George Strait. I can’t wait to hit the road and see all your smiling faces after I give you the most amazing cheese. Here’s to a great Loaf Love Tour 2013!!!

Pokou X.
*Waves* Greetings Tillamook Lovers! My name is Pakou and I’ll be on the road spreading the loaf love! I was first introduced to Tillamook Cheese and all of their dairy goodies when I moved to Portland, Oregon from Northern California. Since cheese was not something that was a part of my culture, I grew up thinking that processed cheese was real cheese. Boy was I wrong, and once I learned the difference, I haven’t gone back! Tillamook is about the only cheese you’ll find in our refrigerator these days! This is my second year on tour, so I look forward to catching up with people that I’ve met last year and meeting with new people! See you all soon!

Virginia H.
*Dancing in the Cheese Aisle!* I’m Virginia and I love Tillamook Cheese! When I heard there was a job telling the world about what awesome cheese Tillamook makes, I knew it would be the perfect job for me and my cheese shaped earrings! I can’t wait to go to new towns and share the great products that Tillamook makes! If I’m not sharing our cheese samples with you, I may be in the ice cream isle looking for my favorite Tillamook Marionberry Pie Ice Cream!

Dee Dee R.
Hi Guys! My name is Dee Dee! I am so excited to be a part of the Loaf Love Tour!!! To represent a company from Oregon that I truly love! I can’t wait to share the products that I enjoy with the West Coast! I have enjoyed Tillamook products all my life! My favorite Tillamook product is the Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Pair that with a Summer Sausage on a Ritz crackers and Yummmm it’s tasty! Our team will be hitting many cities up and down the West Coast and I can’t wait to rollerblade the Boardwalks of California! Perhaps wearing a Tillamook shirt while rollerblading? You might just see me! You can follow me on twitter @CheesyDeeLLT! Tweet Me! I’d love to hear from you!

Ray W.
Hi! I’m Ray, my Twitter name is @LoafOutLoud because I am always laughing. I grew up in a little barn house on the Little Nestucca River. That’s just south of the Tillamook Cheese Factory! I was raised on Tillamook Cheese, and have even met several of the farmers and their cows. My favorite cheese is Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, because it’s like a huge kick in the mouth (in a good way, of course)! I’m a dork and you’ll notice this when you meet me. Be prepared for some cheesy puns and a hearty laugh!

Elisa B.
New girl on the block here, CheesyLisy checking in from the road! Originally from Oregon’s very own state capital, Salem, I am ecstatic to be a part of the Love Loaf Tour to tell you all about Tillamook’s yummy cheeses! I tend to only like the best of the best so naturally I have been a Tillamook connoisseur since I started buying my own groceries. In fact, I love Tillamook Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream so much I had a bowl of it EVERY night my first year of college! Mmm. Another thing about me is my love for swimming, so I am looking forward to checking out some of the local beaches we stop by on the tour! Maybe I’ll catch you there or you can follow me on Twitter @CheesyLisy to find out all about what’s happing on the Love Loaf Tour!

EAST TEAM

April A.
April FoCheezy 2.0! It’s that time of the year again where I get to load up my suitcases and fly on out to Texas to represent my favorite, Tillamook Cheese! I was lucky enough to be a part of the Loaf Love Tour in 2012 and am so excited to be back for the LLT’s fourth year! Growing up in Portland, my family always had Tillamook Cheese in the house. Throughout the years I’ve tried almost all of the different cheesy flavors we offer, but my favorite has always been our World’s Best Medium Cheddar! I love making my homemade Mac ‘n’ Cheese with the Medium Cheddar! It is always so creamy and flavorful and doesn’t require any other seasoning than a little salt and pepper!

Last year on the road I was able to do a lot of exploring in the different cities around the country we were working in.  Since I’m a pretty adventurous person, I’m very excited to get back out there and see what the cities will have to offer me this year!

Katie L.
Hi my name KT Loaf Love, but you can call me Katie. I was raised in Portland, Oregon on all Tillamook products. I am so excited to travel the country and tell you all about what Tillamook has to offer. My very favorite Tillamook products are the Medium Cheddar and Sharp Cheddar. They make the very best grilled cheese sandwiches! Other than traveling the country and talking about Tillamook, I enjoy going out with friends and enjoying all that Portland has to offer, and trust me, there is quite a lot. I can’t wait to meet all of your new faces on the road very soon!

Ashley R.
In the Tillamook community I’m known as Tillatastic Ash. I am a cheese-lovin’ veteran of the 2012 Loaf Love Tour and am beyond excited to be back for 2013! It was an easy decision to join the LLT team again this year because I’ve been a fan of Tillamook my whole life…but I really just couldn’t resist being around Tillamook Cheese 24/7 for another year! My grandparents took me to the Oregon Coast and Tillamook Cheese Factory every other summer when I was a little kid and I’ve been eating Tillamook products ever since! One reason I loaf being on the road is because I love adventure-I’ll try almost anything once. I enjoy being active outside; hiking, playing catch, going to the river, site seeing in new places! I’m entertained easily and excited about everything! Find me driving the new Tillatruck in Texas this year and I’ll share the loaf love!

Inge P.
Hello I’m Inge from Newberg, OR and my favorite Tillamook products are the Tillamook Cheese and Tillamook Ice Cream. I’ve been eating Tillamook products as long as I can remember. I really love visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory and picking up a bag of Squeaky Cheese. I also slice a piece (or 2) of Sharp Cheddar off the loaf for my sandwiches. When I’m not eating cheese, I’m usually planning my next adventure trip overseas, playing basketball or decorating cakes.

Shelby J.
Hi there, I’m Shelby! And I am crazy in love with Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese…we were introduced by a friend a few years ago and I’m certain I’ve found the Loaf of my life. I’ve been eating Tillamook Cheese for 24 years. I was raised on this stuff and will raise my own family on this stuff. Cheese makes everything better, and makes its way into just about every other, if not every dish that I make, I can’t help it, I LOAF the taste! Not to mention, I am a health nut and Tillamook Cheese is natural, WIN! I will eat cheese any way, but my favorite is melted in and over a hot dish of chicken enchiladas with a creamy white sauce, both topped and filled with cheesey goodness. Apart from my love for food and cooking, I am totally Oregon made, I love the outdoors!! I crave adventure and spontaneity, and will jump at any opportunity to do something I’ve never tried before, minus sky diving. One of my favorite recent adventures was going spear fishing in Hawaii! What are your favorite adventures and loaf love stories? Let me know on Twitter @shellBEsharp. Catch ya lata!

Elida G.
When I first learned that the tour I had applied for had something to do with Tillamook Cheese I nearly fell out of my chair, proceeded to shout “I LOVE CHEESE!” and “This is THE job for me!” Keep in mind I hadn’t even been called for an interview and I was still so excited, so when I received a call from the team offering me a position on the Love Loaf Tour I immediately accepted. I wish I could garnish my love for cheese with lavish adjectives, but it’s just so simple. I love Tillamook Cheese, and can’t wait to share the cheese with the rest of the country. Oh, I forgot to mention, I’m Elida! Feel free to follow me on my journey via Twitter @ElidaCheddar!

By Tillamook

A new Tillamook advertising campaign will begin airing in Los Angeles and San Francisco today. The campaign, called “California meets Tillamook” depicts a road-trip taken by two familiar characters from Oregon, Luke and Dale, as they travel throughout California in a Tillamook Baby Loaf Bus introducing the cheese that hails from their home state of Oregon. Check out the commercials below to meet Luke and Dale as they share their love of the loaf with California!

Dear Moguls
Luke and Dale always want to lend a helping hand. Here they give some friendly, sage advice on how Hollywood can make better movies.

Golden Gate
After watching this spot, you’ll want to sample Tillamook Cheese…and possibly the Golden Gate Bridge.

Road Trip Song
Every great road trip — sponsored by a cheese company from Tillamook, Oregon — deserves its own song.

Sasquatch
Oregon and California have many, many things in common. One is that both love great cheese.

Why The Ship
Luke and Dale tell the history of Tillamook Cheese. Why? Because we actually have one.

9 Months Old, Cypress
Luke and Dale know everything about cheese. Trees on the other hand…

State Cracker
Tillamook Cheese goes with all your favorite foods…even if they’re not officially endorsed by the state.

By Mary

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

What a view!

Well it’s that time of the year when the Loaf Love Tour comes to the beautiful state of California. This is our last state on the tour, and our first time being in the Pacific time zone. After being in Arizona, Texas, Colorado, and Utah the last six months, I must admit that it feels good to be this close to Oregon. It was an interesting road trip to get here: I bought $20 worth of snacks (I devoured them all, of course) and all the lanes on the freeway were closed because of construction, which led to hours of sitting in traffic and we arrived to 100+ degree temperatures in Sacramento. Other than that, the trip was uneventful.

Our three month trip through California will bring us to several different cities, including Sacramento, San Francisco, L.A., Orange County, and San Diego. I’m looking forward to San Francisco the most, not just because it’ll be a break in the 100+ heat the Loaf Love Tour has been experience for months now, but mostly because we’ll get a chance to breathe in the salty air of the Pacific Ocean again. It’s not quite the salty cow smell of Tillamook, but it’ll do. I can picture it now: driving the Loafster across the Golden Gate Bridge, my hair blowing in the wind while music plays on the radio (okay, you probably know our Yums don’t have radios, but maybe I can convince another Brand Ambassador to sing for me?). Perfection.

Mountain and Central time zones have been great. I hope you’re ready for us California. Check out where we’ll be on the tour schedule.

As always, stay cheesy!
Dandy Andy

By Andrea

Last Sunday night the Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour arrived in Sacramento. After a long day I went to bed a tiny bit anxious. My alarm was set for early (5:30am!) to head out the next day to make a morning show appearance on ABC 10 Sacramento & Co. representing the Loaf Love Tour. Not only was I going to be on TV for the first time ever, but it was going to be LIVE TV! I kept thinking to myself, “What if I mess up? What if I stutter? What if I forget all the things I tell Loaf Love Tour visitors every day?!”. Needless to say I was a wee bit nervous.
 
Sunny 7am came on Monday morning and off I went to make my TV debut along with my bubbly coworker Jenn. We arrived early to the studio in our VW Baby Loaf buses and set them up in the parking lot. We made sure everything was extra perfect. We reviewed the material we were going to be asked and made sure we had our facts down pat.
 

Me feeling a little anxious before the live interview!

A little later the camera man came out to start setting up and the host of the show, Jodi, soon came out to meet us and learn a little more about Tillamook. She was so kind and her laid back personality immediately put me at ease. I wasn’t that nervous anymore. Pretty soon the producer was counting down and the cameras were about to roll. And then, we were on air! I got asked the first question, “What is the Loaf Love Tour?!” and off the interview went… Jenn and I were asked questions about Tillamook and about our upcoming events for the Loaf Love Tour in the Sacramento area. Jenn talked about our three award-winning cheeses and even held the microphone for a moment because Jodi was eating and loving our cheese so much! At the end of the segment, all three of us had a Tillamook cheese toast! Overall, it was a neat experience and I now have a new appreciation for ANYONE that’s on live TV!
 

Jenn and me being interviewed by Jodi

Stay Cheesy,

-Noelle, Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador
 
PS – The best part about being on Sacramento & Co. was getting recognized by strangers the next few days as “that cheese girl on TV.” How fun is that?!

By NoelleLLT

The Loaf Love Tour Team - ready to explore East Bay!

As a Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador, I always look forward to a “Day of Loaf.” I mean, what’s better than taking a whole day just to cruise the streets of a new city and take photos of memorable sights along the way… all while riding in style in the most adorable little Volkswagens anyone has ever seen?! We chat with pedestrians at stop lights about who we are, and we get to make Tillamook lovers happy by handing out coupons and cute buttons, too! Sometimes I just can’t quite believe these are the requirements of my job – I love it!

The Baby Loaf buses at Jack London Square

This last Monday, we explored the streets in San Francisco’s East Bay! With the overcast weather reminding me of my Oregon roots, off we went! All three of our VW Baby Loaf buseswent around Oakland, Alameda, and Berkeley, California! We cruised along the Bay in Alameda, went through downtown Oakland, and got plenty of stares as we stopped at Jack London Square for a photo. It always tickles me when I see how amazed onlookers seem when they notice not one, but three little buses made to look like a loaf of cheese! The extra big smiles we get are some of my favorite parts of being on the Loaf Love Tour.

Cruising around Oakland

After a yummy lunch and quick drive through UC Berkeley, we wrapped up another fun Day of Loaf! I’m already anticipating the next one coming up in Sacramento later this month!

See you on the road,

-Noelle, Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador

By NoelleLLT

The Tillamook Cheese Loaf Love Tour at the Danville 4th of July Parade!

There are so many opportunities to feel like a rock star while on the Loaf Love Tour, but the 4th of July Parade in Danville, CA had to be one of our highlights! We rose nice and early armed with 12,000 Tilla-Moos and gorgeous sunny skies. As soon as we arrived, we knew we were going to have a great time.
 
Our awesome VW Yum buses were in a staging area with helicopters, little league teams, local dignitaries, and, of course, lots of cheese-loving parade-goers decked out in their most patriotic gear. Once our buses got started on the route, there were seven of us toting portable coolers full of the World’s Best Medium Cheddar Cheese for the fans along the way. People were screaming for Tillamook Cheese and it energized me for our 2.5 mile trek. As I got started, I heard from a mom how great it was to get our all natural cheese as snacks rather than candy … as if I didn’t already feel great about being here – this made it even better!
 

Tillamook Cheese - made in the U.S.A.!

But the best moment of all was shortly after I refilled my cooler behind our Loafster convertible. The shoulder strap was tangled and I had to set it down to work it free. While I was stopped right in the middle of the parade route, both sides of the road started competing with screams of “cheese!” I cupped my hand to my ear and egged on the friendly competition. The screams went back and forth getting louder and louder.  I finally declared a winner by running over and handing out tons of Tilla-Moos. And because I’m a softie, I ran to the other side and brought them their own tasty cheese samples, too!
 

Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador Noelle with her cooler bag full of Tilla-Moos

Thank you Danville, CA for the awesome 4th of July memories!

By Susan N.

Hands down, the best part of my job as a Loaf Love Tour Brand Ambassador is meeting the amazing Tillamook fans. We meet people every day who share their personal Tillamook memories with such big smiles on their faces. I can’t help but smile right back at them.

If ever I’m having a bad day or just a low energy day, I know I only have to wait a few moments for a Tillamook super fan to lift me up. Case in point: Bodhi. Baby Bodhi was only two days old when his parents, Heidi and Ryan, were driving home from the hospital after having him. They spotted the Loaf Love Tour at their local store in Ben Lomond, CA, and made a quick decision to pull over. Bodhi’s very first outing in this world was a Tillamook event! Their family was so happy, kind, and excited to see us that I talked about their visit with other Brand Ambassadors throughout the following year.

Newborn Bodhi's first outing in this world - a Loaf Love Tour stop! Pictured here with his dad Ryan.

One year later, I was back at the same store, crossing my fingers that Bodhi and his family would make a second appearance. To my delight, Bodhi, his parents, and his Grandma Brooke had put the Loaf Love Tour on their 2011 calendar. Bodhi had grown so much and was now able to try Tillamook Cheese for the first time! By the time the family left, both my Loaf Love Tour coworker Andrea and I were smiling from ear to ear. Our excitement was contagious – other Tillamook fans asked us what was making us so happy!

Bodhi one year later with his mom Heidi.

A big thank you must go out to all the Tillamook fans, especially Bodhi, Ryan and Heidi, for making the Loaf Love Tour such a fun place to be. You know you have a great job when you wake up every morning excited to see who you are going to meet. You never know, it might just be the cutest little “baby loaf,” like our youngest Tillamook fan Bodhi!

By Kelly

Tillamook partner chefs Heidi Gibson and Nate Pollak of The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen.

What’s a sandwich without cheese? To celebrate two of the all-time tastiest foods – sandwiches and cheese – our Loaf Love Tour has partnered with five notable Bay Area restaurants. Each restaurant is offering their take on specialty melts, sandwiches (and even burgers!) featuring award-winning Tillamook Cheese.

‘Tillamook Sandwich Week’ runs from June 11th – 18th, so grab a map  and start plotting out your sandwich crawl around town!

Participating restaurants:

The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen
1 South Park Ave.
Suite 103A
San Francisco, 941070
(415) 243-0107
Tillamook Sandwich Week Special: Tillamook Signature Chef Heidi Gibson has created a Mac n’ Cheese Grilled Cheese with Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese, pork belly, smoked tomato, caramelized onions, and avocado ($8.00).

Ironside
680 A 2nd St.
San Francisco, CA 941070
(415) 896-1127
Tillamook Sandwich Week Specials: Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese tops off Ironside’s Northern Bison Burger and Pacific Pastures Grass Fed Beef Burger  (market price; $15).

Nickies
466 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 941170
(415) 255-0300
Tillamook Sandwich Week Special: Lower Haight local eatery and neighborhood bar, Nickies, will be featuring a Crispy Chicken Sandwich with a trio of melted Tillamook Cheeses – Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese, Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, and Tillamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese – served with a side of fresh cut fries or bleu slaw ($9.50).

Globe
290 Pacific Ave.
San Francisco, CA 941110
(415) 391-4132
Tillamook Sandwich Week Special: Chef Joseph has created his all-time favorite Bacon and Tomato Sandwich featuring melted Tillamook Medium Cheddar on grilled sourdough (lunch: $9, dinner: $11).

Brown Sugar Kitchen
2534 Mandela Parkway
Oakland, CA 946070
(510) 839-7685
Tillamook Sandwich Week Special: Owner and Chef Tanya Holland has created a Smoked Vegetable Muffaletta topped with Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese ($8.50).

Meet the Loaf Love Tour team (and our cute little Baby Loaf buses!) at several participating Tillamook Sandwich Week restaurants on Thursday, June 16! Starting at 1:30pm, we’ll visit The AMERICAN Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Nickies, and Globe. Later that evening, we’ll head on over to Ironside to try their Bison Burger topped with Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese (yum!). Come join us – we’d Loaf to meet you!

By Tillamook