In the spirit of Mother’s Day, some of the Tillamook Marketing Team wanted to share some of our favorite memories and celebrations of our moms!

Katie
My family isn’t big on gifts, so we celebrate holidays with adventures we think our loved ones will enjoy. This is especially meaningful now that my brother and I live far away from our parents, so we get a chance to catch up and be together. My favorite Mother’s Day was spent walking around the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle with my brother and our Momma Anne. My mom loves animals, and it’s always been one of her favorite outings in the Seattle area. Hearing my mom giggle at the animals, and seeing the little skip in her step as she tells us she is “Sooo happy to see you both!” put the biggest smile on my face and made the 3 hour drive totally worth it.

Amalya
My favorite Mother’s Day memory comes from the years of macaroni picture frames and illegible cards involving a LOT of glitter. I remember back in preschool my class worked for hours to cover old soup cans in fabric and puff paint to make vases. We filled them with purple and pink tulips and presented them to our moms at a very special luncheon that involved a lot of singing. While I couldn’t find that beautiful tin can vase, I did come across another Mother’s Day craft from my days as a professional artist. I love you mom!

Susan
My favorite Mother’s Day memory is the time my brothers and sisters and I decided to make Mom breakfast in bed.  So the six of us – ages 10 and younger – worked hard in the kitchen making scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and a cup of tea for her. I think we used every pan, bowl, and utensil we owned. We found a tray in a cabinet, placed everything on it, and my sister went outside and pulled up a daffodil (literally bulb and all) to make the meal pretty. We were so proud of ourselves! Then up the stairs we proceeded with runny eggs, burnt toast, undercooked bacon, no pancakes and a lukewarm cup of tea, most of which ended up on the floor.  It didn’t matter – Mom burst out laughing at the sight of her breakfast, told us it was all great and she even proceeded to eat some. She always made us all six of us feel special in our own way, and we loved her!

Tori
My memory comes from the receiving end of Mother’s Day. This was my son Noah’s Mother’s Day project last year at school. For those who need 1st grade translation, I believe the 3 best things about me at the time were 1) snuggling on the couch 2) going out to dinner 3) spending time together ♥

Matt
Everyone says this about their mom, but my mom was, is and will forever be the best. She and my dad were always there to support myself and my sister – and did it with a purpose. From soccer games, to baseball practice, to choir concerts, my mom didn’t miss anything – even when I’m sure she was exhausted from having to deal with us. She inspired us to be who were we are, regardless of what others think or say. More importantly, she instilled in us a moral compass and level of compassion that has helped guide how we lead our adult lives. As this picture indicates, she also taught me important life lessons like how to properly throw a football while rolling out of the pocket! My mom helped make me the person I am today and I thank her for that every day. I love you everyday mom!

Gillian
For Mother’s Day in elementary school, I made my mother a bouquet of “flowers” out of tissue paper wrapped around the individual cups of egg cartons and then attached them to pipe cleaners. Those poor little flowers are now over 25 years old, but by golly she still has them on her bedside table. The tissue paper has faded and the pipe cleaners have wilted, but the love is still there in each little flower cup.

They looked like this example from Make and Takes.

Will you share your favorite Mother’s Day memory with us!?

By Tillamook

The three finalists in our 3rd annual Tillamook Cheese Factory Grilled Cheese Contest cook-off competed last Saturday, April 27 at the Cheese Factory to determine who makes the best darned Tillamook Grilled Cheese sandwich on the planet. From a field of 90 entries, narrowed to seven semi-finalists, these three grilled cheese lovin’ finalists did their best to impress six judges to take the Grand Prize Winner title. And impress they did with three very different, unique, and cheesy recipes.

Colleen Bill of Post Falls, Idaho brought her Grilled Stromboli, with lots of Tillamook Shredded Italian Blend Cheese and Vintage White Smoked Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese and was our 2nd runner up. Donna Beck of Bonney Lake, WA competed with her Cheddar and Ham with Spiced Apple Bacon Compote and Maple Butter, a slightly sweet and spicy delight with our Sharp Cheddar. Donna went home with 24 pounds of cheese and a goodie basket as our 1st runner up. But at the end of the day, the creator of the unique and savory Spicy Turkey Cranberry Grilled Cheese walked away with the $500 Grand Prize, along with a gift basket chock-full of Tillamook goodies and bragging rights for the best Tillamook Grilled Cheese. Karla Pollich of Portland, OR, packed her sandwich with thick slices of Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar and Tillamook Swiss, then grilled it up on sourdough bread with herbed Turkey, bacon and a cranberry jalapeno jelly. Karla’s sandwich will be featured at the Creamery Café at the Cheese Factory this week so come on out and give it a try!

Our visitors also got into the act by sampling all three of the contestant’s sandwiches and voting with their applause for the Audience Favorite. This year the voting was closer than ever, with our judges declaring a three-way tie! All three contestants took home coupons for Tillamook Cheese or Ice Cream.

Join us next year for the 4th Annual Contest, and thanks for celebrating National Grilled Cheese month with us this April!

By Susan P.

The numbers have been tallied, the food has been weighed, and Tillamook is extremely proud to have been a part of making this year’s KGW Great Food Drive the most successful ever!

Thanks to generous individuals and companies, this year’s Great Food Drive raised more than 1.2 million pounds of food for the Oregon Food Bank, more than DOUBLE this year’s campaign goal of 600,000 pounds, and far surpassing last year’s campaign results as well. Here at Tillamook, we’re thrilled to have contributed $30,000 from the sales of our cheese in Oregon and southwest Washington during the month of March. Additionally, our Tillamook employees alone donated more than 13,000 pounds of food to the Great Food Drive during March as well.

Overall, this year’s campaign raised enough food to provide more than 900,000 meals to those in need in our communities. Knowing that we were part of making a positive impact on that many lives here in our home state of Oregon means so much to us.

We had a lot of fun seeing our fans at food collection events throughout the state and welcoming our good friend and KGW NewsChannel 8 morning show personality Drew Carney to the Tillamook Cheese Factory to help promote the cause!

To all of the Tillamook fans that bought extra cheese in March to support this very worthy cause, thank you!

The problem of hunger is a year-round issue for adults and children across our state. To find out how to support the Oregon Food Bank throughout the year, visit www.OregonFoodBank.org.

By Tori

We’re so proud of our Dairy Products Quality Manager, Jill Allen, who had the incredible honor of judging at the 2013 United States Championship Cheese Contest®. At Tillamook, Jill and her team taste test hundreds of cheese samples every day to make sure each little loaf delivers the consistent quality our fans love. Although Jill didn’t judge any Tillamook Cheese at the competition, she put her fine-tuned taste buds to good use by grading several cheeses from across the country. Jill wasn’t the only one to receive recognition at the championship; check out the awards our own Tillamook cheeses took home! I had the opportunity to chat with Jill about her exciting experience.

Q: Was this your first time judging a cheese competition?
A: Yes, this was my first professional judging competition. I was very excited to judge at a National Level.

Q: How were you selected to be a judge?
A: I obtained my Wisconsin Cheese Graders License, and then was nominated to judge by other grading professionals.

Q: Which types of cheese did you taste?
A: I graded Flavored Semi-Soft Cheeses, Smoked Hard Cheeses, Reduced Fat Soft and Semi-Soft Cheeses, and Reduced Fat Hard Cheese.

Q: What were you looking for in each category?
A: We judged the cheese based on flavor; body and texture; makeup and appearance; color; and rind development.

Q: How many samples do you think you tasted altogether?
A: Probably around 100.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the judging process? Did you eat or drink anything to cleanse your palette in between samples?
A: I was partnered with another judge and we worked as a pair. Each judge had to be precise and assess the cheeses individually, but also collaborate as a team. After each tasting we cleansed our pallets with tart green apples and water.

Q: Did you learn anything surprising during the competition?
A: It was great being able to experience the excitement of judging at the US National Cheese Contest®. Judges came from all corners of the country. It was an experience like no other; to be part of an elite judging team that gets to experience and choose the best cheese in the United States.

Q: How much cheese do you taste each day at Tillamook, and do you ever get tired of eating it?
A: Tillamook has a grading team of 6 members, and together we probably grade around 400 pieces of cheese a day. My team loves what we do and loves Tillamook cheese!

Q: What’s your favorite type of Tillamook Cheese?
A: My favorite Tillamook Cheese is any of our Cheddars, Yellow or White.

Q: What is the weirdest type of cheese you have ever tried?
A: At the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest, I tasted a semi soft cheese, wrapped in seaweed!

By Callie

If you didn’t know it, the sign should indicate that there are some great artisan products at the Oregon Cheese Festival!

Is there a better place to be than with fellow cheese lovers in a town that also holds a festival for William Shakespeare and has a totally down-home, hippie vibe that loves locals and welcomes artisans?! No. There is not. I know this because this past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to, along with two co-workers, represent Tillamook at the Oregon Cheese Guild’s 9th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival!

Four varieties of Oregon Cheeses made for one amazing dinner

The weekend started with a dinner featuring 4 varieties of Oregon Cheeses – and that doesn’t even include the cheese plate before the meal with about 20 different cheeses! WHOA! I had tasted some before (if you haven’t had it, you must try Portland Creamery’s Sweet Fire! It’s an unbelievably delicious Chevre with a Habanero Marionberry jam) and some I hadn’t had. After making sure to taste them all, I left with a greater appreciation of the quality of cheese making in Oregon. We’re pretty lucky.

Just one picture of the nearly 10,000 people who came to the 8th Annual Oregon Cheese Festival

The next day was the main event. Held right next to Rogue Creamery’s headquarters in Central Point, OR, nearly 10,000 people came to celebrate Oregon bounty under a tent that blocked not rain, but sun on this beautiful weekend! Tillamook was there with other Oregon cheeses from Rogue Creamery, Willamette Valley Cheese Company, Portland Creamery and many, MANY other artisan producers. We handed out about 60lbs of free samples of some of our more specialty cheeses: Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar, Garlic Chili Pepper Cheddar, America’s Best Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar, Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar and Sharp Cheddar cheeses. We also gave people recipes to try at home and wine pairing guides (which came in very handy – there were some great Oregon wines on hand to be tasted).

Driving up the Oregon Coast is always a good idea – made better when the sun decides to peak out!

I have to throw in that if you are Ashland, you should stay at the Ashland Springs Hotel. It’s a beautiful, old hotel that is part of the Historic Hotels of America and is close to everything downtown Ashland has to offer. Try out Standing Stone Brewery for some great beer and Mix café for an AMAZING chocolate croissant, then hike Lithia Park and take a drive through Myrtle Creek and up the coast through Coos Bay, Newport, and Lincoln City to see all of the incredibly natural wonders that allow Oregon to have all of the bountiful food we do!

This event was an incredible celebration of the growing cheese industry in Oregon and Tillamook was truly thrilled to be a part of it! Make sure you remember to put this on your calendar next year so you too can enjoy some of the best cheeses in America – all under one HUGE tent!

By Matt

We’ve got some good news! Three varieties of Tillamook Cheese were voted “America’s Best” at the 2013 United States Championship Cheese Contest®!

Tillamook Colby Jack took “Best of Class” with a score of 99.40. Colby Jack is a veteran on the winners’ stand, previously earning “America’s Best Colby Jack” at the 2011 U.S. Championship! Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar was voted “Best of Class” receiving a score of 99.45 out of 100, as well as second place in the Aged 2 years or longer Cheddar Category. Tillamook Sharp Cheddar scored 98.65 earning “Best of Class” for Sharp Cheddar aged 6 months to one year. We’re honored to be able to offer these “America’s Best” cheeses to all of our fans!

Held last week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest® had a record-breaking total of over 1,700 entries, up 100 entries from 2011!!!

By Tillamook

Luke and Dale, Tillamook’s favorite funny guys and diplomats du fromage, are coming to California and on March 4, we’ll be launching the official #LukeandDale Twitter sweepstakes! From March 4 to March 8 fans will be able to choose their favorite “California Meets Tillamook” commercial and tweet it to @TillamookCheese using the hashtag #LukeandDale for a chance to win a year’s supply of Tillamook Cheese.

It’s sort of like the Academy Awards, but just for Luke and Dale. And, instead of them winning an Oscar, you could win a year’s supply of cheese!

Help us welcome Luke and Dale to California and join the fun on Monday, March 4!  Who knows, we might even give out some extra prizes. Good luck and happy tweeting!

How to Enter
• Visit the Luke and Dale website: www.Tillamook.com/LukeandDale
• Watch all “California Meets Tillamook” videos
• Tweet to @TillamookCheese and include the title of your favorite video and the hashtag #LukeandDale

When to Enter
• The contest will be begin on Monday, March 4, 2013
• The last day to enter will be Friday, March 8, 2013

Prize
• One lucky winner will be chosen at random to win a one-year supply of Tillamook Cheese!

*For official contest rules click here

By Tillamook

Many of us take for granted the fact that we always have a hot meal waiting for us at the end of the day, or a Baby Loaf of delicious Tillamook Cheese sitting in our fridge. But the fact is, hunger has reached an all-time high in the U.S., and more families are seeking emergency food services than ever before. Here in our home state, we know that 1 in 5 Oregonians struggle with hunger, and one-third of those that receive food boxes from local food banks are children. These numbers are pretty astonishing, especially when you consider that many of these people who are struggling to put food on their table each day might be your neighbors, co-workers, and friends.

As a food producer and community leader, we at Tillamook feel it is our responsibility to help make a difference in the lives of people who are fighting hunger every day. That’s why we are proud for the seventh year in a row to support the KGW Great Food Drive, an incredibly valuable public service campaign that helps bring the community together to fight this serious issue of hunger.

During the month of March, we will be donating a portion of proceeds from any size or variety of Tillamook Cheese sold at stores throughout Oregon and SW Washington to the Great Food Drive, which supports the Oregon Food Bank.

Also – each week in March, we will be featuring a different special at our Tillamook Cheese Factory Visitor Center in support of the Great Food Drive. So, if you stop by to visit us on the coast, bring in 2 non-perishable food items or $2.00 to donate, and enjoy these special offers:

March 5 – 11: 10% off any purchase of Tillamook Cheese (no additional discounts apply)

March 12 – 18: Purchase the Great Food Drive Lunch Special at the Creamery Café of a Tillamooker Grilled Cheese sandwich and a cup of soup, and receive another Great Food Drive Lunch Special FREE (no substitutions)

March 19 – 25: Purchase any Tillamook Ice Cream item at the dipping counter, and receive a second item FREE (free item of equal or lesser value)

March 26 – 31: Purchase one pound of any variety(s) of fudge, and receive ½ pound FREE

Last year the Great Food Drive campaign raised more than 755,000 pounds of food for the Oregon Food Bank, which was enough to provide nearly 600,000 meals to those in need in our communities. Working together as a community, we hope to raise even more food and funds this year, so that we can continue to combat this serious issue. We hope you’ll join us!

By Tori

February is a very exciting month for many reasons: Valentine’s Day, Oregon’s Birthday, and most importantly, Tillamook’s Birthday!!! This year, on February 13, the farmer owned co-op is turning 104! That’s 104 years of delicious naturally aged cheese made in Tillamook, Oregon! In 1909, several small creameries teamed up to form Tillamook County Creamery Association with the mission to make delicious high quality cheese.

I have a lot to be thankful for! After all, if it wasn’t for those farmers 104 years ago, there’d be no me (Loafy)! Today, Tillamook is made up of 100 dairy farm families, many of whom are kin to the early pioneers. To celebrate this very exciting birthday, I’m writing and collecting birthday cards to share with our wonderful farmers! Will you join me!?!

Send your cards to:
Tillamook
c/o Loafy
4185 Highway 101 North
Tillamook, Oregon 97141

Learn more about Tillamook’s history here!

By Loafy

Tesha and her family!

We’re so happy to announce Tesha K. and her sister Laron as the Mookover winners! With over 800 nominations, it was incredibly hard to choose just one. Laron submitted the winning nomination, which describes her sister Tesha’s generosity and dedication to helping others. Tesha is a Tillamook-loving single mom who, in addition to raising two biological daughters and two adopted special needs children, also provides respite foster care for kids in Spokane. She also sponsors orphanages and families from around the world, because, as Laron says, “She felt she had more to give.” Inspired by her sister’s kindness, Laron is donating her prize pack to families in her area. Congratulations to Tesha and Laron!

Tesha’s adopted daughters, Ruby and Anna, with their foster sister

Tesha and Anna meeting Ruby for the first time at an orphanage in Vietnam

Tesha’s daughters Haley, Sophie and Anna, with Mica, a foster daughter

By Tillamook