East Islip High School’s French Club hosted its first after-school “Cheese and Chat” event on March 4, featuring a mini lesson on cheese by Nicole Nash, a 4-H Agriculture Program educator from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, through a Dairy in the Classroom grant.
Nash’s presentation explained how cheese is made and included a guided tasting of four French cheeses: Brie, Comte, Roquefort and fresh chevre. Students and club adviser Maya Iwanejko learned about the cheeses’ origins, milk types and flavor profiles while engaging in lively discussion.
“This is one of many programs we offer to help students make the connection about where their food comes from,” Nash said. “They learn about the difference between what cheese actually is and was for hundreds of years, and the traditional American cheese from the grocery store. A lot of kids are just not exposed to cheeses like these.”
