Part of the whole “dial down the picky eater-ness” philosophy is to connect kids with where their food is made.  On a road trip this summer, we were delighted to spend some time at the Rogue Creamery in Central Point, OR.  It’s not a huge shop – but it has all the essentials.  There is a large glass window into the cheese-making area, a sampling area along with some cheese paraphernalia, and a couple of deli counters with bricks and logs and wheels of some very divine cheese.

Monkey especially liked sampling.  To her credit, for a 2 year old, she did watch the video about the cheese-making process and seemed to get that it would be an excruciating wait before the milk that was being hauled in at that moment would be available in a cheese form.  She was also mildly disappointed that there wasn’t any goat cheese – her favorite.  Nevertheless, the kind people behind the counter gave her tastes of some exceptional cheeses like the Rogue River Blue and the Oregonzola (how many toddlers like blue cheeses?).  I think they converted her by the time we left.

P.S.  If you go, there is a chocolate store next door called Lillie Belle Farms that serves up heaven in little chocolate squares.  Save time to visit both places.

In my foodie family, we are perhaps prone to overdoing things a bit when it comes to meals. A friend recently rolled her eyes when she saw my menu for the week posted on the fridge (hey – it helps save money and reduces waste!) It was a bit of a jolt, then, the other morning when my 2 year-old spied the remains of a goat cheese log in the fridge and steadfastly insisted on having it for breakfast. Forget the elaborate steel-cut oatmeal with cut up fruit and nuts! And on the plus side, the goat cheese didn’t go to waste.