NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Fête des Fromages, aka NOLA Cheese Fest, returns to the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Saturday, Nov. 16. Fête des Fromages brings together the best cheese makers of Europe (including Beemster, Fulvi Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano, Gruyere AOP, La Bonne Vie, and Mitica) and the United States (including a Wisconsin Cheese Experience and a Southern Cheese Village) with their cheese-adoring public for unlimited cheese feasting against a distinctly New Orleanian backdrop of live music, craft beer, and French wines.
This year, two new events have been added in the lead-up to Fête des Fromages.
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, national cheese expert, author and Chopped guest judge Liz Thorpe will lead an intimate cheese and cocktail pairing class at the newly opened Sazerac House.
On Friday, Nov. 15, New Orleans’ top chefs will battle it out at Fromage à Trois: Cheese, Chefs & Cocktails. Working with an assigned cheese, chefs from award-winning restaurants including Atchafalaya, Bayona, Domenica, Otra Vez, Palace Café, Restaurant R’evolution, Saba, Three Muses and more will compete to make a perfect cheese bite. Guests can taste each bite and vote for their favorite while sampling signature Bulleit or Tanqueray cocktails, enjoying the cash bar and dancing to tunes spun by DJ El Camino.
On Saturday, Nov. 16, Fête des Fromages will open its doors to VIP ticket holders at 11AM and general admission ticket holders at 12PM for unlimited cheese tasting, drinks and live music kicking off at 12:15 with HARMONOUCHE followed by Meschiya Lake and the Little Bighorns, and Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots. More than 120 cheeses will be available to taste, and attendees can take a food break with signature eats from Dan Esses (Three Muses/Esses Foods/Rimon) tossing pasta in fresh-cut wheels of cheese and Justin Devillier (La Petite Grocery/Justine).
Cheese Boss and Cheese Fanatic ticket holders can look forward to an outdoor lounge with unlimited bar, Marquee de Lafayette Cognac tasting, exclusive cheeses, light bites, a swag table and, for the first 200 ticket purchasers, a 45-minute wine and cheese pairing class focused on either the Medoc region of Bordeaux or Tuscan greats from Castello di Ama.
The Big Cheese ticket bundle has already sold out. Early Bird tickets are on sale until Aug. 31.
- Cheese Boss ticket bundles for $150 (includes Fromage à Trois and Cheese Fanatic)
- Cheese Fanatic VIP tickets (21+) to Fête des Fromages: $130 (includes VIP lounge and bar)
- Cheese Lover tickets (21+) to Fête des Fromages: $65 (includes 3 drink tickets and 11AM admission)
- Cheese Enthusiast GA Early Bird tickets to Fête des Fromages: $30
- Petit Fromage tickets (ages 4-16) to Fête des Fromages: $10
