Who doesn't love cheese? Creamy, savory, nutty, sharp--you name it, you'll find it at the California Artisan Cheese Festival held at the Sheraton in Petaluma. The Artisan Cheese Festival includes a full weekend of cheesy activities, including an opening night reception, demonstrations, classes, cheese tasting, field trips, panel discussions and seminars. Saturday night at the Artisan Cheese Festival features a gala dinner with five-course meal prepared by noted national chefs and local celebrity chefs. You can find a full schedule of events here.

In fact, there's so much to during the California Artisan Cheese Festival, I couldn't cover it all. But, I thoroughly enjoyed the Artisan Cheese Marketplace event which takes place on Sunday.

First of all, the place was buzzing. There was such a great vibe when I attended. And even though it was a little crowded at times, everyone was extremely polite and civil. In other words, it was very social and therefore a lot of fun!

There are two huge areas packed with more types of cheese than you could ever taste in a day. One area is in the hotel: It's basically a large ballroom with wall to wall cheese and then another set of tables in the center.....your surrounded! The same sort of set up is on the outside, but in a large tent.

Many top local restaurants/eateries participate in the Artisan Cheese Fair, like the girl & the fig from Sonoma and the Jimtown Store in Healdsburg, which serve up delectable cheese-themed tidbits throughout the day. What's so nice about the California Artisan Cheese Festival in Petaluma is that you can literally bump into a top chef or cheesemaker and have an educational chat or just shoot the breeze. The Artisan Cheese Fair is very casual and fun, yet by default you will get educated about cheese because you are surrounded by experts.

Cooking demonstrations by renowned chefs are featured throughout the day and those who attend get to taste the spoils of the demonstration. I really liked the demonstration by Chef John Ash. Not only was it extremely educational, but he was very engaging and funny as well.

Overall, the California Artisan Cheese Fair was an educational--and very tasty--experience. Quite remarkable!