Proprietors Sue Barton-Power and Nick Barton had envisaged a group of 30 people to hear the three industry speakers but squeezed 43 people into their main street shop.

Speakers for the evening were:

Gina Graham is a food technician who runs the cheese sensory evaluation and cheese making courses at Regency TAFE. Gina took participants through a tasting of cheese ranging from imported Rocquefort through to domestic products such as Gippsland Blue, covering production methods and sensory evaluation. “I have done the cheese making course at Regency and recommend it highly, Gina left some brochures in Open House for anyone interested,” Sue said.

Helen Baldwin, who owns and manages Great Southern Chocolates, led a tasting of her delicious products, and told the story of her company’s origins, growth to date and plans for expansion.

Michael Nanni, of Rio Coffee, ran the “myth busting session” to shatter some of the “urban myths” around making and storing coffee (some still believe storing coffee in the freezer is good for it).

The store’s next evening, which is planned for Wednesday, July 2, will be called “Spice up your life with Herbies, the Spice Girlz, and Thistle Be Good”.