On Aug. 23, cheesemakers and artisan food producers alike will gather in Shelburne, Vt., for the first annual Vermont Cheesemakers Festival, hosted by the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese, the Vermont Butter & Cheese Co. and the Vermont Cheese Council. The one-day event is open to the first 1,000 people who register. Attendees will be able to sample more than 100 cheeses from 50 different cheesemakers as well as locally produced wine and beer, maple syrup, honey, chocolates and baked goods.

The event also will feature cooking demonstrations and seminars with presenters including Tom Bivins, executive chef of the New England Culinary Institute; Food & Wine magazine's 2008 Best New Chef Eric Warnstedt; and Laura Werlin, author of Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials: An Insiders Guide to Buying and Serving Cheeses.

For more information, visit www.vtcheesefest.com.