Judy Creighton

Judy Creighton has been teaching cheese classes in San Francisco for nearly 30 years. With her experience as owner of two cheese shops, she offers a wealth of knowledge and perspective about American and international cheeses. She served as a judge at two American Cheese Society competitions and writes a cheese column for her local newspaper and the ACS quarterly newsletter. She is currently Core Instructor at the Cheese School of San Francisco where she teaches a variety of topics. She also provides educational programs for retailers and presents private wine and cheese pairing events at local wineries. She still considers herself a cheesemonger and loves teaching about the wonders of cheese.

Sheana Davis

Sonoma native Sheana Davis of the Epicurean Connection celebrates 20 years as chef, caterer and culinary educator and has just added cheesemaker to her long list of accomplishments with the recent national release of her new cheese, “Delice de la Vallee”. She is the creator and host of the annual Sonoma Valley Cheese Conference, which is currently in it’s seventh season and also teaches at The Cheese School of San Francisco and Relish Culinary Adventures in Healdsburg. Sheana’s focus and passion is for sustainable, quality hand-crafted foods, wines and brews and farmstead and artisan cheese. Her web site is www.sheanadavis.com.

Laura Martinez

Laura Martinez is the owner of The Artisan Palate, a company that promotes the flourishing artisan food industry through celebrations of real food. She leads a series of tasting events focused on artisan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, and pairings of seasonal, local foods. In addition to doing ongoing research for food-related stories and articles, she consults with artisan cheese and food retailers and non-profit food organizations. Recently she’s worked with Cowgirl Creamery, Slow Food Nation, The Pasta Shop, the California Olive Oil Council, and CUESA at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza. She also teaches at The Cheese School of San Francisco and Savvy Cellars in Redwood City. She is a founding board member of the California Artisan Cheese Guild and has enjoyed a lifetime of happily cooking for a large and appreciative family.

Marni Rubin

Marni Rubin, C.S.W., is a wine educator and the owner of Marni Rubin Wine Education. She teaches wine and gourmet food classes around the greater Bay area, as well as custom-designs corporate and private in-home wine events. Marni’s clients include Savvy Cellar Wine Bar, Whole Foods Markets, chocolatier Michael Recchiuti, the Cheese School of San Francisco, and corporate clients such as Bank of America, Oracle and McKesson Corporation. Marni is a Certified Specialist of Wine through the National Society of Wine Educators and has passed the First Level Exam of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In addition to wine, Marni loves all things chocolate and cheese. For information, contact Marni Rubin at (650) 888-4826 or marnirubinwines@ymail.com.

Charlie Creighton

Charlie Creighton has been in the food and wine business for 30 years, first as a cheesemonger in San Francisco at stores he owned with his wife, Cheese Educator Judy Creighton. He then became Head Baker in their artisan bakery for twelve years. He now enjoys his work pairing wines and cheeses in the tasting room at Lavender Ridge Vineyard in Murphys. Great cheese and wine are his passion.

Karen Tran

Karen Tran reaches out to cheese connoisseurs and novices alike through her blog, cheeseplatesf.com, where she turns a critical eye to cheese service in the San Francisco Bay Area and addresses other cheese consumer-related issues. Karen can also be found at several Bay Area specialty stores helping her customers create complete cheese courses, boards and displays, design cheese "cakes" for special events, or discover new cheeses that become quick favorites. Before developing her passion for cheese, Karen was the chief trainer and event manager for a well-known, global wine, beer, and spirits company; some of her brands include Guinness, Harp, Smithwick’s, Red Stripe, Tanqueray, Johnnie Walker, Oronoco rum, and many more. Having trained at The Cheese School of San Francisco as assistant director, Karen loves sharing with others the subtle intricacies and magical alchemy that can be accomplished with cheeses. Karen earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and has completed a professional intensive cheese program with well-known cheese importer and one of the most dynamic cheese advocates in the United States, Daphne Zepos.