Join us for an evening with Dean Sommer MS’81, a Neenah native and cheese technologist from UW–Madison. This will be a night of cheese-filled fun, including education, trivia, and samples provided by our local sponsor, Union Star Cheese Factory, who will be on hand to share their cheese story. Come learn more about our cheese state — and the state of our cheese!
Walk-ins are welcome, but to save time at the door and help us prepare enough cheese samples please register by May 13.
About the Program
Enjoy a special presentation:
How Wisconsin Became the Cheese State
Today, Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State and the Cheese State — but it didn’t start out that way. Find out how and why Wisconsin transitioned from wheat production to milk, how UW–Madison played a central role in revolutionizing the dairy industry, and how the university continues to support the industry to this day!
Speaker
Dean Sommer MS’81 is a cheese and food technologist at the Center for Dairy Research (CDR). He serves as a technical resource to the industry regarding cheese, whey products, and processing. He assists manufacturers as well as their customers by serving as a consultant and educator. Dean is often involved with troubleshooting and public and private company short courses, and he is able to consult on issues regarding processing and product defects. Dean has worked at the CDR for more than 20 years. Prior to that, he had more than 18 years of experience in the industry, having worked at one of the largest cheese and whey product facilities in the U.S. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry and a master’s degree in food science. He enjoys the constant challenges and continued learning that come with working at CDR and is honored to serve the dairy industry, helping producers and manufacturers to provide the world with quality nutrition through dairy products.
Additional Information
Parking is available in the library parking lot.
When you register, please let us know if you require accessibility accommodations.
