The special Friday night cocktail party is the highlight of the three-day Acquistapace’s Annual Holiday Cheese Extravaganza event. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 4, 5 & 6, there will be dozens of featured cheeses, wines, spirits and beers throughout Acquistapace Covington Supermarket. “We’ve held this annual event for a decade now, and it really has become an event that people mark in their calendars to attend.” says Erik Acquistapace, Certified Cheese Professional of the American Cheese Society, regarding the family run business. “2019 year was the first year we did the cocktail party because we had a visiting cheesemaker and several members of the Wisconsin Dairy Board in for the event. We wanted to do something special to celebrate our Guinness World Record for the largest cheese sculpture which weighed in at 3,121 pounds! After the success of that event, we had a dozen cheesemakers who wanted to attend the 3 day event and to be at the more exclusive party so they could talk to real customers about their amazing cheeses,” Acquistapace adds. Sarah Kaufmann, cheese carver extraordinaire will be join Acquistapace’s again to carve another 4000 lb wheel of cheddar made by the Henning’s.

Adam Acquistapace, who has been elevating and expanding the wine and spirits side of the Acquistapace business for nearly 20 years said, “We are also enhancing the cocktail party by allowing more attendees and featuring some of the premier wines and spirits around. Not only can you chat with artisan cheesemakers from around the world but you can do so while sipping on the finest Champagne, the finest from Napa Valley, Bordeaux, France; or a Premier Cru Burgundy. It doesn’t get much better than that!”

Some of the cheesemakers in attendance will be from Henning’s Cheese (who created another 4,000 pound wheel of sharp cheddar exclusively for Acquistapace’s), Carr Valley, Cypress Grove, and Beemster among others. There will also be a very special cheese, created by Erik Acquistapace, our very own Louisiana Lagniappe “We are so excited our Louisiana Lagniappe Cheddar cheese. It was released in our stores a few years ago and has been a real smash hit with customers.” says Erik Acquistapace. “The recipe was created using flavors that evoke a real Louisiana crawfish boil. I went to Henning’s Cheese in Wisconsin to make the Louisiana Lagniappe with my team and Master Cheesemaker, Kerry Henning. We made a 4,000 pound wheel of it to be sent here to Louisiana and sold exclusively on the Northshore at Acquistapace locations.”

Acquistapace’s will also be hosting Wine & Cheese pairing classes along with a build-a-cheese board to take home, headed by Chris Gentine of Deer Creek Cheese. “Chris has been in the cheesemaking industry for over 37 years. He is Founder and President of the Artisan Cheese Exchange and is the recipient of 99 top medals in US and international cheese competitions,” enthuses Erik Acquistapace.
“We are so excited to have Chris teaching our customers about his cheeses. And to take home your board when you’re done, it doesn’t get more hands on than that!”

The Cheese Extravaganza event in-store is free and open to the public. The more exclusive Acquistapace’s Wine & Cheese Cocktail Party with up close access to the cheesemakers requires tickets. Tickets are $150.

Extravaganza Weekend:
Friday, November 4, 11:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, November 5, 11:00 AM-6:00 PM
Sunday, November 6, 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
located at Acquistapace’s Covington Supermarket, 125 E 21^st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433.

Wine & Cheese Cocktail Party: $150 per person, Friday, November 4, 7:00 – 10:00 PM, at the Southern Hotel, 428 East Boston Street, Covington, LA 70433 Doors open at 6:30 

For additional event details contact Jennifer Jones at jenniferj@acquistapaces.com or call Acquistapace Covington Supermarket at 985-893-0593 Ext 4.