If you’re passionate about gourmet food and drink, curious about culture, and appreciate backdoor travel experiences, then Cheese Journeys is for you. Featured in The New York Times and Food & Wine Magazine, we are BEYOND excited to bring you a whole new experience of culinary education by partnering with Cheese Journeys to explore a unique private tour right in the French and Swiss Alps!
This private tour will be a culinary adventure to one of France and Switzerland’s foremost cheese, food, and wine-producing regions.
When: September 24 – October 5, 2025
Double Occupancy: $8,950 per person
Single Occupancy: $9,950 per person
Q + A with Lizzie!
After connecting with Cheese Journeys 5 years ago, Plum’s Culinary Director Lizzie Stewart now partners with the travel organization to share unique culinary experiences with the store’s customers and community. Read on to learn more about her passion for cheese and the upcoming trip she’s co-hosting in September with Cheese Journeys to the legendary cheese-producing region of the French and Swiss Alps.
Q. How did you get connected with Cheese Journeys?
A. My passion for cheese led me to follow Cheese Journeys in 2020. A little more than a year ago, I reached out because I noticed they do corporate partnerships, and I wanted to see what possibilities were out there for Plum’s. Lo and behold, we have become very good friends and partners in the cheese world, and we want to bring people with us to explore cheese.
Q. You took a trip last October with Cheese Journeys to England to participate in their Curd to Counter program. What was that like?
A. I went to England with the Curd to Counter program and had the opportunity to be mentored by one of the cheesemakers, Tom Calver from Westcombe Dairy in England. And when I say he mentored me, I literally woke up and fed the cows, milked the cows, helped make the cheese, and worked in their store to sell the cheese. Being with a maker, with a farmer and seeing the love and care that they put into producing a wonderful product was really inspiring.
I also worked the slate at Neal’s Yard Dairy and met incredible cheesemakers and other mongers throughout the country. The experience was overwhelmingly amazing for Plum’s and the things we’re building here.
Q. How did that trip influence your perspective as a chef?
A. As a chef, it was important to be able to see where our food comes from and spend time on the farms. It was interesting, for every maker I met – some of the best in the British Isles – it starts with the land and how they tend to that land. For a chef, that always speaks to us. I’m excited to share that with everybody.
Q. What can people expect from the Cheese Journeys experience in September?
A. This experience is at the heart of what pushed me to reach out to Cheese Journeys in the first place, wanting to get people from our community to participate in a cheese and food tour.
I chose the France and Switzerland trip because when we think about the birthplace of cheese, they’re at the top of the list. Selfishly, those are some of my favorite cheeses, and the region we’re going to is beautiful! Having that experience in the French Alps, then moving into Switzerland and partaking in a traditional cow parade, it’s just absolutely insane.
It’s really for the adventurous food lover who wants to dig deeper into where our food comes from, how they can enjoy it, and where they can find it. I think sometimes we’re like, “Oh, we’re gonna travel just for cheese!” Obviously, I’m a freak for cheese, but it’s so much more than that. It’s also culinary. We have amazing chefs who travel with us, and they teach cooking classes. We have wine education and spirit education. We have cocktail hour. We go on excursions.
Q. How is this experience different from a trip someone might plan themselves?
A. Plum’s stands for the love of food, so we can come together around that and be wowed by Cheese Journeys professionalism and attention to detail. Anna and her amazing team have worked out all of the details, from how to sign up for travel insurance to what to look out for when you’re booking your airfare. Then when you get there, there’s not a stone that has not been turned over several times. The details and the excursions that we take, they’ve already pre-planned these. The time and effort you would put in to even come close to what this is, that’s worth the value in itself.
Being able to see these traditional methods that the makers are still using to produce the cheeses that have been around for thousands of years, then fast forward to 2025 and get these cheeses here in South Dakota, that’s a prize in itself.
Q. What does the relationship with Cheese Journeys do for the customers of Plum’s?
A. At Plum’s we pride ourselves on inspiration and education. So all our thoughts and decisions revolve around that. The spirit we’re always trying to bring here is learning how we can inspire our community to explore quality products sourced from wonderful companies and makers. Then we want to educate you: How do you use it? Where does it come from? Why do we think this is really great?
Having been around the country and around the world with Cheese Journeys, I can say being together helps us educate our community better and more effectively bring great products to our community.
Q. If someone had questions about Cheese Journeys, who could they contact?
A. I’m going, and I can’t wait to see who’s coming with me! If England was any indicator of how France and Switzerland is going to go, you have to come. Shoot us a message at kitchen@plumscooking.com. I would love to chat one-on-one and see if this is a match for you.
Anna Juhl, CEO & Co-Founder of Cheese Journeys, will be hosting an info session on this trip. This is a great way to ask your questions and learn more about this one-of-a-kind journey. Register for this FREE info session here.
