The Big Cheese 2026
The 2026 Big Cheese week featured cheese-themed workshops, a month-long grilled cheese restaurant competition, the Public Market at Hassen Arena on March 28, and a sold-out Ambassador's Dinner.
The 2026 Big Cheese ran from March 22 to March 29, 2026. Attendance topped 3,500 people across the festival week, up from the usual 3,000.
Industry Day
Friday, March 27 at Oddfellows Hall in downtown Armstrong. Industry Day connected British Columbia’s producers, processors, buyers, and culinary professionals for a focused day of networking, discovery, and opportunity.
Stories, Flavours, and Local Success kicked off at 1 pm. Marketing Your Food Business followed at 2 pm. Concurrent sessions on buyer matchmaking and marketing roundtables ran at 3 pm. Vendor Happy Hour and Networking at Hassen Arena at 4 pm closed out the day, with the People’s Choice Award for the Professional Chef Challenge announced at 4:30 pm.
The Public Market
Saturday, March 28 from 9 am to 3 pm at Hassen Arena. The headline event of The Big Cheese week. $5 entry. Tastings, seminars, displays, grilled cheese and cheeseball challenges, live music, and food trucks featuring cheesy goodness.
The Ambassador’s Dinner
Saturday, March 28 from 5:30 pm to 10 pm at St. Joseph’s Hall. Sold out for 2026.
An intimate six-course dinner with paired beverages, hosted by Canadian Cheese Ambassador David Beaudoin and crafted by:
- Chef Miles Kroeker, performer with Kinshira Entertainment, returning for his fourth year at The Big Cheese
- Chef Terra Wolsey, Red Seal certified, Holistic Nutritionist, and culinary lead at Orchard Valley Retirement Community
- Chef Georgia McLean, originally from the Okanagan and Vancouver-trained, head chef at The Clove
- Chef Henry Ortiz, originally from Mexico, also of The Clove
The grilled cheese restaurant competition
The Big Cheese Chef Challenge ran February 27 to March 28. Participating restaurants are listed below in the Restaurants section.
Festival workshops
The week of March 22 to March 28 featured hands-on workshops at Oddfellows Hall. Tickets ranged from $10 to $15 per person and registration was required. The workshops listed below pull automatically from the events calendar.
Presenting sponsor
The Big Cheese 2026 was proudly presented by Valley First.
Workshops
Big Cheese Chef Challenge: Professional
Local restaurants serve special grilled cheese or mac and cheese creations through the festival period. Customers vote for their favourites. People's Choice Award announced March 27.
Sourdough crackers workshop
Jenn from Okanagan Cliff Homestead Sourdough teaches mixing, shaping, baking, and pairing sourdough crackers.
$15 per person
Pickling workshop with Maia's Pickles
Hosted by Maia's Pickles. Learn pickling techniques, taste local creations, and take home your own jar.
$15 per person
Beeswax cheese wraps workshop
Local resident Susy Chung-Smith leads a hands-on beeswax wrap workshop. Make your own reusable cheese wraps to take home.
$15 per person
Concurrent sessions: Buyers on Tap and Marketing Roundtable
Choose between two parallel sessions: meet local buyers in a speed-dating format, or join a peer roundtable on marketing and sales.
Marketing your food business
Mandi Lunan and Shauna Fidler explore best practices, peer collaboration, and meet the marketing experts.
Stories, flavours, and local success
A tasting experience celebrating local producers. Meet the makers, hear the stories behind their brands, and sample outstanding local products.
Vendor happy hour and networking
A relaxed networking session for producers, processors, buyers, and industry professionals. Cheese Ambassador David Beaudoin leads an interactive pairing activity. People's Choice Award for the Professional Chef Challenge announced at 4:30 pm.
Big Cheese Chef Challenge: Amateur
Home cooks and youth chefs compete in cheese-themed culinary challenges. Big Cheese award announced at 2:30 pm.
Ambassador's Dinner Sold out
An intimate six-course dinner with paired beverages, hosted by Canadian Cheese Ambassador David Beaudoin. Created by chefs Miles Kroeker, Terra Wolsey, and Georgia McLean.
Cheese, pairings, and teamwork
An interactive seminar with Canadian Cheese Ambassador David Beaudoin exploring the art of pairings and the power of teamwork.
$10 per person
Public Market
The headline event of The Big Cheese week. Tastings, seminars, displays, grilled cheese and cheeseball challenges, and more. Live music and food trucks featuring cheesy goodness.
$5 per person
Sponsors
- Valley First · presenting
Grilled Cheese Competition entries
The following restaurants are entered in the Professional Chef Challenge for 2026.
- Tiffany's Asian Treats · Asian-fusion grilled cheese
- Village Dairy · Grilled cheese with house-made cheddar
- The Clove · Le Tabarnak French onion grilled cheese and Clove Clove Clove mac and cheese
- Wild Oak Cafe · Classic grilled cheese with crispy bacon
- PV BLVD Coffee · Cheesy grilled creation
- Armstrong Bakery · Bakery-style grilled cheese
- Supper27 Club · Inventive cheese sandwich
- Farmstrong Cider Co · Cider-paired grilled cheese
Cheese Producers
- The Village Dairy
- Smits & Co.W Cheese Farm
- Grass Root Dairies
- Tanto Latte
- Little Qualicum · Available through Askews Foods and BC Cheese Table
- Natural Pastures · Available at BC Cheese Table
- The Farmhouse Natural Cheese · Available at BC Cheese Table
- Creekside Creamery · Available at BC Cheese Table
- The Cult Pantry