Standing Stone Brewing Company (SSBC) and Rogue Creamery are a common pairing. The award-winning creamery makes a Standing Stone Stout Cheddar and the acclaimed craft brewery/restaurant features Rogue Creamery cheeses on its menu.

The two have taken their collaboration a step further to advance their common mission around sustainable business. Standing Stone has inspired Rogue Creamery to give free commuter bikes to employees who have worked at least 1,000 hours and who agree to bike commute 45 times in a year, replicating a program SSBC recently launched.

It all started with a wager made over a few pints of ale. Rogue Creamery co-owner David Gremmels stopped by for a beer and asked SSBC co-owner Alex Amarotico about the new commuter bike program, mentioning that his team members expressed interest in it. “I casually offered to buy a commuter bike for cheesemaker and plant manager Craig Nelson if he committed to bike to work at least 45 times, and if David and co-owner Cary Bryant agreed to buy bikes for their team members making the same pledge,” says Amarotico. “I was pleasantly surprised when David told me Craig and the Creamery were in.”

Amarotico will present Nelson with a Standing Stone Kona commuter bike at 12:30 PM on Friday, Oct. 16 at the historic Rogue Creamery, 311 North Front Street, Central Point, OR.
Rogue Creamery will launch its bike commuter “Nellie Green Pedal Power Program” later this year. The business has established a sustainable program called the Nellie Green program committed to the community, environment, recycling and conservation. Its bikes will have the same green hue as the Creamery’s iconic milk truck, also signifying their commitment to environmental and social responsibility. The company has earned the Food Alliance’s “Certified Sustainable” seal, sources local sustainable and organic milk from pasture-fed cows, and strives to reduce resource use and waste.

Gremmels and Bryant are geared up to begin the program, “When we heard what Standing Stone was doing, we thought it would be great to do ourselves. We’re excited to find ways to improve our environmental impact, benefit our team members and enjoy the community while biking to work.”

Like the Creamery, SSBC is committed to cutting-edge efforts that reduce its environmental footprint and benefit employees and the community, such as using local and organic food, reducing energy use, installing solar, diverting almost 80% of waste materials from landfills and supporting diverse community causes. Amarotico is glad his efforts have inspired others. “It would be great to see even more businesses get rolling in this direction.”

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Whether you pride yourself on your home brewing skills – or wish you had some, this may be the chance of a lifetime. Today, Travel Oregon launched the “Cuisinternship” (pronounced: quiz-een-turn-ship) contest, which will award seven lucky people with the opportunity to shadow a notable Oregon culinary personality in a week-long cuisine-internship. The winner of the Brew Master category will spend their time making craft beer with Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery.

These are the words we received in an email regarding the Travel Oregon’s Bounty Food & Drink competitions to live out your dream of being a pro in the culinary arts. According to a recent press release, seven winners lucky contestants will be offered an all-expenses paid trips (this includes airfare, lodging and a $1,000 food stipend) during which they will spend one week shadowing an Oregon expert in his or her field of culinary crafts. This is part of Oregon Bounty’s push to promote tourism while celebrating the state’s artisan culinary prominence. Oregon Bounty Cuisinternships are offered in the following categories:

· Artisan Food Producer: Become a culinary artisan in Southern Oregon with chocolatier Jeff Shepherd of Lillie Belle Farms and cheese maker David Gremmels of Rogue Creamery.

· Brew Master: Turn hops and grains into craft beer with brew master Jamie Emmerson of Hood River’s Full Sail Brewery.

· Chef: Immerse yourself in Portland’s dynamic food scene working alongside chef Gabe Rucker-one of Portland’s culinary provocateurs-learning how to turn out inventive, gourmet meals that delight diners at the award-winning Le Pigeon restaurant.

· Rancher: Saddle up and herd cattle while learning sustainable ranching on two of Eastern Oregon’s Country Natural Beef ranches with the Pickard and Boyer families, who have been in the business for generations.

· Fisherman: Head out to sea with charter boat skipper Lars Robison of Dockside Charters and learn the fine art of catching the Oregon Coast’s prized wild salmon and rockfish.

· Winemaker: Walk the Willamette Valley vineyards of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars with renowned vintner Lynn Penner-Ash, learning the hands-on techniques involved in vineyard designate winemaking.

· Distiller: Get an advanced degree in mixology and learn about Oregon’s booming craft spirits industry with distiller Jim Bendis of Central Oregon’s Bendistillery.

“Oregon has a rich and varied culinary landscape,” said Travel Oregon’s Director of Brand Strategy Holly Macfee. “It’s a down-to-earth-place where visitors can meet the people who craft the wine and beer, grow the produce, cultivate the cheese and create the chocolate confections,” she explains. “We’re inviting foodies to enjoy Oregon’s culinary abundance, whether through a Cuisinternship or a self-guided tour with family or friends. Our online culinary trip planner is now available to help travelers research, plan and organize the details of their next visit.”

To enter the Oregon Bounty Cuisinternship Contest, applicants must submit a short video, along with a statement containing no more than 140 characters, describing why they are the best candidate at www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty. Seven winners will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Oregon to shadow their mentor for one week. Entries must be submitted between Aug. 24 and Sept. 18. A panel of judges, including the Cuisinternship mentors, will select winners which will be announced beginning Sept. 28.

To give entrants an idea of what they can anticipate on their trip, Travel Oregon produced video vignettes of each culinary mentor and the experience their Cuisinternship offers (view them here: www.TravelOregon.com/Bounty). A longer video will also be available, which follows Chef Gabe Rucker as he visits the seven cuisine-related locations and mentors with the goal of making the perfect Oregon meal. The video culminates with all participants gathering together for an Oregon feast at Rucker’s restaurant, Le Pigeon in Portland, where the culinary masters discuss why they consider Oregon to be the ultimate foodie destination.

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