Binding Agents: A Cook/Book Shop
908 Christian StreetIn Cheese Trekking, nomadic cheesemaker, fermentation educator, and popular Substack writer Trevor Warmedahl recounts his experiences visiting pastoral communities and cheesemakers in overlooked border regions around the world, traveling on a shoestring budget with little more than a rucksack and sleeping bag. Join us for a talk Binding Agents to hear from the adventurer himself!
Trevor will be joined in conversation by Julia Fox-Birnbaum (founder of Philly Cheese School) as he explains how cheeses can be exquisite manifestations of locale.
This event is presented in partnership with Slow Food Philadelphia.
Guests may choose a ticket with or without a copy of the book. Prices are inclusive of fees. Entrance to the shop requires one step up. Please contact us at hello@bindingagentsphilly.com with any questions or accessibility needs; we'd be happy to help.
Binding Agents will donate 10% of February event ticket proceeds to Juntos.
About Cheese Trekking
Exploring the intersection between traditional and modern, this is a no-holds-barred guide to natural cheesemaking, dairying, and pastoralism—and one man’s global quest to make milk Sacred again.
In Cheese Trekking, nomadic cheesemaker, fermentation educator, and popular Substack writer Trevor Warmedahl recounts his experiences visiting pastoral communities and cheesemakers in overlooked border regions around the world, traveling on a shoestring budget with little more than a rucksack and sleeping bag. With every step, he explains how cheeses can be exquisite manifestations of locale and exposes the destructive methods and bland homogeneity of modern industrial production. In clear, propulsive language, Trevor describes a range of milk foods that utilize all byproducts of cheesemaking and are the lifeblood of the communities from which they spring.
There is a growing international movement to return to the roots of natural cheesemaking, at the core of which is a philosophy of working with—rather than against—microbes and nature; the sacredness of motherhood, milk, and life itself; and the ethics involved in dairying. Trevor’s central premise is that milk has a terroir, born from the plants and ecology of a landscape, that is concentrated via ruminant digestion and lactation and develops through the barns and milk sheds—steered by human hands and cultural practices into foods. Throughout Cheese Trekking, Trevor offers firsthand evidence that humans can be stewards of landscapes, shepherds of microbes, and keepers of genetic wealth in the form of heritage livestock breeds, while crafting delicious, safe, nutrient-dense milk foods.
About Trevor Warmedahl
Trevor Warmedahl has a well-established identity as a nomadic cheesemaker and is knowledgeable about grazing practices and milk fermentation globally. He’s been a cheesemaker for the past decade working with companies of various sizes, but with a dedicated focus on farmstead operations and natural/raw milk. His interest is in what he describes as “endangered cheeses and milk fermentation practices of rural pastoral communities, the global diversity of these foods, and their ties to regional cultures and agricultural systems.” Trevor won the 2022 Daphne Zepos Teaching Award for cheese professionals hoping to further their paths and bring home to North America valuable knowledge to benefit cheesemakers. His current project, The Sour Milk School, offers five-day natural cheesemaking workshops held on farms in the US and abroad.
About Julia Fox-Birnbaum
Julia Fox-Birnbaum has been in the Cheese Industry since 2014. She's worked in cheese education, marketing, social media and more. Before making Philly Cheese School her full-time gig, she filled in as head buyer and manager for one of the largest cheese counters on the East Coast. Over the years she's been lucky enough to visit farms, meet artisan cheese producers and train under some of the best cheesemongers in the field.
For Julia, cheese is a magical food which connects flavor to tradition and science and so much more. Her favorite thing about cheese is its ability to tell a story and bring people together. Philly Cheese School was born out of her love of sharing these stories with her community. Julia's goal with PCS is to educate cheese lovers from near and far on this endlessly fascinating and delicious topic which she's dedicated her career to.
Tue, Feb 17, 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Binding Agents: A Cook/Book Shop
908 Christian Street
Binding Agents is Philly's bookshop for cooks and eaters. Located in South Philly’s culinary epicenter, the 9th Street Italian Market, we’re your go-to source for new cookbooks and food-focused reads, plus gifts and goods for making, serving and enjoying. We’re independent, women-owned, fun & funky. Learn more at bindingagentsphilly.com.
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