What: The Brooklyn Cheese Experiment
Where: The Bell House, Gowanus, Brooklyn
When: Sunday, September 13, 1- 5 p.m., after party, 5-7
Why: A couple of quirky cook-off gurus are at it again. This time, Theo Peck and Nick Suarez are hosting a cheese cook-off at indie music venue The Bell House, challenging 25 chef-testants to experiment with a wide gamut of cheese. “Cheese is growing more as an artisanal product. We’re moving beyond just American and Cheddar,” said Theo Peck, the events co-organizer. Aged sheep milk, Gouda, Vermont Ayr, drunken Goat, and Tilton will be among the 350 cook-off samples. “You can’t be into food and not like cheese. I’m hoping someone will come up with an idea that I’ve never thought of or cheese I’ve never heard of,” said Peck.
The Bell House will be filled with sweet, savory, and stinky cheeses, as well as home-brewed hops. In tandem, there will be a brew–off specifically for this event. Attending guests along with a beer and cheese judging panel (Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appétit magazine and the brewers of Sixpoint Brewery) will be deciding who’ll walk off with contest glory.
“The cheese doesn’t have to be expensive to win, it just has to taste good,” said Peck. The chef-testant walking away with contest glory will win about $2,000 worth of prizes, including a ticket to Murray’s Cheese Boot Camp valued at $500. Look for the teal ribbons that signify a portion of the proceeds will support ovarian cancer research in honor of Peck’s girlfriends’ late mother.
After the cheese and beer King or Queen is announced, stick around where post-contest reveling will continue in the front lounge after party.
Cost: $20 Advance (includes a Sixpoint Beer), $25 same day
How to get there: Take the F train to Brooklyn. Exit 4th Avenue near 9th street. Walk North on 4th avenue towards 8th street. Turn left on 7th to the address. (The Bell House, 149 7th Street, Gowanus, Brooklyn, 718.643.6510, thefoodexperiments.com)
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
Carly Pifer is a freelance writer who has been known to follow whims inspired by romantic movie scenes or colorful street style shots to India, Japan, Tunisia and Argentina. After stints living in Seoul, Boston, Paris and Los Angeles, writing and searching for something intangible, she landed somewhat steadily in Brooklyn and has begun to find inspiration in her more immediate surroundings. 
Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram