Slow Food Nation is an organization dedicated to highlighting the connection between “one’s plate and the planet.” For its inaugural San Francisco event, Macy Architecture was invited to design the Cheese Tasting Pavilion.

The design is organized around the 5 aspects of cheese production: Pasture, Breeding, Cheese-making, Affinage, and Mongering. The exhibit is constructed largely of borrowed milk crates; straw bales are used to insulate the Aging Cave, and strawboard panels support descriptive graphics. The design is characterized by its economy, sustainability, and ephemerality. Upon conclusion of the event, the crates were returned to the lending creamery, and the straw bales went back to the farm to be used by the pasture animals.