Winner of ACS cheese contest announced
Image: Jasper Hill Farms
Whitney, a Raclette-style cheese made by Jasper Hill Farms, Greensboro Bend, Vermont in the US was named First Place Best of Show at the American Cheese Society’s (ACS) Annual Judging and Competition. The winners were announced 21 July during an award ceremony during the 39th Annual American Cheese Conference, “Blazing the Trail for Cheese.”
“I think that we’re at an inflection point in our industry,” says Mateo Kehler of Jasper Hill Farms. “We’ve been through so much the past few years, and this for us (winning Best of Show) is just epic. It is our opportunity to push the boundaries in our market to win new consumers. I would call you all to that effort. I think that when we win consumers for speciality cheese, whether it’s a Whitney or any of the amazing cheeses that you produce, we all win and we can all win together.”
Two cheeses tied for second place best of show: Flagsheep, a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese from Beecher’s Handmade Cheese of Seattle, and Bamboozle, a washed rind goat and cow’s milk cheese from Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy of Allison Park, Pennsylvania. The Third place best of show went to Greensward, a soft-ripened washed rind cheese from the collaboration of the Cellars at Jasper Hill and Murray’s Cheese of Long Island City, New York.
Judging for this year’s competition took place this past May in Minneapolis. Entries this year included 1,387 cheeses and cultured dairy products from 196 companies in 120 different categories. A total of 380 awards were given at the ceremony: 116 gold medals, 130 silver medals and 133 bronze medals among 136 organisations.
The 2022 ACS conference, held 20-23 July in Portland, Oregon, was back in person after a three-year hiatus and welcomed more than 1,000 cheese professionals.
Conference-goers attended more than 30 educational sessions in various tracks, including climate change and sustainability, food safety, food science and research, and tasting sessions. A “Meet the Cheesemaker” event sponsored by Peterson Cheese gave attendees, retailers and distributors a chance to meet the people behind their favourite cheese and discover new products from more than 100 producers.