In July, Chicago was home of the American Cheese Society’s 25th Anniversary Festival and Conference, and I was lucky enough to spend four days among the most important and influential cheesemakers in the country. The chance to talk to cheesemakers, taste new products, and take classes in cheese pairings (ask me about the beer versus wine smackdown), was very exciting. I could find myself at the breakfast table talking to someone who makes cheese in Massachusetts, and then go to the Festival concourse and taste their cheese later on that day. Experiences like that made an "industry" show feel very special and personal.
The highlight for everyone involved is the Cheese Competition, with the top cheese tasters in the country judging just over 1,100 cheeses. One hundred and eighty-one cheese makers, from thirty states and three Canadian provinces, were represented. There were many of the Bay Area award winners, such as Cowgirl Creamery, Marin French Cheese Company, Cypress Grove Chevre, Fiscalini Cheese Company, Redwood Hill Farm, Bravo Farms, Harley Farms Goat Dairy, Bellwether Farm, and Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, whose products can be found in the Woodlands cheese case.
We are currently featuring two of the top ACS award winners, just in time for those cooler autumn nights.
First up is the cave-aged Marisa from Wisconsin’s Carr Valley Cheese Company. Carr Valley Cheese has been in business for over 100 years and is currently run by fourth-generation owner and certified master cheese maker, Sid Cook. The cave-aged cheese -- called Marisa after Sid Cook’s daughter -- was a winner of two ribbons -- Best in Class in the aged sheep milk cheese category, and third runner up for Best in Show. This firm, gently earthy cheese, with a slightly sweet finish, deserves every inch of praise and all the prizes it has garnered. Served with toasted nuts or pears, it is spectacular; on its own, it is proof that the judges in Chicago are experts in their field. Make it a staple on your cheese board.
Our second featured cheese is Grayson from Meadow Creek Dairy. The Meadow Creek Dairy, located in the mountains of southwest Virginia, continues their 28-year tradition of using sustainable farming methods to produce farmstead cheeses of excellent quality. "Farmstead" means the cheese handmade on the farm, from a single herd of milk-producing animals, and Grayson beautifully reflects the ideal outcome: a cheese of distinct characteristics and flavor. Winner of Best in Class for Cow’s Milk Farmstead Cheese, second runner up for Best In Show at the ACS, and on fine food magazines’ "Top Ten" lists nationwide, this raw milk, washed-rind cheese, boasts a naturally orange rind and buttery yellow interior, and will delight lovers of strong, smelly cheeses, with its big, big flavor and exceptional creamy texture. Like a firmer version of an epoisses, crossed with a taleggio for good measure, Grayson lives up to all the hype. Pair it with sparkling or dessert wine.
Thanks for reading.
Octavio Saez de Ibarra, Cheese Department
