Here are some interesting links focusing on Maine Cheese and/or Cheese:
A Fuzzy Udder profile and Open Creamery Day article. (Boothbay Register).
AP story on the growth of Maine cheese (“Gouda News…”) (picked up by many US daily newspapers)
Reviving an old Maine Farm (Pumpkin Vine Family Farm) in Somerville in part through cheese making. (Portland Press Herald)
Discoveries about bacteria adaptation using cheese cultures as a study subject. (NY Times)
Maine cheese makers won ten awards at the 2015 American Cheese Society Judging and Competition announced at this year’s ACS Conference in Providence, RI. The ACS cheese competition is the largest competition in North America and includes entries from the US, Canada, and beyond.
From among 267 companies submitting 1,779 entries seven Maine cheese makers won ten awards including four 1st place ribbons, four 2nd place, and two 3rd place ribbons. This is the most ribbons that Maine cheese makers have collected at a ACS competition since 2007 and it reflects the number of Maine cheese makers who could arrange to get their cheeses to the conference being held only a few hours drive from our cheese rooms.
First time competitors such Barred Owl Creamery in Whitefield, and Tide Mill Creamery in Edmunds won awards, as well as long time cheese makers like Appleton Creamery and York Hill Farm who have each won multiple ACS awards in past competitions.
Following are a list of the awards listed alphabetically by creamery name:
Appleton Creamery
—1st Place in Marinated Goat Cheese for Chevre In Olive Oil
Barred Owl Creamery
—1st Place in Sheep or Mixed Milk Feta for Organic Feta
—2nd Place in Farmstead Cheese With Flavor Added for Hot Pepper Jelly Chevre
Fuzzy Udder Creamery
—2nd Place in Sheep or Mixed Milk Plain Yogurt for Sheep Milk Yogurt
Swallowtail Farm and Creamery
—2nd Place in Cows Milk Ricotta for Ricotta Salata
—2nd Place in Yogurt With Flavor Added for Caramel Sea Salt Greek Style Yogurt
—3rd Place in Cows Milk Plain Yogurt for Original Cream Top Jersey Cow Milk Yogurt
Tide Mill Creamery
—1st Place in Sheep or Mixed Milk Soft Ripened Cheeses for Little Bloom
Winter Hill Farm
—3rd Place in Farmstead Aged Less Than 60 Days for Tide Line
York Hill Farm
—1st Place in Goats Milk Soft Ripened Cheeses for Ripened Chevre Roll With Ash
It’s arrival day at the 32nd annual American Cheese Society Conference, this year back on the East Coast in Providence, RI. The current mayor, Jorge o. Elorza welcomed us to “America’s Favorite City” (according to Travel + Leisure Magazine) in the front pages of our conference book.
I arrived mid-afternoon after a relatively traffic-free drive south, and I am all set up in an AirBnB at the south end of downtown which will allow me 15 minutes walking each way to help burn off the cheese calories.
We met up with a few of the other MCG members who are attending the conference this year at the Providence Coal Fired Pizza Co. for some excellent slices and few glasses of suds. We are able to meet a long lost Guilder, Louella Hill, at the restaurant who is now a board member of the California Artisan Cheese Guild and has just published a book called Kitchen Creamery. She was helping the Narragansett Creamery with their cheese display as part of the ACS conference “Pub Crawl” which apparently included the PCFP Co. on their map, as we eventually saw many ACS badges appearing around the necks of patrons.
The few “oldsters” (Caitlin, Jesse, and I) dispensed wisdom and advice during dinner, while the youngsters soaked it all in. I hope they are ready for their 7:45am breakfast and then keynote tomorrow morning!