WINNERS ANNOUNCED FROM THE BIG E GOLD MEDAL CHEESE COMPETITION AT EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION
On Friday, July 11, New England’s best licensed cheesemakers congregated in West Springfield, Mass., to judge a showcase of the region’s finest products. Head Judge John Greeley of Swampscott, Mass., oversaw a panel of eight other industry professionals that assessed the technical and aesthetic execution of more than 150 entries.
The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition has been a staple of Eastern States Exposition’s (ESE) events calendar since 2008. The competition helps exhibitors gain industry recognition and reach a broad audience, with winners recognized at The Big E, both in the Eastern States Farmers Market and Wine Café for purchase and during the award presentation in Farm-A-Rama on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 2pm.
“Everybody wants to win a medal,” said Greeley, “but the cheesemakers from New England and across the region always stress that the aesthetic and technical scoresheets that come from this competition are valuable to them as much as a medal because [the sheets] tell them what they are doing well or poorly with their cheese, and where their cheese is at. That, to them, is worth the entry. That’s what I feel is the service that we provide.”
There is a category for every kind of dairyman among the Gold Medal Cheese Competition’s 18 diverse classes. Exhibitors can enter a wide selection of artisan cheeses, including various types of cheddar, Swiss, American, blue, international, smoked and more. Judging also extends to sour cream, yogurt, butter, buttermilk and other cultured dairy products.
This year’s competition boasted entries from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. The judges for the Gold Medal Cheese Competition are experienced cheesemakers and culinary aficionados, and many return year to year. Aside from Head Judge John Greeley, ESE welcomed Kimi Ceridon of Cambridge, Mass.; Stephanie Skinner of Otis, Mass.; Andy Koelching of Hudson, N.Y.; Jennifer Tolliver of Cambridge, Mass.; Austin Banach of Great Barrington, Mass.; Frank Angeloni of Branford, Conn.; Robert Aguilera of Newton, Mass.; and Steven Murphy of Ithaca, N.Y.
Of the ripple effect that this competition carries, returning judge Jennifer Tolliver of Formaggio Kitchen said, “When you’re buying local cheese, you don’t just support the local cheesemaker—you also support the local farmer. We want to keep jobs. We want to support the people living in these lifestyles. It’s nice to live near farms. If you don’t support the farms, then we won’t have any more. It’s nice to see that people are using farmstead milk and cheeses.”
Awards were distributed to Best in Show, Reserve Best in Show, Honorable Mention as well as gold, silver and bronze medals. The overall Best in Show was awarded to Woodlawn Creamery of West Pawlet, Verm., a seventh-generation farm that presented a Brimstone cheese they describe as “mild and sweet, with notes of toast and nuttiness, and a beautiful line of vegetable ash through the center of every wheel.” This cheese is new to their collection and will debut this fall. Brimstone cheeses are Gouda-style, semi-hard, artisan cheeses known for flavors that are both smooth and spicy, often with a crumbly texture. The full list of winners can be found at TheBigE.com.
Eastern States Exposition thanks the volunteers that assisted with the competition’s seamless flow all day long. The organization expresses appreciation to the stewards, timekeeper and the experts that specialized in staging, cutting and wrapping entries to ensure presentation and preservation.
Winning cheeses will be sampled and sold alongside winners of The Big E Gold Medal Wine, Cider & Perry Competitions in the Eastern States Farmers Market and Wine Café during The Big E, Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. Tickets to the Fair are available online now at TheBigE.com.