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Judges Jeff Roberts and Lisa Caprera examine an exhibitor’s cheese during The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition.

THE BIG E GOLD MEDAL CHEESE COMPETITION HELD AT EASTERN STATES EXPOSITION ON JULY 11

The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition has been a staple of Eastern States Exposition’s (ESE) events calendar since 2008. New England’s best licensed cheesemakers congregate in West Springfield, Mass., to showcase their finest products, gain industry recognition and reach a broad audience. The competition returned to ESE on Friday, July 11.

When asked about the Gold Medal Cheese Competition, Elena Hovagimian, ESE’s director of Agriculture, remarked, “This is an opportunity for Eastern States Exposition to bridge the gap between local dairy farmers and consumers. This helps dairy farmers showcase not only their animals but their craftsmanship and dedication to New England Agriculture.”

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, buttermilk and other cultured dairy products.

This year’s competition boasted 107 entries with competitors traveling from Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H. and V.T. The judges for the Gold Medal Cheese Competition are experienced cheesemakers and culinary aficionados, including John Greeley of Swampscott, Mass.; Kiri Endicott of Somerville, Mass.; Jeff Roberts of Montpellier, V.T.; Jennifer Tolliver of Cambridge, Mass.; Austin Banach of Great Barrington, Mass.; Lisa Caprera of Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Steven Murphy of Ithaca, N.Y.

Awards were distributed to Best in Show, Reserve Best in Show, Honorable Mention as well as gold, silver and bronze medals.

Best in Show was presented to Arethusa Farm of Litchfield, Conn., for their Arethusa Mt. Tom. Second Best in Show was High Lawn Farm of Lee, Mass., for their High Lawn Smorbier. Third Best in Show was High Lawn Farm’s Crema Alpina. The full list of winners across all classes can be found at TheBigE.com!

Winning cheeses will be sampled and sold alongside winners of The Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition in the Eastern States Farmers Market during The Big E, September 12-28. Tickets to the Fair are available online now at TheBigE.com.