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Parish Hill Creamery out of Vermont produces seasonal raw-milk cheeses; founder Peter Dixon is a 30-year veteran in the cheesemaking world.
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Over 1,200 people from across the world attended the American Cheese Society conference, held for the first time in Virginia.
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The ACS conference kicked off on Wednesday, July 31, with attendees participating in a cheese crawl. Four stops along the way — Champion Brewing Co., Capital Ale House, Greenleaf's Pool Room and the Triple Crossing Brewing tasting room — featured cheesy displays.
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Throughout the conference there were 40 sessions focused on cheese education, including pairings of natural wines and cheese.
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Ashed Pyramid, a goat's milk cheese from Country Winds Creamery in Michigan, took home second place in the Goat's Milk Cheeses, Farmstead category.
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Robiola cheeses are becoming more common in the U.S. Both Rosie's Robiola (left), and the ash-dusted Rocket's Robiola (right) are from Boxcarr Handmade Cheese out of Cedar Grove, North Carolina.
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Cheese comes in all shapes and sizes.
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Attendees speak with Certified Cheese Professional Vanessa Chang following her presentation, along with CCP Andy Fitzgerrell, on a nondrinker's guide to cheese pairings.
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One of the sessions during the conference focused on Virginia-made cheeses, beer and meats. Sam Edwards II of Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, Helen Feete of Meadow Creek Dairy and Eric McKay of Hardywood Park Craft Brewery spoke on Virginia's unique fermentation scene and its history.
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The conference ended on Saturday night with the grand finale, aka the Festival Showcase, which was open to the public and featured a room filled with tables upon tables of winning cheeses from the weekend's competition.
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A table of flavored cheddars during the Festival Showcase
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Cheesemongers weren't the only pros present at the conference; charcuterie makers also displayed their offerings, which were welcome additions to the hundreds of cheeses.
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A table of assorted blue cheeses at the Festival Showcase
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Aries, a sheep's milk cheese from Shooting Star Creamery in California, took home third place in the Best of Show category. The cheesemaker is 15-year-old Avery Jones, daughter of Reggie Jones of California's Central Coast Creamery.
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Shooting Star Creamery also produced Scorpio, a washed-rind sheep's milk cheese.
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Second place in the Best of Show category went to Professor's Brie from Wegmans Food Markets, originally made by Old Chatham Creamery and then aged in Wegmans’ caves in Rochester, New York.
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First place among the Best of Show cheeses was awarded to a cow's milk cheddar, Stockinghall, from Murray's Cheese. The cheese was originally made by Old Chatham Creamery and then handed over to Murray’s Cheese to age in their caves in Long Island City, New York.
Last week over 1,200 cheesemakers, mongers and tasters gathered at the Greater Richmond Convention Center July 31-Aug. 3 for the 36th annual American Cheese Society Conference. Lovingly dubbed "Cheese Camp" by the society's devoted members, the ACS conference combines education, sampling, judging of over 1,700 cheeses, and sales for a weekend of pungent, creamy curd appreciation, culminating in a public event known as the “Festival of Cheese,” where hundreds of cheeses and accoutrements are showcased and sold in bulk to frenzied turophiles.
Eileen and I dipped in and out of the festivities, which began on Wednesday evening, taking turns being so full of cheese we might never eat again until we were ready for more. Here’s what we learned.
The Sheep’s Milk Trend Continues
Sheep’s milk cheese is having a moment, with two sheep’s milk cheeses (Wegmans’ Professor’s Brie and Aries from Shooting Star Creamery in California) recognized as Best of Show winners in this year’s competition.
I ran into Cathy Power from The Cheese Shop in Williamsburg, and she was excited about the future of sheep’s milk cheese: “It’s got double the protein and better-quality fat than cow’s milk,” she explained. And the nutty, earthy flavors are a home run with the ACS judges, but Cathy points out, “it’s also twice as expensive,” because domestic sheep have a lower milk yield than cows and they require complex care. —Stephanie Ganz
Producers + Affineurs = BFFs
Perhaps in part because of the risky economics of cheese making, there’s an emerging trend involving partnerships between cheesemakers and affineurs, the people who age the cheese until it’s ready for selling. This year’s first place and second place Best of Show cheeses — Stockinghall from Murray’s Cheese in New York and Professor’s Brie from Wegmans Food Markets, respectively — were made in this style.
I’ll admit, I was curious about Wegmans’ win, especially knowing they were a marquee sponsor of the ACS conference and that the ACS board president is Wegmans’ vice president, but my skepticism was assuaged when I learned that the cheese in question was, in fact, produced by Old Chatham Creamery, the country’s most award-winning sheep’s milk dairy, before being aged in Wegmans’ 12,300-square-foot cheese cave facility by the grocery chain’s own full-time affineur. The takeaway: Wegmans is committed to supporting quality cheese making, and they’re using their resources to further the cause. —SG
Virginia Needs a Cheese Guild
Virginia is home to some exceptional cheeses, from the beloved Caromont Farm to the award-winning Meadow Creek Dairy (its Appalachian was a recurring favorite throughout the weekend and nabbed a blue ribbon in its class, and in 2017, Grayson took home the second place prize in its category), but there’s a glaring lack of state support for what could be a major tourism driver (about 1,300 attendees visited Richmond for ACS). According to Certified Cheese Professional Dany Schutte, an attempt at a Virginia cheesemakers organization “fizzled out,” but, despite having some support from a relaunched Southern Cheese Guild, Virginia cheese needs its own marketing assistance and lobbying power if it’s to survive the harsh realities of dairy farming and cheese production. —SG
Wine Isn’t Cheese’s Only Friend
Wine and cheese are a classic pairing, and although wine will always remain a part of cheese’s friend circle, there’s room for booze-free buds to join. In fact, consumers are increasingly reaching for nonalcoholic beverages, thanks to a higher variety of options, niche markets, a focus on wellness and even marijuana legalization. The same pairing principles for cheese and tipples can be applied to nonalcoholic beverages: CCPs Vanessa Chang and Andy Fitzgerrell shared that kombucha mimics a white wine and pairs beautifully with chevre, while sparkling water with flavored bitters opens a wide doorway to pairings with cheddar. Grab Swiss Miss (or perhaps a fancier drinking chocolate), whip up a cup, pour it in your favorite mug, and reach for a tangy hard cheese. For bloomy cheese fans, pairing with sarsaparilla soda makes for an explosive yet balanced mix of flavors. —Eileen Mellon
It Takes Two to Judge Cheese
David Lockwood of Neal’s Yard Dairy and ACS Chairman Rich Rogers of Scardello cheese shop in Texas explored how cheeses are evaluated in the ACS Judging & Competition. Rogers pointed out that "Judging at competition is unique because the cheeses don’t compete against each other, they are simply judged on their own merit." Cheeses are also judged by a team, a duo composed of a technical and an aesthetic judge. The technical judge, typically from the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison or another university, starts with 50 points, deducting for flaws and defects. The aesthetic judges come from a wide range of disciplines and are often retailers, mongers, distributors and people who work with cheese and have a broad understanding of it — they focus on what makes the cheese special and taste great, adding up to 50 points for desirable qualities. Both pay attention to flavor, aroma, texture, appearance and rind development. Once a cheese has been assessed, judges cannot go back to it. Lockwood shared that the “bunny sniff,” or quick short inhales, is the appropriate way to smell cheese. Pro tip: To recalibrate your sense of smell, bring your nose to your elbow, otherwise known as “going home.” —EM
Mold Is Complex
When we think mold, images of the black stuff on ceilings or fuzzy strawberries may come to mind. But in the world of cheese, mold is the shining star and part of the holy trinity of cheese microbes, which also includes bacteria and yeast. One of the most positive results of mold: the rind, or the outer shell that hugs the cheese. The rind serves as a protective layer, similar to skin on humans, and also controls the aging process as cheese travels from the producer to your fridge, aiding in flavor development and adding to aesthetics. While mold and cheese get along for the most part, some molds such as Scopulariopsis can cause the cheese to crack, and others such as Acremonium have an unknown impact on cheese. Cheesemongers in the session also shared some of the difficulties they face explaining to consumers that mold is OK. —EM
The Cheesy Lowdown
Attendees: Over 1,200
American Cheese Society members: 2,400; 41% of members are cheesemakers.
ACS Certified Cheese Professionals: Only about 900 in the world, covering 44 states and six countries
Number of conference attendees that took the ACS CCP test: Over 200
Best of Show cheeses: Stockinghall from Murray's Cheese was named Best of Show, second place went to Professor’s Brie from Wegmans — both produced by Old Chatham Creamery — and third place was Aries, produced by a 15-year-old girl from Shooting Star Creamery. See the full list of winners.
Next year’s conference: Portland, Oregon
