N.E.Gold Medal Cheese

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- West Springfield, Mass.

RESULTS IN FOR 2ND ANNUAL BIG E GOLD MEDAL CHEESE COMPETITION
Neighborly Farms of Vermont Wins Best of Show

A clothbound cheddar by Neighborly Farms of Vermont was judged Best in Show at The Big E Gold Medal Cheese Competition held at Eastern States Exposition in West Springfield, Mass. The entry won the highest honor by achieving the top overall score (97 out of a possible 100) at the event. The entry also took home a Gold Medal in Class 1 - Cheddar.

Judges praised the winner saying it had a "nice stoniness" and "...good crumble," and was "creamy with good balance. Delightful!" Additional comments credited the selection as "well balanced, perfectly aged" with a "...pretty look" and having an "extraordinary combination of cream and salt."

Neighborly Farm, located in Randolph Center, Vermont, is owned by Robert and Linda Dimmick who have been making organic, farmstead cheeses together for over eight years. The clothbound cheddar, their only specialty cheese, is made with organic Holstein Milk fat and aged 12-18 months. The cloth is used to allow the cheese to breath better while aging. Linda Dimmick explained to be called farmstead cheese, the farmland must be certified as not treated with any herbicides or pesticides; the cows must be on-site, get exercise and fed with no antibiotics or hormones and the cheese must be made by hand (artisan cheese).

A total of 105 entries submitted by 30 cheese makers competed in the second annual event held on August 28, 2009. The number of cheeses submitted was up 22 percent over last year's competition, demonstrating the growing popularity of the event.

Thirty cheese makers, up 20 percent from the previous year, from throughout New England vied for honors in fifteen categories. Entries were judged on texture and body, aroma, appearance and rind development, and flavor.

Six professionals in cheese- and food-related fields and one guest judge, Mark Tansey of Partners Restaurant in Agawam, had the task of selecting the winners. The professionals included Jason Bond, chef at the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro, Boston; Robert Gautier, a former New York cheese monger who now arranges tours to small-batch cheese makers in Vermont; Clare Leschin-Hoar, a freelance writer from Culture Magazine; Jessica Kinney, who oversees the cheese program for Barbara Lynch Gruppo and teaches several cheese workshops at Stir; Jim Wallace, technical advisor for Ricki Carrol at New England Cheese Making Supply and teaches workshops on cheese making; and John Miller, a tenth generation Massachusetts dairy farmer and award-winner cheese maker. Miller currently operates The Farmstead at Mine Brook, home of Goat Rising and Jersey Maid Cheese, in Charlemont, Mass. 

A total of 33 medals were awarded - seven gold, seven silver and nineteen bronze. Gold Medal winners had to receive a score of 95 points or greater and are listed as follows:

Class 1 - Cheddar
Neighborly Farms of Vermont, Randolph Center, Vermont, for clothbound cheddar

Class 3 - Swiss Styles
Boggy Meadow Farmstead Cheese, Walpole, New Hampshire, for baby swiss

Class 7 - Flavored Semi-soft Cheese
Shy Brothers Farm, Westport Point, Massachusetts, for "Lavender Bud Hannahbells"
Shy Brothers Farm, Westport Point, Massachusetts, for "Shallot Hannahbells"
Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, Maine, for salsa jack

Class 14 - Open Class for all other cheeses
Cricket Creek Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts, for "Maggie's Round"
Cricket Creek Farm, Williamstown, Massachusetts, for "Tobasi"

The competition was open to cheeses made by New England licensed cheese makers in a licensed dairy facility.

A complete list of results from the fourth annual Big E Northeast Gold Wine Competition is available online at Eastern States Exposition's website, www.TheBigE.com/cheese. All medal winners will be showcased and on display in the Young Building during The Big E in West Springfield, Mass., through Oct. 4 

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