Sonoma, CA. – Two icons of California cheesemaking, Laura Chenel’s Chèvre and Marin French Cheese, collected a combined seven top prizes at the annual American Cheese Society (ACS) Judging and Competition held Aug. 3rd in Raleigh, North Carolina. Competing against 1,711 entries in the largest number of American artisan cheeses to be entered into the judging to date, the two northern California sister companies scored individual bests for goat cheese (Laura Chenel’s Chèvre) and cow cheese (Marin French).
Collectively, the cheesemakers scooped up four prizes in the competitive Soft Ripened Cheese category — Laura Chenel’s Chèvre took first place for Mélodie, its newest cheese, and Marin French won three awards for Original Brie, Triple Crème Brie, and Original Camembert. Marin French, founded in1865, is the longest operating cheese company in the US and has won numerous awards for its California-made Brie and Camembert cheeses over the past decades.
Mélodie is an ash-coated semisoft goat cheese introduced by Laura Chenel’s Chèvre in October 2011, following the completion of a new state-of-the-art creamery in Sonoma. “This is a significant achievement for the first new cheese to come from our Sonoma creamery,” says Marie Lesoudier, General Manager of Laura Chenel’s Chèvre and Marin French Cheese. “We are proud of our cheesemakers who are obsessed both with perfecting our existing products and innovating to develop exciting new cheeses. It’s gratifying to be recognized by our colleagues and customers in the cheese community.”
Additionally, Laura Chenel’s Chevre took home a coveted first place award for its goat milk Crottin, a classic aged white-rinded cheese, and two second-place nods went to Cabecou, a slightly aged button-shaped cheese marinated in oil and herbs and Chabis 4-Peppercorn, a pillow-shaped fresh chèvre.
With a combined 180 years of cheesemaking between them, Laura Chenel’s Chèvre and Marin French are widely considered two of California’s foremost cheesemaking pioneers. Acquired in 2006 and 2011 respectively by a family-owned French company, Rians, the brand name of Laiteries H. Triballat, the two companies are joined under one artisanal cheesemaking umbrella. Rians’ esteemed portfolio of artisanal cheese plants specializes in AOP (appellation) cheeses such as Epoisses, Langres, Selles-Sur-Cher, Crottin de Chavignol, and Rocamadour.
ACS orchestrates the annual competition by pairing teams of technical and esthetic judges composed of 34 food science academics and trade professionals. ACS is a nonprofit trade organization founded in 1983 to support the North American artisan and specialty cheese industry. Complete competition results are at www.cheesesociety.org.
Award Summary
Soft Ripened Category
1st Place Laura Chenel’s Chèvre, Mélodie (Goat Milk)
2nd Place Marin French Cheese, Triple Crème Brie (Cow Milk)
2nd Place Marin French Cheese, Original Camembert (Cow Milk)
3rd Place Marin French Cheese, Original Brie (Cow Milk)
American Made/International Style Category, Goat Milk
1st Place Laura Chenel’s Chèvre, Crottin
Fresh Goat Milk Cheese Category
2nd place Laura Chenel’s Chèvre, Chabis 4-Peppercorn
Marinated Cheese Category, Goat Milk
2nd place Laura Chenel’s Chèvre, Cabecou
Located in the neighboring northern California counties of Sonoma and Marin, Laura Chenel’s Chèvre (founded 1979) and Marin French Cheese (founded 1865) are sister companies committed to fine cheesemaking that supports local farming with long-term relationships for ethical and sustainable practices, and the craftsmanship of fine cheese reflecting distinctive regional terroir. For more information, go to www.laurachenel.com and www.marinfrenchcheese.com
Source: Laura Chenel’s Chèvre
