N.C. State Fair Announces Winners Of Cheese Competition

RALEIGH — Chapel Hill Creamery took top honors and $100 in the N.C. State Fair Cheese Competition sponsored by Whole Foods Market.

The dairy’s Calvander, an Asiago-style cheese, won Best of North Carolina and Best of Show, in addition to winning a gold medal for best hard cheese. The Orange County dairy also won medals in the Mozzarella, Feta, Flavored Soft Cheese, Smear Ripened, Open Semi-Soft Cheese, Open Hard Cheese and Open Soft Ripened categories.

Twenty-three cheese makers competed. The competition had an international appeal this year, with a cheese maker from Australia joining entrants from North Carolina, Maine, Tennessee and Texas.

A team of five judges rated the cheeses on technical and aesthetic merits using the American Cheese Society’s point system: gold medal, 93-100 points; silver, 86-92; and bronze, 80-85.

Cheddar Styles

  • Silver medals: Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, Maine

Mozzarella

  • Silver medals: Chapel Hill Creamery and Hillsborough Cheese Co.

Feta

  • Silver medals: Boat Shed Cheese, Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia; and Chapel Hill Creamery
  • Bronze medal: Sleepy Goat Farm, Pelham

Flavored Hard Cheese

  • Silver medals: Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese, Granbury, Texas; and Pineland Farms Creamery, New Gloucester, Maine
  • Bronze medal: Ashe County Cheese, West Jefferson

Flavored Soft Cheese

  • Silver medals: Three Graces Dairy, Marshall
  • Bronze medals: Three Graces Dairy and Chapel Hill Creamery

Smear Ripened Cheese

  • Bronze medals: Chapel Hill Creamery and Looking Glass Creamery, Fairview

Open Soft and Spreadable

  • Silver medals: Boat Shed Cheese, Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall; Hillsborough Cheese Co.; Goat Lady Dairy, Pleasant Garden
  • Bronze medals: Three Graces Dairy, Marshall

Open Semi-Soft Cheese

  • Silver medal: Chapel Hill Creamery
  • Bronze medal: Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro, Tenn.

Open Hard Cheese

  • Gold medal: Chapel Hill Creamery
  • Silver medals: Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese Co., Granbury, Texas; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall; and Ashe County Cheese, West Jefferson

Flavored Goat’s Milk Fresh Chevre Cheese

  • Silver medals: Holly Grove Farms, Goldsboro; Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro, Tenn.; Goat Lady Dairy, Pleasant Garden; Sleepy Goat Farm, Pelham; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall
  • Bronze medals: Goat Lady Dairy, Pleasant Garden; Round Mountain Creamery, Black Mountain; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall

Unflavored Goat’s Milk Fresh Chevre Cheese

  • Gold medal: Paradox Farm, West End
  • Silver medal: Holly Grove Farms, Goldsboro
  • Bronze medals: Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro, Tenn.; Looking Glass Creamery, Fairview; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall

Goat’s Milk Aged Cheese

  • Gold medal: Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro, Tenn.
  • Bronze medals: Sleepy Goat Farm, Pelham

Sheep and Mixed Milk Cheese

  • Silver medals: Three Graces Dairy, Marshall
  • Bronze medals: Boat Shed Cheese, Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall

American Originals Open Cow or Goat’s milk

  • Silver medal: Round Mountain Creamery, Black Mountain
  • Bronze Medals: Bonnie Blue Farm, Waynesboro, Tenn.; Eagle Mountain Farmhouse Cheese, Granbury, Texas; Pineland Farms Creamery, New Gloucester, Maine; Looking Glass Creamery, Fairview

Open Soft Ripened

  • Silver medal: Chapel Hill Creamery
  • Bronze medals: Boat Shed Cheese, Mount Martha, Victoria, Australia; Goat Lady Dairy, Pleasant Garden; Looking Glass Creamery, Fairview; Three Graces Dairy, Marshall.

All cheeses in the contest are on display in the Education Building. The N.C. State Fair takes place Oct. 11-21.

Source: North Carolina Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services