Congratulations to local cheesemakers Baetje Farms. The artisan cheese company, located in Bloomsdale, Mo., took home five medals at the American Cheese Society competition, which took place last week in Madison, Wis. Accolades for Baetje include a first-place medal for its Coeur de la Creme Herb de Provence in the category of fresh goat cheese with flavor added. Baetje’s Coeur du Clos and Bloomsdale received second-place medals, while its marinated feta and Coeur de la Creme Garlic and Chive each took third-place honors.
This year’s ACS competition saw the largest pool of entrants yet, with 257 artisan and specialty cheese companies from around the country submitting 1,794 different products. Cheeses were evaluated on both aesthetics and technical qualities. Other winners from The Show-Me state include Green Dirt Farm, Heartland Creamery and Homestead Creamery located in western Missouri. Green Dirt took home four medals, including a first-place finish for its fresh, rindless, sheep’s milk cheese, and Dirt Lover, a sheep’s milk cheese aged for 31 to 60 days. Heartland Creamery took top honors for its Fine Herb Muenster, and Homestead Creamery earned a nod for its Flory’s Truckle. A complete list of winners is available here.
This article appears in August 2013.