by Kristen Wile

Nearly 1,500 cheeses were under consideration this year at the American Cheese Society’s annual awards competition, the organization’s largest pool of entries since starting the competition 37 years ago. The contest is meant to showcase American cheese artisans, with each style of cheese judged in its own category. To earn an award, cheeses are judged by both a technical judge, who will deduct points from a starting score of 50 for any flaws noticed, as well as an aesthetic judge, who will award points. Cheeses that earn a high enough point total are awarded.

Rachel Klebaur of Orrman’s Cheese Shop has judged the competition as a member of the American Cheese Society and Certified Cheese Sensory Evaluator. Though this year our state has fewer winners than in years past — 10 cheeses earned recognition in 2019, before the awards took a pandemic pause, while four did so last year — Klebaur says that regions tend to have more entries when the conference is held nearby. In years where North Carolina had strong showings, the conferences took place in Virginia and Durham, N.C.

This year, Boxcarr Handmade Cheese from Cedar Grove brought home three of North Carolina’s four awards.

“Boxcarr and Goat Lady Dairy, they are consistently entering into the competition and they consistently win,” Klebaur says. While North Carolina cheeses don’t fall into one particular style or category, according to Klebaur, they are consistent in being unique creations you can only find locally thanks to the minds of the state’s artisanal cheesemakers.

“There’s European influence, but not like, ‘This cheese is the equivalent of this European cheese,'” Klebaur says. “They’re really original styles, I think, and original recipes that North Carolina has.”

Here are this year’s winning cheeses, and the categories they competed in. See the full list of winners here.

Farmstead Cheeses

Second place: Cottonbloom, Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, Cedar Grove N.C.
Second place: Rocketeer’s Robiola, Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, Cedar Grove N.C.

American Made/International Style, goat’s milk

Third place: Providence, Goat Lady Dairy, Climax N.C.

Soft-Ripened Cheeses, mixed or other milks

Second place: Cottonseed, Boxcarr Handmade Cheese, Cedar Gove N.C.

Several of these award-winning cheeses are available at local cheese shops, including Orrman’s and The Culture Shop.