The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Arethusa’s prize-winning cheese shines at dairy
One of a few dairies that takes its milk from one herd
BANTAM — Blue cheese is an acquired taste — a salty, tart crumble over salad, a delicious slice with an apple and a savory bite with a slice from a loaf of freshly baked bread. Shoppers can find it almost anywhere, but not all cheese is created equal. The quality is reflected in its maker.
Arethusa Blue, an English-style blue cheese produced by Arethusa Farm in Bantam, took the top spot in its category at the 2018 World Championship Cheese Contest in Madison, Wis., in March.
Last week, Arethusa’s cheesemaker Matt Benham and marketing director Erin Hubbard were all smiles as they talked about winning the award and what it means for this small, one-herd dairy operation.
Benham, 28, joined Arethusa in 2014 after working for a larger company in New York City. During a visit to the dairy store and production center in the heart of the Bantam borough, Benham was happy to lead a tour of the dairy, introduce its staff and show the “cheese caves,” or refrigerated rooms where hundreds of rounds of cheese — blue, Stilton, cheddar — ripen in various stages until they are ready to be packaged and sold.
To make the firm and creamy Arethusa Blue, cheesemakers culture and coagulate the milk on the first morning, before allowing the curd to drain overnight. Once it’s ready to be aged, the work of waiting, piercing the rounds of cheese to begin the veining process and watching the exterior of each piece as it cures, begins. The rooms are kept very clean, and all visitors must wear protective clothing and walk through disinfectant to prevent dust and dirt from making their way inside.
Patience is something a cheesemaker must practice every day to develop something delicious and noteworthy.
“It’s a big accomplishment for us,” Benham said of the farm’s award. “The blue cheese we make had been a challenge for us because there were a lot of factors involved in making it. Many blues are sharp and peppery, but ours is more balanced and has better blue veining. We think we’ve finally cracked the code after four years.”
The flavor is an important component of Benham’s quest for a perfect blue cheese.
“It’s not aggressively tart,” he said. “It’s not too salty. It has more cream in it, so it’s smoother, richer. It’s a good cheese.”
Hubbard pointed out that Arethusa is a singleherd dairy, meaning that everything they make is a single-source product.
“We’re one of the few dairies that takes its milk from one herd — we’re not a co-op — so everything we make comes from one place,” she said. “We’re busy every day, making cheese and butter, bottling milk, and delivering it every week. It’s a very proud moment for the dairy.”
The dairy contest, started in 1957, is the largest cheese competition in the world. This year in Wisconsin, cheesemakers from 26 countries spent three days showcasing their products in front of an international team of 55 judges seeking the best cheese in the world. The number of cheeses, yogurts and butters competing in this year’s U.S. Championship Cheese Contest is at an all-time high.
“I was there for the awards, and there were 3,400 entries of cheese, in 121 categories, from around the world,” Benham said. “We got the Best of Class for the blue.”
Arethusa Farm won two more awards: its camembert took fourth place in the camembert category, while the farm’s Tapping Reeve cheese took sixth place in the natural rind cheddar category.
Arethusa Farm was started in 2001 by George Malkemus, the president of the shoe company Manolo Blahnik, and his vice president, Anthony Yurgaitis. Today, the farm produces milk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Arethusa also owns Arethusa al tavolo, a farm-to-table restaurant in Bantam, and Arethusa a mano, a nearby coffee shop.
Malkemus and Yurgaitis were also proud to congratulate Arethusa staff on the awards.
“Our blue cheese was a work in progress,” they said in a statement. “On our many trips to London, we had fallen in love with the English style Stiltons. After years of trial and error, we finally developed Arethusa blue and are very pleased and proud. We truly appreciate our cheesemaker, Matt, and his team.”
Arethusa Blue can be found at Greenwich and Fairfield Cheese Company, Harbor Harvest in Norwalk, Whole Foods in Fairfield, and at the farm’ retail dairy store on Chapel Street in New Haven.