Say cheese, the American way
Finest wheels, wedges will be judged at American Cheese Society conference
When the American Cheese Society kicks off its 35th annual four-day conference Downtown on July 25, it tips its hat to Pittsburgh.
“Forged in Cheese” is the theme of the conference this year and its logo shows a cheesemaker pouring melted cheese into a vat, a riff on a steelmaker pouring molten iron. “The logo is based on Pittsburgh’s steel heritage,” said Nora Weiser, executive director of the group. “An entire industry emerged from steel in Pittsburgh and we are celebrating an industry that was built on cheese.”
Cheese cognoscenti, as in cheesemakers, cheesemongers, distributors, farmers, academics, retailers and plain-old enthusiasts who are all members of the society, will make the yearly pilgrimage to the meet, which will be held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, to participate in workshops, learn about evolving techniques, explore new pairings and
trends and, of course, sample cheeses.
In addition to 40 educational sessions that address the development of cheese and fighting for diversity in food to preserve rural lifestyles, tasting sessions that go well beyond sampling cheeses are on the agenda. For instance, at the “Fermentation Renaissance” session, where American-made preserved meats are paired with Pennsylvania artisan cheeses and craft beers, attendees will learn how to plan a menu incorporating the different aromas, textures and flavors. “Drink the Apples — Eat the Cheese” will explore varied cider styles and pair them with cheeses. There will even be a cider-washed cheese to sample.
The sessions are only for those registered for the conference.
Technical and aesthetic judging
A big part of the conference is the Judging and Competition, and there are 20 categories with 123 subcategories this year. To be eligible, a cheese must have been available for sale on or before Jan. 22. Cheeses are judged for their technical and aesthetic qualities by 44 experts. While the technical judge deducts points for the flaws and looks at the cheese on the whole and how it fits the category for which it was entered, the aesthetic judge adds points for positive attributes and subjective qualities such as character and why someone should buy it, said Stephanie Clark, chair of Judging & Competition, a technical adviser to the society and a professor at Iowa State University.
Kerry E. Kaylegian, an assistant research professor at Penn State University who is the technical adviser to the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild and a co-chair at the conference, is one of the technical judges. Appearance is the first thing she looks for and checks if the shape — be it square, rectangular or round — is uniform and even. She then cuts into the cheese to see if it has a good aroma and the proper texture. When it comes to the taste, she looks to see if it is pleasant or unpleasant, and does that linger.
Brian Keyser, who used to own the now-closed Casellula @ Alphabet City on the North Side but still owns Casellula in New York City, will be an aesthetic judge for the first time. He said the best cheese brings a sense of satisfaction at every step. “It looks pretty, the smell brings back fond memories, the texture is clean, the taste is complex.”
Of the 1,954 entries this year, 84 of them are from Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Cheese Guild will have a table at the conference and host Cheese & Bier on July 26 from 9 to 11 p.m. at Southern Tier, North Shore, to promote the state’s cheese farms and creameries. Tickets are $30.
Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy, which won a second place last year for its semihard Gouda, Hootenanny, is re-entering it this year along with all of its other cheeses, except the newest one, a camembert called Pure Luck, which hit store shelves only last week and so is not eligible. Caputo Brothers Creamery in Spring Grove, York County, entered the contest for the first time last year and walked away with a blue ribbon for its Ricotta Salata Vecchio; the cheese will be competing again this year. The Farm at Doe Run in Unionville, Chester County, is reentering all its cheeses that placed first, second or third in their categories last year. Its St. Malachi wonthe second spot for Best of Show. Another Chester County resident, Yellow Springs Farm LLC in Chester Springs, has five entries including Goat’s Beard, a washed-curd cheese, which picked up a second place last year.
“We always like to tie the conference with the local food community,” said Ms. Weiser, and so food and drink tours and a cheese crawl are part of the fourday conference.
The members-only events on July 25 will include a food walking tour in the Strip District and a visit to the Heinz History Center; a trip to Goat Rodeo Farm & Dairy; and a tour of Mediterra Bakehouse and visits to DeLallo Olives & Antipasti and Threadbare CiderHouse.
At the crawl, conference members will hit Ten Penny, Il Tetto at Sienna Mercato, Social House 7 and Olive or Twist in Downtown, and sample farmstead, artisanal, naturally rinded, soft ripened and aged cheeses made with sheep, goat and cow’s milk from eight farms and creameries that are mostly from Pennsylvania.
There also will be a Cheeseletes 5K, a tongue-incheek 5K where runners may dress in cheese-themed costumes, at 7:30 a.m. July 28 at the Three Rivers Heritage Trail at Convention Center Riverfront Plaza (1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd.). It is open to the public.
The cheese society was founded in 1983 by Cornell University to help understand the technical, artistic and scientific process of making better artisan cheeses. It gives out a scholarship, based on a personal essay and the applicant’s passion for cheese, every year to a local chef to attend the conference for free. This year’s recipient is Justin Lubecki of Ferment-Pittsburgh.
Festival and sale
The conference will culminate with the Festival of Cheese on July 28 when cheesemakers will display the wheels and wedges that they entered in the contest. From 7 to 9:30 p.m., the public can sample 2,000 cheeses, including artisan, farmstead and specialty ones, and discover unique ones all under one roof for $65. Cheeses will be labeled and arranged by category and this year’s winners will proudly wear their blue ribbons. Ciders, brews, crackers and charcuterie also will be served.
“If you like cheese, that’s the place to be,” Ms. Weiser said.
Tickets are available at festivalofcheese.brownpapertickets. Also on the website, readers who get their information from the PG website or the newspaper can get $10 off tickets by using the code PPG10.
Lydia Burns, who grew up in Squirrel Hill and is a senior manager at Pastoral Artisan Cheese Bread & Wine in Chicago, said the festival can be overwhelming even for a professional cheese eater like herself. “I steer people against trying everything. It’s OK to pass up on cheeses,” she said.
Sample the Best of Show cheeses first, she said, as they disappear fast since everybody makes a beeline for them. Also, start with milder, fresh soft cheeses before moving to the stronger ones. It’s best to leave blue, flavored and smoked ones to the end and so also the aged and alpine varieties, which are rich and complex.
She also advises to take a break from the cheese tasting during the fest and cleanse your palate with sparkling water, charcuterie or fruit. “It’s important to give your palate a break as cheese can coat your mouth,” she said. “Carbonation will cleanse your mouth.”
Nonmembers don’t have to attend the festival to visit the Cheese Sale, which also will be held on the last day at the same time as the festival. For $60, they can stuff as much cheese as possible in an inflated tote bag but need to make sure it can be zipped up. Or they can buy cheeses by the piece and pay $5 to $10 for a pound.
“The cheese sale is a ridiculously good deal where you can find big chunks of high quality varieties,” Ms. Burns said. “And you would pay only $5 for what could retail for $30.”
Proceeds from both the festival and sale will benefit the nonprofit American Cheese Education Foundation.
Not everything will be super well-labeled at the sale, Ms. Burn warned, but if you are a bargain shopper it will be like being in heaven.