Add one of these American Cheese Society award winners to your next cheese plate or charcuterie board

Features Editor

The American Cheese Society graciously gifted food editors with boxes filled with four category winners from 2022 — Hudson Flower from Murray's Cheeses (top left); Finger Lakes Gold from Lively Run Dairy (top right); Providence from Goat Lady Dairy (bottom right) and Pleasant Ridge Reserve, from Uplands Cheese Company (bottom left).

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, the American Cheese Society graciously gifted food editors with boxes filled with four category winners from 2022 — Finger Lakes Gold from Lively Run Dairy in Interlaken, N.Y.; Providence from Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, N.C.; Pleasant Ridge Reserve, from Uplands Cheese Company in Dodgeville, Wis.; and Hudson Flower from Murray's Cheeses in Long Island, N.Y.

I have never passed up a box of cheese when offered, nevermind a box filled with award-winning cheeses. (Also, it's not every day that I get offers like this.) While I waited patiently for the cheese to arrive, I learned a little bit about the American Cheese Society, which met for its annual convention and awards ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, in July. There, its more than 2,600 members met for networking, educational opportunities and to learn who had won the annual cheese competition — all 131 categories and the coveted "Best of Show."

This year, St. Malachi, an alpine-style cheese from The Farm at Doe Run in Coatesville, Pa., placed first in Best of Show, beating out 1,454 entries. Second place went to Cumberland, a tomme-style cheese from Sequatchie Cove Creamery of Sequatchie, Tenn. Three cheeses tied for third: Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a washed rind cheese from Uplands Cheese; Prairie Tomme, a sheep’s milk cheese from Green Dirt Farm of Weston, Mo., and Basket Molded Chevre, a goats’ milk cheese from Pure Luck Dairy of Dripping Springs, Texas.

As I perused the list of 2023 winners — a total of 370 in all — I noticed a few producers from the region. Maplebrook Farm, in North Bennington, Vt., took home a few awards: first place for a block feta, second place for a stracciatella and third place for a burrata. Grafton Village Cheese, in Brattleboro, Vt., took first place for Shepsog, a cheddar made from raw sheep and cow's milk, and first for a clothbound cheddar. Four Fat Fowl, in Stephentown, N.Y., earned first place for CamemBertha, a soft-ripened cheese made from cow's milk. And of course, the Vermont cheese we all know and adore, Cabot Creamery, earned more awards than I cared to keep track of.

I will tell you dear readers, it was a hard job, dining on these award-winning cheeses while enjoying a cheese plate at Tanglewood. My favorite was the Hudson Flower, followed by the Pleasant Ridge Reserve, while my husband preferred the Pleasant Ridge and the Finger Lakes Gold.

Adding a gourmet cheese to your cheese board is worth the investment, but I'd suggest that before you do, seek the advice of a local cheesemonger, who can help steer you in the direction of a cheese suitable for your particular palate.

Here's a look at four 2022 American Cheese Society category winners:

FINGER LAKES GOLD

Finger Lakes Gold, a goat cheese, from Lively Run Dairy in Interlaken, N.Y.

Producer: Lively Run Dairy, Interlaken, N.Y.

Category Winner 2022: Goat's Milk Cheese, aged over 60 days.

Style: In the Gouda family, this is a creamy, semi-hard goat's milk cheese.

Taste: Mellow and nutty in flavor.

How to use it: Melts well. Suitable for egg-based dishes. Serve on a cheese board with cured meats, jams, fruits and crackers.

Retail: $38 a pound

PROVIDENCE

Providence, from Goat Lady Dairy in Climax, N.C., is a goat cheese with a bready flavor.

Producer: Goat Lady Dairy, Climax, N.C.

Category Winner 2022: Open Category — Goat's Milk

Style: An Italian-style cheese that's denser and drier than the Taleggio-style cheese Goat Lady Dairy had been experimenting with. (What a happy accident.)

Taste: Has the tang of a goat cheese, but is described by some cheese websites as having notes of fresh baked bread.

How to use it: Parmigiano reggiano, pecorino or manchego. Pair with membrillo (a quince paste), cured meats or olives.

Retail: $32 to $50 per pound

PLEASANT RIDGE RESERVE

Pleasant Ridge Reserve Extra Aged, a cow's milk cheese, from Uplands Cheese Company, Dodgeville, Wisc.

Producer: Uplands Cheese Company, Dodgeville, Wisc.

Category Winner 2022: Washed rind cheeses — Cow's milk

Style: An aged Alpine-style cheese.

Taste: Nutty, savory flavor.

How to use it: Can be served as a table cheese with fruits, nuts and bread. It's also noted as an "excellent" melting cheese by the producer, who suggests using it as a garnish on salads, soups, gratins and omelets.

Retail: $30 per pound

HUDSON FLOWER

Hudson Flower, from Murray's Cheese in Long Island, N.Y., begins its life a Kinderhook Cheese from Old Chatham Creamery in Chatham, N.Y., before being encased in herbs and flowers and aged in Murray's cheese caves.

Producer: Murray's Cheese, Long Island, N.Y. in collaboration with Old Chatham Creamery in Chatham, N.Y.

Category Winner 2022: Soft-ripened sheep cheese with added flavor.

Style: A modern take on the classic Corsican Fleur du Maquis. This rich and creamy cheese is encased in a blend of rosemary, lemon thyme, chervil and hop flowers and aged in Murray's cheese caves.

Taste: Earthy, piney and floral in flavor.

How to use it: Serve as a table cheese with crackers or thin crisps. Top it with honey, strawberry, cherry or apricot jam. Melts well.

Retail: $35 per 12-ounce wheel

Four award-winning cheeses from the American Cheese Society.

To purchase these photos, click here.

Jennifer Huberdeau is the features editor at The Berkshire Eagle. She can be reached at [email protected] or 413-496-6229. On Twitter: @BE_DigitalJen

Features Editor