by
Michael Anderson

Many of you out there may have been gearing up for the Emmy awards this past weekend.  The red carpet, the glamour, the production numbers – sure, it’s flashy enough.  Around these parts, though, there was considerably more anticipation for a slightly more workaday awards ceremony: the 2010 American Cheese Society Conference & Competition.  Held this year in Seattle, Washington, this annual event is an unparalleled opportunity for cheese professionals (and more than a few enthusiastic amateurs) to congregate, celebrate, and consume all things cheese.  It lasts five days, and nearly every moment is stuffed with cheesy goodness. 

A number of seminars and panels are available for attendees each year, and the most difficult part of going to the conference is probably selecting from all of the fantastic & fascinating choices in each time slot.  The list of panelists is full of names familiar to the cheese enthusiast – industry giants like Mateo Kehler (Cellars at Jasper Hill), Mary Keehn (Cypress Grove Chèvre), & Steve Jenkins (author, Cheese Primer); European liaisons such as Hervé Mons, Roland Barthélémy, & Raef Hodgson; and a host of others: cheesemakers, retailers, scientists, authors, even an entire panel devoted to artisan cured meats.  Endlessly fascinating, continually stimulating, and very nearly overwhelming.

Behind closed doors, however, is where the real monumental task is taking place: the tasting & judging.  This year, the judges had to contend with a record-setting number of entries: over 1,400 different cheeses were sent by their makers to be critiqued, and hopefully to be recognized as among the best.  From all over the United States (as well as a few Canadian and Mexican entries) cheeses in this competition run the gamut.  Sorted by style for the judging and awards, there are entrants from producers of every size in every conceivable style: classics like Cheddar, Gouda & Brie; American Originals like Brick, Dry Jack, & Liederkranz; as well as butters, yogurts, chèvres, and every other cheese style under the sun.  

At the end of the day, though, there has to be a winner. The top three spots are chosen by the judges from the blue ribbon winners in each individual category.  This year, we were thrilled to see three world-class American cheesemakers (and good friends of ours) ascend to the stage to collect their accolades.  Jeremy Stephenson of Spring Brook Farm collected 2nd Runner-Up honors for his Tarentaise, a superlative alpine-style 100% Jersey cow’s milk cheese from a farm & education center in Reading, VT.  Fellow Vermonters Allison Hooper & Adeline Druart earned 1st Runner-Up for their Bonne Bouche, from the pioneering Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery.  And the climax of the entire weekend – the coveted Best in Show ribbon – went to Wisconsin original Pleasant Ridge Reserve, from Uplands Cheese Company.  This is actually the third time this incredible cheese has won this award; no other cheese has won more than once.  It was a nearly poetic moment, as cheesemaker Mike Gingrich and his wife Carol are about to enter semi-retirement, passing the torch to heir apparent (and cheesemaker since 2007) Andy Hatch.  It’s downright heartwarming to see Pleasant Ridge (a cheese a lot of us would consider a national treasure) in such good hands for the next generation. 

We’ve got the top three winners in the store, as well as a slew of other fantastic cheeses that were recognized in their individual categories.  We’ll taste my own personal favorites of these in a class I’m leading on September 14th, as well as a very special treat: Andy has sent us a couple of wheels of his blue-ribbon batch of extra-aged Pleasant Ridge, a batch that he’s been guiding to perfection for over a year.  Believe it or not, it’s in very high demand after taking home the gold, so get it while you can.  And look forward to next year’s winning cheeses – they might be in a cheese case near you right now.

Rob, owner of Murray’s, married Nina Planck, at their farm in New Jersey.  And what did they eat at their wedding?  Bill Niman’s own grass-fed filet, local vegetables, some prize tomatoes from Nina’s parents’ farm, and a bunch of treats from Murray’s, including Spring Brook Tarentaise, Sweet Grass Dairy Greel Hill, Harvest Song Sour Cherry Preserves, Creminelli Barolo Salami, Prosciutto Caluccia Rossa, and decadent bars of Pralus chocolate bars….all finished off with local ice cream, which, alas, we can’t ship you.  But in the Murray’s is Married gift box, we can send these treats and the Pralus. The party favor? Rob’s new CD, Sweet Virginia Girl, dedicated to Nina. Did you know he wrote like Gram Parsons and sings like Willie Nelson? Neither did we – even though half the cheesemongers play the guitar or fiddle or drums when not cutting wheels of cheddar.

Want more wedding and CD news & photos?  Follow Murray’s and Nina on facebook!

Photo credit Roy Gumpel. Homepage art credit Chanmade.

In New York, Murray’s is most recognized for our Greenwich Village shop, where we sell what we think is the best selection of cheese, meat, and specialty food out there!  What you may not know is that Murray’s also works with many of the county’s best restaurants to supply them with the highest quality cheeses and meats.  Our wholesale  staff often consults on menus and conducts staff trainings, ensuring that we are passing on our cheese knowledge to every customer so that it’s then passed on to restaurant diners!

This month, we are excited to partner with Charlie Palmer’s Métrazur on an American cheese plate for Grand Central’s Dining Week.  If you dine at Métrazur during Dining Week, August 20-29, you’ll get 15% off your next purchase at the newly-expanded Murray’s Cheese in Grand Central, just right down the stairs and around the corner from Métrazur. (after tasting these cheeses, you might just need to have some in your fridge) 

We chose 3 spectacular American cheeses that are either new to the market such or an American classic…enjoy reading about our choices below, and stop by Métrazur or Murray’s to enjoy in person! 

Camembert from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company,  one of the country’s most recognized handcrafted sheep’s milk cheese producers located in the Hudson Valley.  They make this blend of Sheep’s and Cow’s milk “Camembert” that is rich and buttery with a beautiful fluffy white rind.  

Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese Company in Wisconsin, one of the most decorated cheesemakers in America.  Uplands was one of the first dairies to practice rotational grazing for their cows and took painstaking measures to learn the style of cheese that fits best with the land upon which the cows graze.  The flavor derived from this is undeniable; toasted nuttiness that echos Gruyere or Comté from France.

Cremont from Vermont Butter and Cheese, the newest cheese offered by this 25 year old dairy. Allison Hooper is often referred to as the Mother of Goat milk cheesemakers in Vermont. She was offering and working with chefs “locally’ long before it was cool. They make this blended cheese that offers a more complex flavor that the traditional goats cheeses they have made their name from. The additional of the cow’s milk gives this cheese a silkier texture and hints of sweetness. Similar in looks to LaTur from Italy.

Murray’s Cheese is heading South this summer, opening up our shops and holding cheese-y events in the Atlanta metro area!

Our menu from a recent Cheese 101 tasting led by Liz Thorpe with 30 hungry Atlantans included Sweet Grass Green Hill paired with Harvest Song Sour Cherry Preserves; Manchego paired with quince paste; Reypanaer 2-yr aged Gouda paired with fig jam; and Gorgonzola Dolce paired with Tupelo honey made by Savannah Bee Company.  Cheese 101 covers the basics of cheesemaking, cheese types and pairings. 

Cheesemakers Tim and Liz Young of Nature’s Harmony Farm in Elberton, GA showed up to the class and brought a taste of their raw milk cheese…and you’ll see it soon in our Atlanta shops!   (Luckily, important decisions in this biz are made by tastebuds, and we’re excited to sell their farmstead cheese soon!)

Our next class is on August 16 in Alpharetta – click here for more information. Read a great recap of our August 9th class here.

The new shops in Atlanta are part of our partnership with Kroger, the largest supermarket retailer in the country.  Murray’s Cheese is a ‘store-within-a-store’ featuring more than 400 specialty foods including cheese, cured meat, antipasto, olives, crackers, dried fruit and nuts and other grocery items.

Since 2002, Murray’s Cheese has been rocking Grand Central Market. In 2008, we opened up Murray’s Real Salami, our second shop in Grand Central. For nearly two years cheese and meat worked down the hall from each other, diligently providing the midtown crowd with the country’s best selection of cheeses and artisan meats. Last week, these two solo artists merged to become the Market’s finest duet.

Cheesemongers worked through the night on July 29^th to carefully pack up every product in both stores, move equipment, and reset our brand new mega-store in time for our 11 AM inspection on July 30^th. We passed with flying colors and were open in time for the lunch crowd to be the first to experience our second flagship store – stocked with our full line of cheeses, cooked & cured meats, oil & vinegar, olives, antipasti, jams, honey & more!

The new combined shop is 1,000 square feet, making it the largest in the Market. Our new 10 year lease ensures that we will be a midtown mainstay for a long, long time.

Sleepy mongers put the final touches on the new shop early Friday morning

Cheese & Meat...together at last!

Grand Central Market is open 7 AM to 9 PM Monday-Friday, Saturday 10 AM – 7 PM, and Sunday 11 AM-6 PM. Come visit us soon!