What shockeroo!
For the first time in the eight renditions of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, a fresh cheese was named Grand Champion, the first time an Ontario cheese was named the best cheese in Canada.
The history-making cheese is Ricotta made by Quality Cheese of Vaughan, Ontario.
A jury of top Canadian food industry experts selected it from 19 impressive category winners in the Grand Prix.
Sponsored and hosted every two years by Dairy Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix celebrates the high quality, versatility and great taste of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian cow’s milk. The winners were announced tonight during a gala at the Hyatt Regency in Montreal.
“The Ricotta’s refined and balanced taste really stood out during the competition “, says Chef Danny St. Pierre, Canadian Cheese Grand Prix jury member. “This confirms that a fresh cheese can have as much depth as an aged cheese”.
Quality Cheese’s Ricotta is lauded for its creamy texture and milky aroma. Quality Cheese manufactures, distributes and retails Italian speciality cheeses and boasts a team representing four generations of cheesemaking.
Their products are so popular that fans flock to their Vaughan, Ontario, location to buy the cheese fresh.
The Grand Champion and 19 category winners were selected from a record 225 cheese entries submitted by cheesemakers from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia. The submissions were then narrowed down to 58 finalists by the jury in February.
“We are seeing an impressive variety of Canadian cheeses being developed to satisfy various culinary tastes and trends”, says Mr. St. Pierre. “It’s fascinating to see all the things we can do with these cheeses, be it topping a cracker with an aged Cheddar or using a fresh cheese to make a wild blueberry cheesecake. So take out your cooking aprons and discover the winners of the 8th Canadian Cheese Grand Prix!”
Indeed, Canada’s vibrant and unique cheesemaking craft has evolved to the point that new types of cheese are continually being added to the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix. This year, two new categories were introduced: “Gouda’’ and “Fresh Cheese with Grilling Properties.”
Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Jury members tasted, touched and smelled each cheese, evaluating them for appearance, flavour, colour, texture and body, and salt content before determining the following winners.
The first time many of the winners will be available for tasting and purchase by the public in one place will be at the third annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival on June 1-2 in Picton in Ontario’s Prince Edward County.
Here are the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix category winners. Click on any image for a larger view.
FARMHOUSE CHEESE
- Grizzly Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta
ORGANIC CHEESE
- Bleu d’Élizabeth ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec
FRESH CHEESE
- Ricotta ~ Quality Cheese, Ontario
FRESH CHEESE WITH GRILLING PROPERTIES
- Queso Fresco Cheese ~ Latin Foods, Alberta
SOFT CHEESE WITH BLOOMY RIND
- Le Noble ~ Fromagerie Domaine Féodal, Québec
SEMI-SOFT CHEESE
- Tre Stelle Feta Cheese ~ Arla Foods, Ontario
WASHED OR MIXED RIND CHEESE (SOFT, SEMI-SOFT AND FIRM)
- Le Mamirolle ~ Fromagerie Éco-Délices, Québec
FIRM CHEESE
- Gunn’s Hill Five Brothers ~ Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese, Ontario
GOUDA
- Grizzly Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta
SWISS-TYPE CHEESE
- Louis D’or 18 months ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec
MOZZARELLA (BALL, BRICK OR CYLINDER)
- Tre Stelle Mozzarella Cheese ~ Arla Foods, Ontario
BLUE CHEESE (VARIOUS RINDS, WITH OR WITHOUT VEINING)
- Bleu d’Élizabeth ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec
FLAVOURED CHEESE WITH ADDED NON-PARTICULATE FLAVOURINGS
- Applewood Smoked Cheddar ~ Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island
FLAVOURED CHEESE WITH ADDED PARTICULATE SOLIDS AND FLAVOURINGS
- Raclette de Compton au poivre ~ Fromagerie La Station, Québec
MILD CHEDDAR (AGED 3 MONTHS)
- L’Ancêtre Organic Mild Cheddar ~ Fromagerie L’Ancêtre, Québec
MEDIUM CHEDDAR (AGED 4 TO 9 MONTHS)*
- Medium Cheddar ~ Maple Dale Cheese, Ontario\
OLD CHEDDAR (AGED FROM 9 MONTHS TO A YEAR)
- Cheddar 1 year ~ Fromagerie Perron, Québec
AGED CHEDDAR (MORE THAN 1 YEAR UP TO 3 YEARS)
- Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar ~ Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island
AGED CHEDDAR (MORE THAN 3 YEARS)
- 5 Year Aged Cheddar ~ Black River Cheese, Ontario
Photos courtesy of Dairy Farmers of Canada.
