great canadian cheese festival – Page 2

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Great Canadian Cheese Festival

Fifth Town reopens in time for Cheese Festival in June

March 27, 2013 No Comments

Under new owners, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese in Prince Edward County will open its retail shop on May 30, the day prior to a visit by participants in the County Cheese Tour held in conjunction with The Great Canadian Cheese Festival that runs June 1-2 in Picton.

Cheesemaker Laura Todd will speak to the tour group on Fifth Town’s history and plans for the future.

The cheese factory will remain closed as the processing facility is re-approved for production, the company said in a statement. The retail store will sell “fine cheese inspired by Fifth Town artisan cheeses that consumers came to love.” The shop will carry local foods, such as charcuterie, honey, and preserves, that have been selected to pair with the cheese that will be offered for sale.

Patricia Secord and Dr. Hugo Bertozzi, third generation producers, affineurs and purveyors of artisan cheeses, historically in Italy, and now in Canada, purchased Fifth Town Artisan Cheese in November 2012. The transition period between shutdown and start-up is a long process, the company said, but will ultimately lead to a refurbished manufacturing facility and world-class cheese. The factory is set to be producing Fifth Town favourites, like Cape Vessey, by early 2014.

Fifth Town is opening the shop in order to support the company during the transition, the statement said. “The shop will feature unique products honoring the new owners’ Italian roots and the incredible food produced in Prince Edward County. We are excited to continue our tradition of partnering with small-scale food producers to showcase unique local flavors and help this agricultural region thrive.”

Fifth Town was founded by Petra Kassun-Mutch in 2004. After several years in design and development, construction began 2007 and the dairy opened June 2008 with then only five employees and three farms as suppliers. Before it was shut down last year when it ran into financial difficulties, Fifth Town had grown to more than 16 employees with seven farm suppliers and generated $1.5M in revenues annually.

Fifth Town has won more than 35 prestigious national and international awards including Grand Champion on several occasions for its unique cave-aged goat, sheep and cow milk cheeses. It took five of the 21 awards given to Ontario dairies at the recent American Cheese Society competition in Montreal.

Bay of Quine Region, Beer, Black River Cheese, Buffalo milk, Cheddar, County Cheese Company, Empire Cheese & Butter Co-op, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Great Canadian Cheese Festival, Ivanhoe, Prince Edward County

Two cheese tours to tempt your palate

March 25, 2013 No Comments

Lori Smith with one of her 200 charges at the Ontario Water Buffalo Company in Stirling.

For cheese lovers interested in an extra day of cheese-learning and cheese-tasting, a second itinerary has been added to the guided cheese tours offered on the Friday before the third annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

The new Quinte Cheese Tour will visit two award-winning cheese producers, Empire Cheese and Maple Dale Cheese, with a lunch stop and tour of Ontario Water Buffalo Company, a pioneering water-buffalo dairy farm. A craft brewery, Church-Key Brewing, and a chocolate maker are also on the itinerary.

The popular County Cheese Tour continues, with stops at Black River Cheese, in operation since 1901, and the new County Cheese Company where cheesemaking will start this summer. Fifth Town Artisan Cheese will be added, if it has re-opened by May 31.

The third annual Great Canadian Cheese Festival takes place Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2, in Crystal Palace on the Prince Edward Fairgrounds in Picton, in the heart of Prince Edward County in Ontario’s Bay of Quinte Region. Cheese tours and a class on cooking with artisan cheese are offered on Friday, May 31.

The Great Canadian Cheese Festival is a multi-faceted event that annually attracts thousands of consumers to meet, learn, taste and buy the best in artisan cheese and fine foods and sample fine wine, craft beer and crisp cider.

Dairy Farmers of Canada is the lead sponsor, presenting seminars throughout the day in the All You Need Is Cheese® Annex.

Bay of Quinte Region is a major sponsor. It will host a guided tasting of Quinte cheeses paired with local wines and beers to help promote the Bay of Quinte Cheese Route.

Taste and buy artisan and farmstead cheese at the biggest cheese show in Canada.

The Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair features a Dairy Farm display for the enjoyment of young and old. Also on the program are Tutored Tastings where experts offer guidance on a variety of cheese topics. At From the Farm Cooking School, Cynthia Peters leads a hands-on class in cooking with artisan cheese.

Outstanding wine and-dine-with-cheese experiences are offered on Saturday evening. Winners of the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix are on the menu as the cheese course at Gastronomy on the Farm with Jamie Kennedy. Cheesemaker Ruth Klahsen is paired with Chef Michael Hoy for Wine & Dine at Huff Estates Winery. Additional chef-driven events are still to be announced.

Advance ticket sales are under way at www.cheesefestival.ca.

Last year, close to 100 exhibitors and vendors and more than 3,000 consumers made the event the biggest cheese show in Canada representing producers from coast to coast. One-third of the participating cheese producers come from Québec, the leading artisan cheese region in Canada.

Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Great Canadian Cheese Festival

How many Canadian Grand Prix finalists have you tasted?

February 26, 2013 No Comments

Cheesemakers from British Columbia to Prince Edward Island submitted a record 225 cheeses in 19 different categories in the 2013 Canadian Cheese Grand Prix, this country’s most prestigious cheese competition sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada.

A jury of eight cheese experts gathered in Montreal for a closed-door session a week ago to select 58 finalists that exemplify the world-class cheese being produced in Canada. Two cheesemakers—Fromagerie du Presbytère of Québec and Sylvan Star Cheese of Alberta—dominated the finalists with six selections each.

The 2013 Grand Champion and category champions will be unveiled at the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix Gala of Champions in Montreal on April 18. The competition is restricted to cheese made with cow’s milk.

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 finalists, with cheese shown left to right in order of listing:

FARMHOUSE CHEESE

Bleu d’Élizabeth ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

Louis D’or 18 months ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

Grizzly Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

ORGANIC CHEESE

Bleu d’Élizabeth ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

Alfred Le Fermier ~ Fromagerie La Station, Québec

Louis D’or 18 months ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

FRESH CHEESE

Ricotta ~ International Cheese, Ontario

Tre Stelle Mascarpone ~ Arla Foods, Ontario

Ricotta ~ Quality Cheese, Ontario

FRESH CHEESE WITH GRILLING PROPERTIES

Queso Fresco Cheese ~ Latin Foods, Alberta

Queso Puro Mexicano ~ Grandpa’s Dairy Produce, Ontario

Guernsey Girl ~ Upper Canada Cheese, Ontario

SOFT CHEESE WITH BLOOMY RIND

Golden Ears Brie ~ Golden Ears Cheesecrafters, British Columbia

Le Noble ~ Fromagerie Domaine Féodal, Québec

Alberts Leap ~ Quality Cheese, Ontario

SEMI-SOFT CHEESE

Tre Stelle Feta Cheese ~ Arla Foods, Ontario

Golden Ears Aged Havarti ~ Golden Ears Cheesecrafters, British Columbia

Dofino Creamy Havarti Cheese ~ Arla Foods, Ontario

WASHED OR MIXED RIND CHEESE (SOFT, SEMI-SOFT AND FIRM)

Le Voyageur ~ Fromagerie Le P’tit Train Du Nord, Québec

Le Mamirolle ~ Fromagerie Éco-Délices, Québec

La Clef des Champs ~ Fromagerie Éco-Délices, Québec

FIRM CHEESE

Réserve La Pérade ~ Fromagerie FX Pichet, Québec

Tomme des Demoiselles ~ Fromagerie du Pied-de-Vent, Québec

Gunn’s Hill Five Brothers ~ Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese, Ontario

GOUDA

Old Growler ~ That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm, Nova Scotia

Grizzly Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

Aged Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

SWISS-TYPE CHEESE

Fleur de Weedon ~ Fromagerie P’tit Plaisir, Québec

Louis D’or 18 months ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

Ménestrel ~ Fromagiers de la Table Ronde, Québec

MOZZARELLA (BALL, BRICK OR CYLINDER)

Tre Stelle Mozzarella Cheese ~ Arla Foods, Ontario

Mozzarella ~ International Cheese, Ontario

Mozzarella Ball ~ International Cheese, Ontario

BLUE CHEESE (VARIOUS RINDS, WITH OR WITHOUT VEINING)

Dragon’s Breath ~ That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm, Nova Scotia

Celtic Blue ~ Glengarry Fine Cheese, Ontario

Bleu d’Élizabeth ~ Fromagerie du Presbytère, Québec

FLAVOURED CHEESE WITH ADDED NON-PARTICULATE FLAVOURINGS

Applewood Smoked Cheddar ~ Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island

Natural Smoked Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

Smokehouse Cheddar ~ Village Cheese, British Columbia

FLAVOURED CHEESE WITH ADDED PARTICULATE SOLIDS AND FLAVOURINGS

Italian Herbs Spiced Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

Raclette de Compton au poivre ~ Fromagerie La Station, Québec

Cayenne & Green Peppercorn Spiced Gouda ~ Sylvan Star Cheese, Alberta

MILD CHEDDAR (AGED 3 MONTHS)

ADL Cheddar ~ Amalgamated Dairies, Prince Edward Island

L’Ancêtre Organic Mild Cheddar ~ Fromagerie L’Ancêtre, Québec

Mild Cheddar Cheese ~ Ivanhoe Cheese, Ontario

MEDIUM CHEDDAR (AGED 4 TO 9 MONTHS)*

Medium Cheddar aged 6 months ~ Société Coopérative Agricole de L’Île-aux-Grues, Québec

ADL Cheddar ~ Amalgamated Dairies, Prince Edward Island

Medium Cheddar ~ Maple Dale Cheese, Ontario

Medium Cheddar Cheese ~ Ivanhoe Cheese, Ontario

*Four finalists were elected in this category due to a tie between two scores.

OLD CHEDDAR (AGED FROM 9 MONTHS TO A YEAR)

Old Cheddar Cheese ~ Ivanhoe Cheese, Ontario

1 Year Old Cheddar ~ Maple Dale Cheese, Ontario

Cheddar 1 year ~ Fromagerie Perron, Québec

AGED CHEDDAR (MORE THAN 1 YEAR UP TO 3 YEARS)

Extra Old Cheddar ~ Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island

Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar ~ Cows Creamery, Prince Edward Island

Cheddar 2 years ~ Fromagerie Perron, Québec

AGED CHEDDAR (MORE THAN 3 YEARS)

5 Year Aged Cheddar ~ Black River Cheese, Ontario

Cheddar Doyen ~ Fromagerie Perron, Québec

10-year-old Cheddar with Waxed Finish ~ Maple Dale Cheese, Ontario

The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix is sponsored and hosted every two years by Dairy Farmers of Canada, celebrating the high quality, versatility and great taste of Canadian cheese made from 100% Canadian cow’s milk.

“Canadian cheese makers from coast-to-coast are producing top quality, impressive cheeses,” said Phil Bélanger, Canadian Cheese Grand Prix jury chairman. “The diversity we saw within the 19 categories really showcases how evolved this craft has become in Canada. From aged Cheddars to organic cheeses, cheesemakers from across Canada are taking it to the next level and are the envy of other cheesemaking nations.”

The jury members had the envious challenge of tasting all 225 cheeses and naming three finalists in each category. Tasting began with the milder cheeses and progressed to the more full-bodied varieties. Jury members carefully observed, touched, smelled, and tasted each cheese and evaluated them based on very specific criteria including flavour, texture and body, colour, appearance, and salt content.

The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix began in 1998 to promote achievement and innovation in cheesemaking and to increase appreciation for fine quality Canadian cheese. The competition celebrates the proud tradition of the diverse cheeses made in Canada with cow’s milk ranging from Gouda to Blue cheese.

All eligible cheeses must be produced in Canada, bear the 100% Canadian Milk symbol on their packaging and be available for purchase at retail.

Click here for photos of the judging action.

Great Canadian Cheese Festival

Help us plan future Cheese Festivals by taking a quick poll

January 11, 2013 No Comments

Here’s your chance to win TWO FREE TICKETS to the 2013 Great Canadian Cheese Festival.

We’re busy planning for the third annual Festival and would love your input in three areas:

1) Imported cheese at the Cheese Festival

2) Toronto and/or Ottawa as a venue instead of Picton

3) Montréal as venue for a new cheese event.

Click here to start the brief survey.

For every 25 completed surveys submitted by January 31, we will award two FREE tickets valued at $80 to the Festival’s Artisan Cheese & Fine Food Fair. Winners in the draw will be notified in February.

Thank you for your input!