In the U.S. these days, cheese is emerging as a product and point of pride that in some circles. That was clear at the United States Championship Cheese Contest held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last week. A crowd of approximately 500 people packed into a ballroom to see a U.S. Cheese Championship winner named, and a steady stream of even more people had spent two previous days watching judges sniff, taste, spit and rate 2,555 different cheeses from across the nation.
US Cheesemakers Growing, Changing With the Times
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A judge checks the aroma of a blue cheese in one of the 116 categories in which cheeses are entered, in Green Bay, Wis., March 5, 2019. Judges sample multiple cheeses over the course of two days.
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Judging for the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest is held in the atrium of Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wis., March 5, 2019. The judging is open to the public and visitors watch judges and sample cheeses.
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Richard Guggiesberg (center) cradles his champion Baby Swiss cheese. Marieke Penterman (right), whose cheeses placed second and third in the competition, and general manager of her company, Kim Raybuck, also pose on the winners podium, in Green Bay, Wis.,
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Marieke Penterman of Marieke Gouda does her happy dance that has become a familiar sight at cheese contests. At the U.S. Cheese Championship, her cheeses were ranked No. 2 and No. 3 cheeses among the 2,555, in Green Bay, Wis., March 7 2019.