State Fair Seeks Best California Cheese
Deadline for competition for best commercial cheese is May 1.
Source: California State Fair
The California State Fair is now accepting entries for its annual Commercial Cheese competition to be held May 20, 2015.
California cheese producers continue to stimulate California's economy by creating more than 440,000 jobs and $63 billion in economic activity.
Submitting entries through the fair’s online system makes it easy to be part of the continued tradition of bringing the best of California to the State Fair. Entries will be accepted through May 1 and cheese must be delivered between May 11 and May 15 to Cal Expo’s Expo Center, Building 6 in Sacramento. Commercial cheese producers can access the competition handbook and entry information online at castatefair.org. Interested parties may obtain additional competition information by calling the California State Fair Wine & Cheese Department at (916) 263-3159.
The Cheese Competition is open to California cheese producers, including artisan cheese makers, throughout the state. The six divisions are Cottage Cheese, Cultured Cheese, Soft Cheese, Semi-soft Cheese, Semi-hard Cheese, Hard Cheese and California Originals. Each division is divided into multiple classes and is open to cheese made from a variety of milk types including cow, sheep, goat and buffalo.
The California State Fair Cheese Competition is not only a ranking of the state’s best cheeses as viewed by judges, but also a reflection of the growing quality of cheese as it continues to have a wide impact on all Californians. With the average American consuming more than 23 pounds of cheese annually, according to the USDA, the industry has become an important economic commodity in California.
Best of Show in the cow milk division was presented to Bleating Heart Cheese for their Moolicious Blue in 2014. Best of Show in the other milk type division was awarded to another of Bleating Heart Cheese’s entries, Fat Bottom Girl, a sheep’s milk cheese.
Competition Judging
The 2015 judging, which is open to the media, will take place on Wednesday, May 20 at Cal Expo.
Award winning cheeses will be on display in the Save Mart Supermarket California's Kitchen building during the State Fair July 10-26, 2015.
About The California State Fair
For more than 160 years, the California State Fair has showcased the best of the Golden State. During the 2014 State Fair at Cal Expo more than 750,000 people experienced the best and made memories that will last a lifetime. Cal Expo was dedicated as a place to celebrate California’s achievements, industries, agriculture, diversity of its people, traditions and trends that shape the Golden State’s future.
