Cheese Makers Association looks to the future at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Ashwaubenon
ASHWAUBENON – Aged cheese is good. Aged cheese judges also are good. But Wisconsin cheese makers understand that to keep both their industry and the United States Championship Cheese Contest strong and credible, they need to introduce new generations into the process while the older generations still are around to share their knowledge.
Standing or sitting at tables in the Resch Expo, with the public and competitors looking on and sometimes asking questions, judges evaluate entries on flavor, body, texture, salt, color, finish, packaging and other attributes. The only equipment they have is their eyes, nose, taste buds and experience. And, it should be noted, a love of cheese.
Each entry starts with 100 points. Judges remove a core sample from the submitted entry, touch it, smell it and taste it, then deduct for defects. The distance between first place and honorable mention is often measured in hundredths of a point, an indication of how exacting the responsibility is for judges. The difference between first and third place in the last U.S. contest was 0.153 point.
"There is a knack for to this. They have to have a certain palate they are born with," said John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, who freely admits he doesn't have it.
This year's panel of 42 judges includes cheese graders, cheese buyers, dairy science professors and researchers from 12 states. Five are judging their first U.S. cheese championship, including Valerie Arechiga, research manager of Glanbia Nutritionals in Twin Falls, Idaho.
"New" doesn't mean fresh off the the street. Although this is her first year judging the U.S. championship, Arechiga has a dozen years experience in cheese making. She began judging at the local level before the Cheese Makers Association contacted her about the U.S. championship.
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"My day job is evaluating cheese. Luckily, what I do every day prepares me for this," Arechiga said. "It's a very exciting opportunity you don't get all the time. The hardest part is the sheer volume."
Palates can become worn out by the end of the day, said Eric Vorpahl of Masters Gallery Foods of Plymouth, the veteran judge working with Arechiga. Vorpahl also is a judge for the World Championship Cheese Contest, held in alternate years with the U.S. contest.
Over the next 10 years, the contest will lose a lot of talent and experience as judges retire, Vorpahl said. The strategy is to introduce five new judges a contest.
The cheese makers keep an eye on other contests, such as state fairs, and states such as Idaho, which has a contest for judging judges. In the end, finding candidates is easy. "We are flooded with people who want to participate," Umhoefer said. "We are talking heavily about a generational shift."
Which is not to say all the veteran judges are beating a path to the exit. At that other end of the spectrum is Michael Pederson of the state department of agriculture, who's been a cheese grader since the 1970s and a judge since 1997. He also ran the Wisconsin State Fair's cheese contest for 10 years. He'll retire from his day job soon, but will keep judging as long as they ask him back.
Pederson was paired with Andy Johnson of Dairy Connection Inc. of Madison. Although he's in his fifth year of judging the U.S. and world championships, Johnson said he appreciates the opportunity to learn from Pederson.
"I don't make cheese anymore. This event is a professional opportunity for me," he said.
Being a judge can be intimidating, no matter the level of experience.
"Even at my age, you want to do the best you can. Those (cheese makers) are putting everything into it," Pederson said.
A full day of judging can be taxing. "After about 50, you don't want to taste any more," Pederson said. Or maybe you do. Johnson said he'd probably have a cheeseburger for supper.
The need for new blood is as true for cheese makers as judges.
The Heiman family of Nasonville Dairy in Marshfield was five members strong Tuesday. Ryan Heiman brought sons Tyler and Sam to their first championship. They are the fourth generation of their family working at cheese making.
"It's kind of a natural thing," Tyler Heiman said. "With every family member working (in the industry) every day, it's something you want to get into."
Ryan and his brother, Trevor, started in the business "when we were old enough to get a wrench from the shop."
Nasonville has six entries in the contest, and scored well in past contests with their Feta cheese in particular. Winning a category helps sales.
"I think we control about 14% of the Fetas made in the U.S. We are proud of that," Ryan Heiman said.
Which brings the conversation back to the quality of the judges in the contest. Consistency is a key to accepting the results, win or not.
"I would never second-guess any of these judges," Heiman said.
Contest notes
The Cheese Makers Association is keeping one eye on the sky as the threat of a two-day winter storm looms. All judging will be completed on Wednesday, with sessions from 8 a.m. to noon and 2-5 p.m. No judging will be done on Thursday, although champion and top 20 cheeses still will be announced at 2 p.m. Thursday. The announcement will be streamed live at USChampionCheese.org and on Facebook.
In recent years, the contest was held in the Lambeau Field Atrium. The atrium provided a better aesthetic than Resch Expo, but the Resch is a more practical facility. Loading docks are closer and there's more behind-the-scenes room than at Lambeau. With more than 2,000 entries, some weighing more than 40 pounds, more room is good. "Logistically, it's a dream so far," Umhoefer said.
The industry still is recovering from the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. Entries were fewer this year than during the previous U.S. contest, a first during Umhoefer's tenure. However, there are 300 more entries in this contest than there were U.S. entries in last year's world contest. "It's tracking back up," Umhoefer said.
Results from the first day of judging can be found here.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RichRymanPG, on Instagram at @rrymanPG or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/RichardRymanPG/.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Cheese Makers look to the future in U.S. Championship Cheese Contest
