WEST ALLIS — The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board announced that three Blue-Ribbon Cheese Special of the Day Sandwiches will be featured at the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill during the 2024 Wisconsin State Fair. This is the second year that blue-ribbon winning cheese from the Dairy Products Contest will be sold as grilled cheese sandwiches during the Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 1-11.
Lake Country Dairy Schuman Cheese Artisan Smoky Pepper Fontal was the best of class for flavored semi-soft cheese at the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest. This cheese will be the Blue-Ribbon Cheese Special of the Day Sandwich on Tuesday, Aug. 6, while supplies last.
“On behalf of our team at Lake Country Dairy, we are excited to showcase our award-winning Smoky Pepper Fontal at the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill this year,” said Gary Gosda, Plant Manager. “This would not be possible without locally sourced, fresh outstanding milk. We are fortunate to have the best patron farms in the industry, all within 50 miles of our plant in Turtle Lake. Our employees have passion, work ethic and the knowledge and expertise to make some of the best cheeses in the world. We could not do what we do without this amazing team at LCD. There is no better feeling than having your cheese consistently win awards at the state level, national level and world level. And we have that very thing here at LCD.”
Decatur Dairy Dill Havarti was the best of class for flavored havarti at the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest. This cheese will be the Blue-Ribbon Cheese Special of the Day Sandwich on Wednesday, Aug. 7, while supplies last.
“The crew at Decatur Dairy and in the Decatur Dairy Cheese Store are more than happy to have our Dill Havarti presented on a grilled cheese at the Wisconsin State Fair. Our cheese store offers grilled cheese with our Dill Havarti, and it is a customer favorite,” said Steve Stettler, Master Cheesemaker at Decatur Dairy. “Decatur Dairy is a partnership between the farmer and the cheesemaker, coming together to produce quality cheese with quality milk. Having our cheese consistently place in the State Fair Contest is quite an honor; especially with all of the cheesemaking talent in Wisconsin. We at Decatur Dairy hope you enjoy the Dill Havarti grilled cheese, and we are honored to be selected for one of the Blue Ribbon Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.”
Buholzer Brothers Brick was the best of class for brick and muenster cheese at the 2023 Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest. This cheese will be the Blue-Ribbon Cheese Special of the Day Sandwich on Thursday, Aug. 8, while supplies last.
The Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill is located in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the fair. Proceeds from the grill are reinvested into dairy education and promotion at the fair and help support scholarships for youth pursuing careers in the dairy industry.
“For the second year, we are bringing award-winning cheese from the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest to the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill,” said Nicole Barlass, president of the Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board. “This idea was introduced last year and we enjoyed offering fairgoers the opportunity to taste a blue-ribbon cheese while at the fair. With over 600 styles, types and varieties of cheese produced in Wisconsin, we hope this experience encourages fairgoers to look for other award-winning Wisconsin cheeses, and dairy products, at their local grocery store.”
All winning cheese and dairy products from the 2024 Dairy Products Contest will be on display in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion during the fair. A complete list of winners can be found on the Wisconsin State Fair website at wistatefair.com/competitions/competitive-
exhibits-specialty-contests-judging-results/.
The Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board is made up of individuals passionate about promoting Wisconsin’s $45.6 billion dairy industry during the Wisconsin State Fair. Providing educational opportunities for attendees with its interactive Dairy Lane exhibit and cow and goat milking demonstrations while also managing the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill, Dairyland Shake Shop and Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction, the board helps fund scholarships for students pursuing careers in the dairy industry, and offers volunteer opportunities for dairy youth to get involved.
For more information, email executivedirector@wsfdairypromo.org; visit wsfdairypromo.org or follow Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Promotion Board on Facebook and Instagram.
