Cheese donated to charity
MADISON - Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is donating to Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin the mild cheddar cheeses submitted to the World Championship Cheese Contest.
In all, more than 60 smooth, square blocks of cheddar, weighing 40 pounds each, competed in the contest, and the cheeses that did not earn a ribbon will be donated to feed families in southwestern Wisconsin.
"We're pleased to donate, on behalf of the U.S. and international cheese industries, more than 2,400 pounds of contest-caliber cheddar to Second Harvest Foodbank," said John Umhoefer, executive director of the Wisconsin Cheese Maker Association.
Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin will repackage and distribute the cheese to partner agencies in 16 southwestern counties, where 141,000 people - 43 percent of whom are children - struggle to put food on the table.
The contest, held at Monona Terrace Convention Center March 16-18, was free and open to the public. Thirty expert cheese tasters from 12 nations slowly sniffed, examined and tasted more than 2,313 cheeses and butters entered in the competition. Cheese lovers were invited to watch the judging and sample cheeses from the contest.
Local winners were Dave Buholzer, Klondike Cheese Co., Monroe for his Brick, Muenster; Dennis Schliem, Zimmerman Cheese, Wiota, for his Mexican cheese; John Yttri of Edelweiss Creamery in Monticello for his Havarti; and Team Two from the Wisconsin Cheese Group for its Pepper Flavored Cheeses.
Buholzer, who is a Master Cheesemaker with numerous awards to his credit, has been making Brick, Muenster cheese for about 25 years. He's been making cheese for about 36 years.
"It's a honor to win at this prestigious contest," he said.
The award isn't just about him, he added.
"The award is for what our company and our employees did," he said. "It's also about the farmers and the high quality of milk."
Mark Witke, co-owner of Zimmerman Cheese, said he was proud to see Schliem win another award. Schliem has won at other contests, including the United States Cheese Contest.
"I'm happy for Dennis," he said. "I know he works hard."
More than 2,300 cheeses from around the world were entered in the event. There were 79 categories in the contest for various types of cheeses.
The World Championship title was awarded to Cedric Fragnier of Emmi Kase in Kirchberg, Switzerland.
A complete list of award winners is available at worldchampioncheese.org.