Remember yesterday, when I listed my chat with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.‘s Lynn Giacomini Stray and Jill Giacomini Basch as a personal highlight of the Fancy Food Show? Well now I’m extra thrilled to report that Point Reyes’ Original Blue received the Sofi gold medal for Outstanding Cheese or Dairy product at last night’s NASFT award show. It’s something like the Oscars for artisanal foods — past cheese winners include Ritrovo Selections Mt. Townsend Truffle & Salt Seastack (2010), Cypress Grove’s Truffle Tremor (2009) and Coach Farm‘s Triple Cream Goat Cheese (2008). Congratulations, Lynn, Jill & the entire Point Reyes family!
Point Reyes Original Blue (pictured above right, with Lynn) is a raw-milk cheese made from the milk of their own Holstein cows who graze on organic pastures overlooking Tomales Bay. It’s injected with Penicillum roqueforti and aged five to six months. They cite the “coastal fog” and “salty Pacific breezes” as secret ingredients that contribute to the cheese’s unique creamy, fresh flavors.
I actually stopped by the booth to tell them how much my almost-5-year-old enjoyed their Toma, a semi-hard, Italian-style cheese they developed last year after a decade of producing only the Original Blue. Designed as an “all-day snacking cheese,” the Toma’s buttery and just slightly-grassy flavor make it a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Lynn mentioned that they’ve recently purchased a new vat that will enable them to double production of Toma in 2012. It’s only recently made it to stores in the DC area; I secured mine at Cheesetique in Alexandria.
Point Reyes’ third cheese is currently under development — and curious fans can follow along with the tasting notes on Culture magazine’s blog.
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