Tarentaise Reserve. Photo credit: Cheese Chick Productions.

Tarentaise Reserve from Farms for City Kids Foundation in Vermont was named “Best of Show” in the 2014 American Cheese Society competition. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company from California was awarded second place overall for its Point Reyes Bay Blue. Tied for third place overall were Oakdale Cheese & Specialties’ Aged Gouda from California and Sprout Creek Farm’s Eden from New York.

The cheeses were among 1,685 entered in the competition. The results were announced July 31 at the 31st Annual ACS Conference in Sacramento, Calif.

In a statement from ACS, Jeremy Stephenson, cheese program director of Farms for City Kids Foundation, said of the Best of Show win, "The more I’m involved in this work, the more it becomes clear to me that what we’re doing is so much a part of agriculture and working to develop a new sustainable food system. We’re a small part of that. When we do this work we have to remember we’re part of something much bigger than an individual or individual farm, we’re a part of a community. The people that buy our cheese are supporting something very important for the future."

The 2014 ACS Judging & Competition saw 1,685 entries of cheeses and cultured dairy products from 248 companies. Entering companies represented 39 U.S. states, four Canadian provinces, and Colombia. 325 ribbons were awarded: 89 first place ribbons, 109 second place ribbons, and 127 third place ribbons.

See all the winners of the 2014 ACS Judging & Competition here.