An outstanding a-cheese-ment for a western Wisconsin cheesemaker

Tom Giffey |

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Marieke Penterman of Holland’s Family Cheese (Thorp, Wis.) does Gouda.

Ooh, it’s so Gouda! Sorry, but it’s impossible not to make cheesy puns when writing about the 2013 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, which was held earlier this week at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. We’re proud to note that the greatest a-cheese-ment at the contest was made by a western Wisconsin cheesemaker.

Marieke Penterman of Holland’s Family Cheese in Thorp brought home the gold with her creation, Marieke Mature Gouda. Penterman – who moved to Wisconsin from the Netherlands in 2002 with her husband, Rolf, to establish a dairy farm – has only been making cheese since 2006, but that didn’t stop her from shredding the competition. Her take on the traditional Dutch Gouda went all the whey to the top among 1,700 entries, and in the final judging scored 98.305 out of a possible 100 points. As you can see from the photo, Penterman was very grate-ful for the award.

In total, 13 of the top 16 cheeses were from Wisconsin. Undoubtedly, that left cheesemakers from other states feeling bleu. To learn more about the competition, visit USChampionCheese.org

Or to learn more about Holland’s Family Cheese and where you can buy its prize-winning fermented goodies, go here!