Ontario cheese takes top spot

Thursday, April 18, 2013

by SUSAN MANN

The Canadian Cheese Grand Prix recorded two firsts this year with its Grand Champion award going to a ricotta cheese made by Quality Cheese Inc. of Vaughan.

It’s the first time a fresh cheese won the top prize at the Grand Prix sponsored by Dairy Farmers of Canada and started in 1998. It’s also the first time a cheese from Ontario took the top spot.

An April 19 press release announcing the winners says a jury of top Canadian food industry experts picked the winning ricotta from a field of 19 category winners. There were a total of 225 entries in the competition from cheese makers across Canada. The jury narrowed down the submissions in February to 58 finalists.

Albert Borgo, who owns Quality Cheese Inc. along with his father, Almerigo Sr. and two brothers, Joe and William, says they make the ricotta in a very traditional way using their family’s recipe. “My father started making ricotta with his father (William) back in Italy.”

Almerigo Sr. came to Canada in 1954 and established his own cheese company in 1957.

The ricotta was traditionally made in straw baskets. Albert says he recently found a plastic basket from Italy that simulated the straw basket. “Once we improved our process in terms of packaging, I wanted to try making the cheese in that basket.”

The cheese is made by hand and goes from the basket into the packaging without any alternations or processing after that. “The way it’s made is the way it’s packed,” he says.

As for what contributed to the cheese’s win, Albert says it’s their use of whole milk added into a whey mixture. “Therefore you get a fluffy, rich, creamy, sweet product and you can taste all the milk sugars. It’s delicious.”

The ricotta is available at Longo’s under their signature brand and will be available at Loblaw’s soon.

Albert says it’s both overwhelming and gratifying that they’ve won this award. “You feel good because you worked really hard to get here.”

The press release says to judge the cheeses the jury members tasted, touched and smelled each cheese, evaluating them for appearance, flavour, colour, texture, body and salt content.

Dairy Farmers of Canada sponsors and hosts the Cheese Grand Prix every two years.  The cheese awards celebrate the high quality, great taste and versatility of Canadian cheese. To be eligible, the entrants must be produced in Canada, have the 100 per cent Canadian milk symbol on their packaging and be available for retail, the release says. BF