Flat Creek Lodge Takes Home 7 Big Awards at N. American Regional Jersey Cheese Competition

Swainsboro, Georgia (July 7, 2009) – Wedged in between two Vermont cheese makers, the little Flat Creek Lodge Dairy took home the Runner-Up position at the first North American Regional Jersey Cheese Awards last week. In addition to winning big for its gold medal Blau Wein Kase – an original cheese washed with blue wine made from Flat Creek’s fresh summer berries – the Dairy earned seven total awards in five classes. 

With only 20 percent of the milk produced in the United States coming from Jersey cows, just being able to enter the contest aligns Flat Creek Lodge in a very small select portion of artisanal cheese makers. 

“Even though this competition is new, there were a lot of impressive specialty products entered,” said Flat Creek Lodge's former Head Cheesemaker. “It’s great when you can place in the top three, so we are very excited about taking second place overall.”
In addition to the Blau Wein Kase, Flat Creek Lodge’s winning cheeses included Natural Rind Cheddar and Cypress Cheddar, which both earned silver medals in the Farmstead Hard Cheese class and Flavoured Cheese, Savoury bronze medal winners Cilantro Leiden and Aztec Cheddar. He paid homage to the history of Flat Creek’s Home Emanuel County with the names of cheeses Paris 1853 and Ocheese, which won silver and bronze medals respectively. In the 1850s, Swainsboro, Georgia was known as Paris, and the Creek Indians who once lived in the area were initially called the Ocheese Creek Indians because they lived near Ocheese Creek. 

What’s next on the agenda for Flat Creek Lodge? The Dairy will head to Austin, Texas in August for the American Cheese Society Awards. Last year at this huge competition, Flat Creek won First Place in the Hispanic & Portuguese Flavored category for the Caraway Cotija.

The North American Regional Jersey Cheese Awards were open to cheeses and butters made in Canada and the United States from 100 percent Jersey milk. In its first year, the regional contest drew 77 entries from 29 producers in 15 states and Québec. Each entry was judged individually; cheeses earning between 46 and 50 points received gold medals, between 41 and 45 points received silver medals, and between 36 and 40 earned bronze medals. www.jerseycheese.com 

The award-winning Flat Creek Lodge cheeses are available at retails spots including: Alon’s, Harry’s, Savor, Sawicki’s, Star Provisions, The Mercantile and several Whole Foods locations in Atlanta. Restaurants like Neo and Dynamic Dish serve Flat Creek Lodge cheeses. In fact, they can even be found at the Governor’s Mansion. In the Savannah area, Flat Creek Lodge cheeses can be found at Alligator Soul, Brighter Day Health Food Market, Cha Bella, Davis Produce, Il Pasticcio, Savannah Bee Co., The Mansion on Forsyth and Thrive to Go. Other southeast Georgia locations include Jekyll Island Club Hotel (Jekyll Island) and True Vine Wine & Gourmet (Brunswick). Murray’s in New York carries Flat Creek Lodge cheese to. Of course, everything is also available online at www.flatcreeklodge.com.

Located just three hours southeast of Atlanta, the Flat Creek Lodge resort offers an oasis to guests who enjoy being pampered with beautiful scenery, gourmet meals and luxurious surroundings. With a plethora of activities available onsite like bike riding through nature trails, visiting the spa, dining, fishing and even various types of hunting, the exquisite property entices all travelers. Flat Creek Lodge also creates an award-winning line of artisanal cow’s and sheep’s milk cheeses that appeal to the most discerning palate. 

The 2,000-acre Flat Creek Lodge is located at 367 Bishop Chapel Church Road, Swainsboro, Georgia 30401. The Lodge can be reached at 478.237.FISH or 877.352.8273.  It can also be visited online at www.flatcreeklodge.com.

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