Redhead Creamery cheese named one of nation's best

GREEN BAY, Wis. — A Minnesota cheesemaker had a cheese crowned on the biggest stage, the United States Championship Cheese Contest, which was held between Feb. 21–23 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

The contest, which is hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, has been held every two years since 1981. The most prestigious award of the national contest went to Europa, an aged gouda made by Arethusa Farm Dairy in Bantam, Connecticut.

Wisconsin notched 54 of the Best of Class finishes of the 113 total classes being judged, which was the most of any state. California and Idaho came in second and third place.

Lucky Linda Clothbound Cheddar, made at Redhead Creamery in Brooten, Minnesota, was named Best in Class and top 20 in nation at the contest. The cheese was picked out of 2,249 entries.

According to Redhead Creamery, the farmstead cheese facility makes about 60,000 pounds per year. The creamery, ran by Alise and Lucas Sjostrom, partners with Jer-Lindy Farms, ran by Alise's parents, Jerry and Linda Jennissen.

Cheesemaking accolades are nothing new for Sjostrom, who developed her own curriculum at the University of Minnesota revolving around cheese and dairy food quality, and trained at the Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese.

"My passion and dream of cheese making continued to grow and I lovingly became known as Cheese Alise to many of my friends and family," she said on the company's website.

In the category of The Nation’s Best Natural Rind Cheddar, Redhead Creamery's cheese scored a 98.6 out of 100. Judges also picked it as one of the top 20 entries of the contest.

According to Redhead Creamery, Lucky Linda Clothbound Cheddar is aged over six months in aging rooms beneath the creamery’s on-farm store.

"It is made in the traditional English style, providing a full taste to pair with a red wine," says the website.

The cheese is named after Linda Jennissen, because of her original green mold and love of St. Patrick’s Day, according to a press release.

The cheese was the first developed upon opening the creamery in 2014, and it's also won awards at the American Cheese Society and Minnesota State Fair competitions, in addition to placing previously in the top seven in the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and World Championship Cheese Contest.

Redhead Creamery’s Margie Cheddar, which took home fifth place in the category, is made in a slightly more American style

"With some sweetness and pop on the tongue and a smooth finish," says the website.

Both Margie and Lucky Linda can be bought in wedge or wheel form at www.redheadcreamery.com for shipping throughout the U.S., Cheese Van delivery in the Twin Cities, Fargo, and in-between, and at places where fine cheese is sold.

The win caps an already news-heavy month of February for Redhead Creamery, according to a press release. Farm owners Jerry and Linda Jennissen were named 2023 Minnesota Livestock Breeders Association Hall of Fame Inductees and Alise and Lucas Sjostrom were named Young Dairy Leaders Institute Distinguished Alumni.