Pennsylvania Cheesemaker Wins “One of America’s Best” In 2024 American Cheese Society Competition

Pleasant Lane Farms, based in Latrobe, was awarded 1st-place medals for two products: their Quark and Cheddar Cheese Curds. Quark—Pleasant Lane Farms’ most winning cheese—is a firm but spreadable cheese similar to cream cheese. ACS judges lauded its “pleasant mouthfeel, balanced milky notes, and smooth texture.” The Cheddar Cheese Curds garnered attention for their bounce (squeakiness), attractive handmade appearance, and sweet, floral, buttery flavor. Additionally, Pleasant Lane Farms took home a 2nd-place medal for their Roasted Garlic Cheese Curds, and 3rd-place medals for their 1976 Reserve Farmstead Gouda, BlackJack Monterey Jack, and Sharp Farmstead Cheddar.

Jason Frye, Partner and Head Cheesemaker at Pleasant Lane Farms, commented that “Each of these awards is extremely meaningful to us. When we started this journey four years ago, we looked up to the country’s best artisan cheese makers. To see our products win alongside them is a huge honor. And it’s a special privilege to represent Pennsylvania and show the country that we can produce high-quality artisan cheeses, too.” Throughout the ACS competition, cheesemakers receive critical expert feedback. Pleasant Lane Farms successfully incorporated judges’ feedback from the previous two years into many of their 2024 winning products. “The ACS Competition is always a wonderful learning experience. Part of our success here this year is due to the invaluable recommendations we’ve received at this competition in the past,” explained Frye.

The ACS Judging & Competition Awards are a blind competition—meaning judges don’t know who has produced the cheeses they are tasting and nominating—but some judges may not have been surprised to learn that they’d voted for several products crafted by Pleasant Lane Farms, since the creamery gained renown in 2023 as 1st-place winner in its class at the World Dairy Expo and silver and bronze medalist in the World Cheese Awards competition. In Buffalo last weekend, buyers, cheesemongers, and other ACS conference attendees went out of their way to seek out samples of a Pleasant Lane Farms’ BlackJack, a feisty snacking cheese laced with cracked peppercorns, and their 1976 Reserve Farmstead Gouda, which Frye proudly describes as the family’s signature cheese. “We named this cheese in honor of the year our parents moved to the farm. This place is special to us and we wanted to pay tribute to our family’s history with this cheese.”

In the coming months, Pleasant Lane Farms will continue to expand production and distribution of their award-winning products, which are currently available at dozens of local restaurants, regional grocers, artisan shops, and farmers markets throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Their products can also be purchased individually or in sampler boxes at: www.pleasantlanefarms.com.

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