If one needed any proof, the recent—and very well-deserved—success of American cheeses at the World Cheese Awards competition in Birmingham, UK, bears testament to the meteoric rise of artisanal cheesemaking in the United States over recent years.

The last two decades have seen a remarkable rise both in the number of people embarking on a career in cheesemaking as well as the number of cheeses produced. This fact is borne out in the crucibles of various cheese competitions with huge increases in the number of entries submitted each year. Not only that, but the quality and consistency of the cheeses is constantly improving too.

Just announced... the official results and winners of this year's American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) cheese competition. http://www.americandairygoatproducts.org/2011_cheese_winners.htm.

The competition was judged by long time cheese experts Daphne Zepos of Essex Street Cheese and new owner of The Cheese School of San Francisco, and Dr Moshe Rosenberg of UC Davis.

Many, many congratulations to the winners.