For the second time in two years, Vermont Creamery is taking home a Good Food Award for its Bonne Bouche ash-ripened goat cheese. The Good Food Awards celebrate outstanding products that are responsibly grown, authentically produced, and delicious.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be a Good Food Award recipient,” wrote Vermont Creamery Co-Founder Allison Hooper in a post on the company’s blog. “For Bonne Bouche to earn this accolade twice in two years is a true testament to our team’s commitment to transparency and innovation.”
Announced on Friday, January 20 at an awards ceremony in San Francisco, California, the 2017 Good Food Awards sifted through 2,059 entries from across the U.S., eventually crowning 193 winners. According to the Good Food Awards website, each recipient is put through a rigorous vetting process which verifies that they meet the criteria for their agricultural practices, sourcing transparency, and good animal husbandry, on top of the always important blind taste test.
“We introduced Bonne Bouche in 2001 and it quickly won over the hearts and palates of cheese lovers in America,” Hooper continued about one of Vermont Creamery’s most recognizable products.
A personal favorite of mine, Bonne Bouche is made with fresh pasteurized goats’ milk, which is then hand ladled and sprinkled with ash. After developing a rind through a short aging process, the cheeses are packaged and sent to the marketplace, where they will continue to age for up to eighty days.
