Where the cheese stands alone

Chefs these days may be celebrities in the kitchen, but cheese was clearly the star at the ninth annual California Artisan Cheese Festival held at the Sheraton Petaluma Hotel.

The three-day cheese-fest included a Chef vs. Chef Best Bite challenge on Saturday night, March 21 that pitted dozens of Bay Area culinary experts against each other in a good-natured cook-off using Northern California artisan cheeses.

Hundreds of people strolled through the lobby, ballroom and upstairs terrace of the Sheraton sampling small bites of cheese-filled creations, as well as sampled wines, beers and ciders from all over Northern California.

Attendees were asked to vote for their favorite, which was no easy task considering the dishes ranged from macaroni and cheese bites, cheesy Maine lobster poutine and pimento cheesecake with bourbon brown sugar bacon to aged goat cheese polenta topped with braised veal cheek ragout and grilled tomato sandwiches served with fontina cheese soup.

Once all the votes were cast, Oakland-based Haven restaurant was crowned the winner for executive chef Charlie Parker’s “Green Garlic English Muffin with Cypress Grove Bermuda Triangle, Mushy Peas, Shoots and Mint.”

Cypress Grove’s Bermuda Triangle is a chevre with a layer of edible black ash. It’s tart and tangy with peppery notes. Parker’s treatment of the chevre was refined and elegant, with the mint and peas smoothing out any of the cheese’s tartness. Anyone who is not a fan of goat cheese would change their mind after tasting this perfect pairing.

Sacramento-based cheese bar The Rind came in second place for its “Point Reyes Farmstead Bay Blue, Caramel and Pecan Cheese Bite.” This sweet treat hinted at cheesecake, but played with the tangy, salty bite of blue cheese and the sweetness of caramel and toasted pecans on a crumbly, buttery graham cracker cookie.

The Chef vs. Chef Bite challenge did more than just showcase the talents of both chef and creamery, it also presented the guests with the challenge of learning to think beyond the wedge in their own kitchens and explore what artisan cheese can do to elevate any recipe from ordinary to brilliant.

(Contact Yovanna Bieberich at yo vanna.bieberich@arguscourier.com)