Belle Chevre's Pimento Chevre Wins Prestigious Good Food Award Gold Medal

ELKMONT, AL, January 23, 2013 (Press-News.org) The Alabama creamery Belle Chevre has once again received national recognition for its artisan cheese, this time in the form of a Good Food Awards gold medal for its pimento chevre.

Called "The Oscars of Food," The Good Food Awards is a not-for-profit project organized by Seedling Projects in collaboration with a broad community of food producers, chefs, food writers and passionate food-lovers. The Good Food Award winners were selected from more than 1,350 entries in nine categories. The cheese judging committee consisted of top names in the cheese field, from Murray's Cheese to Slow Food to the Wisconsin Milk Board.

"This is such a great honor for an artisan cheesemaker to receive," says Tasia Malakasis, president of Belle Chevre. "We work to produce the most delicious cheese we can, with an eye towards sustainability, and to have that recognized feels great." Belle Chevre's pimento chevre is a play on the Southern delicacy, pimento cheese, and consists of fresh fromage blanc mixed with 'pimentos' (red peppers) and spices for a delicious spread, perfect for bagels, sandwiches and everything in between. It is available online at http://www.bellechevre.com or in Whole Foods and other retailers nationwide.

The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good. Find more information at: http://www.goodfoodawards.org. "By publicly celebrating the achievements of artisans across the country we are sharing the good news about food," said Alice Waters. "The Good Food Awards are the County Fair of our times and like those fairs that brought our communities together in a positive way, these new awards have the potential to strengthen our communities and rebuild our food culture."

Belle Chèvre has produced a variety of internationally acclaimed chevres since 1989 using time-tested European farmstead techniques. The company is purposefully small, and each chevre is hand made by its passionate cheese makers. The result is an artisan cheese with a mild and distinct taste and texture that reflects the care with which it was made.

Belle Chèvre cheeses have received numerous national awards from the American Cheese Society and the American Dairy Goat Association, and has been featured in many top culinary books and magazines. Declared "American Treasure" by the internationally known authority on cheese, Steven Jenkins, and acclaimed by chefs and cheese lovers the world over, Belle Chèvre is available at upscale retailers including Dean and Deluca and the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills as well as larger outlets like Whole Foods Market. For further information, please contact us at 256.423.2238, 26910 Bethel Road Elkmont, AL 35620-3242.