The best in the West, maybe.
The various land-grant universities of New York, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as Vermont, have had research facilities working on the various permutations of cheese for well over a century now, and their contributions have made some of the local production facilities among the world-famous producers. California (?) makes cheese in vast quantity, but it is without soul or distinctive character, unlike the small cheese factories located in many little corners of the Dairy Belt.
Cheesemaking is an art, balanced with the science of selecting and preserving the cultures that create the cheese in the first place. Differences of the cooking process, temperature control at every point in the production of the curd, and the subsequent packing, storage, and optimal distribution of the product are all essential in the final perfection of the flavor and texture that make up a really excellent cheese, worthy of a connoisseur’s praise, much as fine wines are identified.
Not all of us are admirers of Kraft Foods.
Come to Tillamook, Oregon and see what you think!
What makes you think that anything produced west of the Mississippi is comparable to Kraft Foods? I think you need to get out a bit more. Washington State University has been producing and experimenting with dairy products since 1889, not exactly just getting started. Here are some recent awards:
Santé Magazine Gold Star Award 2009 and 2010, Cougar Gold®
American Cheese Society 2nd Place 2008, Cougar Gold®
World Cheese Awards Gold Medal 2006, Cougar Gold®
American Cheese Society Red Ribbon 2006, Crimson Fire
World Cheese Awards Silver Medal (1st in Class) 2000, Cougar Gold®
United States Cheese Champion Silver Medal 1995, Cougar Gold®
American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon 1993, Cougar Gold®
American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon 1993, Italian
American Cheese Society Blue Ribbon 1987, Smoky Cheddar
The creamery was included in the Atlas of American Artisan Cheeses and was ranked as one of America’s best university cheese producers. They don’t call WSU ‘Moo U’ for nothing...
Family legend has it that Kraft tried to kill Liederkranz!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liederkranz_cheese