A beloved Cincinnati cheesemaker is in the spotlight on the national stage.
Urban Stead Cheese, located in East Walnut Hills at 3036 Woodburn Ave., had a stand-out showing at this year’s American Cheese Society Competition, with two of their cheeses landing in the Top 11 Cheeses in the Americas.
Out of more than 1,600 cheeses, Urban Stead’s ” ‘Nati Gouda” was awarded Overall 3rd Best in Show of the competition, and their “Street Ched” also placed in the Top 11 Best in Show Cheeses of the competition. Urban Stead’s “Reserve Street Ched” was also awarded a Third Place Medal in its category.
Urban Stead was founded in 2018 by Scott Robbins and Andrea Siefring-Robbins. They make and age their award-winning cheeses onsite and also operate their Tasting Room and Retail Shop — open on Fridays and Saturdays — in the same facility. Look at any fine-dining restaurant in the Cincinnati area, and you’ll likely find a dish using Urban Stead’s products on the menu. The awards reaffirm what everyone living in the Queen City already knew: Urban Stead makes incredible cheese.
“Scott and I are so incredibly proud of our cheeses and of our team. There are so many fantastic cheeses and to have not one, but two, of our cheeses place in the Top 11 across the Americas is truly unbelievable. To have our ‘Nati Gouda place Overall 3rd Best in Show is an absolute pinch-me moment,” Siefring-Robbins said in a news release. “We’ve worked so hard on these cheeses and our team works countless diligent hours to make and take care of them. This recognition is a testament to their hard work and dedication to our craft … We’re proud to be making award-winning cheese in the heart of Cincinnati and to share these awards with our community.”
Recently, Urban Stead’s “‘Nati Gouda” also won Overall Best in Show out of 463 dairy products at the Los Angeles International Cheese and Dairy Competition, and “Street Ched” won Best in Class. Urban Stead also sent their cheeses to compete at the International Cheese and Dairy Awards (ICDA) in Staffordshire, England last month. “Reserve Street Ched” won First Place, and their European-style Quark won Third Place.
“I’m making small-batch handmade cheeses in an old-world artisanal style with the goal to coax as much flavor out of the cheese as possible. I feel that we’re making extraordinary and consistently high-quality cheeses, and am thrilled for us and for our cheese to get this recognition,” Robbins said in a statement.
For more information on Urban Stead’s cheeses, visit the official website.
