Cheese Conference (interlude)

Unbelievably, someone on my friends list is related to the patron saint of American farmstead cheeesemaking. None of you would recognize his name, I’m sure. I didn’t even recognize it the first time she told me. But when she reminded me yesterday, I realized that he is the one spoken about in tones reserved for the gods. He died a few years ago, but he is always mentioned at the conference. Here’s an excerpt from the Judging Results booklet we all received:

"The vision and dream of our founder, Frank Kosikowski is realized. Americans are making specialty cheeses perfectly time after time, vat after vat. They earn awards, they are exported, they are sold in stores and restaurants coast to coast, and they have their own identities, their own histories. Americans now have their own Cheese Traditions firmly in place. Twenty years of ACS Judging Competitions, Conferences, and Festivals of Cheeses have nurtured those traditions while giving them a voice to be heard and a place to be seen.

"I think Frank would be very proud of us." (grammar, capitalization, and claims sic)

A nice honor for Frank, no doubt. Also surely an insult to his grand niece who is an editor by profession. But still, what a coincidence. LiveJournal has brought us together.