Fumo Burrata Fritta
To celebrate Calabro Cheese's "Best in Class" win at the U.S. Cheese Championship Contest for their Smoked Burrata, Chef Ray Gennaro is excited to present this recipe. Read more about how Connect...
Calabro Cheese Smoked Burrata Wins Best in Class
Calabro Cheese Smoked Burrata wins Best in Class at the United States Cheese Championship Contest in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The contest has been called the "Oscars of the cheese industry” and had a record-setting 2,555 entries from 35 states.
The Calabro Smoked Burrata won in the Smoked Soft and Semi-soft class, with an impressive score of 99.80. In addition to scoring Calabro the top position in the Smoked Soft and Semi-soft class, this also placed them in the top 20 overall cheeses in the nation. Only one other Connecticut cheese maker (Arethusa Farm in Bantam, Connecticut) enjoyed such accolade.
The contest was held March 5-7th, 2019 at Lambeau Field during which a team of 60 nationally-renowned judges coming from 20 states considered each entry's flavor, body and texture, salt, color, finish, and appearance, scoring entries on a 100-point scale. Each judge tried 50-70 cheeses in two days!
Calabro Cheese is a family owned company founded by Joseph Calabro in 1953. The manufacturing plant is in East Haven, Connecticut and is run by Joseph's nephew, Frank Angeloni. For over half a century, Calabro Cheese has been a leader in the manufacturing of Italian Artisanal Cheeses. All of their cow's milk products use New England farm fresh milk that is rBST-free and they also produce a full line of Bufala milk products.
You can find their award-winning products at local retailers across the state or visit the Calabro Retail Cheese Shop located at 580 Coe Avenue in East Haven, Connecticut.
About Calabro Cheese
Graniti, a picturesque mountainous town in Sicily edged with bountiful terraced gardens, is rich in history, blessed in culture, and flush with milk. This is where the Calabro legacy began. Every day, farm fresh milk was carted down from one of two farms and brought to the Calabro household to begin the toilsome process of turning this abounding staple into cheese. This work ethic and birthright was transported to America soon after World War II had ended and a second Calabro legacy was about to commence. In 1948, the Calabro family, along with millions of other immigrants, escaped the tumult of Europe to start anew in America.
In 1953, Joseph Calabro and his father, Salvatore, founded Calabro Cheese here in Connecticut. They began delivering to the "mom and pop" Italian grocers, as well as individual families in the Fairfield, New Haven, Waterbury, and Hartford areas with fresh ricotta, mozzarella, sausage, and ice cream. As a result of growing sales, a larger area of distribution, and an ever-expanding line of products, in July 1961 the Gambardella Calabro Cheese Corp acquired the Wells River Creamery in Wells River, Vermont. This facility became the new production plant and New Haven, Connecticut remained the main distribution point.
In January 1981, with sales at an all-time high, Calabro Cheese built a new 22,000 square foot production and distribution center in East Haven, Connecticut, subsequently closing the Vermont and the New Haven facilities. In 1996 a 33,000 square foot expansion project was completed, enabling Calabro Cheese to better serve its extended list of customers in the New England, New York, and New Jersey metropolitan areas as well as the southern, mid-west, and western regions of the United States. Calabro Cheese Corp. is currently staffed by Frank Angeloni (a graduate of University of Bridgeport) as President and CEO and Elliot Angeloni as Operations Manager.
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