Two local cheese companies took home top honors last month at the California Commercial Cheese Competition in Sacramento, held annually at the close of the California State Fair. For one winner, Bleating Heart Cheese in Tomales, the award marked a comeback following a devastating recall in late 2014 that saw the loss of the company’s entire inventory. “We have been working so hard since the recall,” said Seana Doughty, a co-owner of Bleating Heart with her husband, Dave. “To win an award, it really helps. We have our setbacks, but there is never a boring day at Bleating Heart Cheese.” Judges selected winners from 169 cheeses among 29 entrants competing to have their cheeses recognized as the best products in California. Barinaga Ranch in Marshall, Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, Marin French Cheese Company in Hicks Valley and Nicasio Valley Cheese Company earned gold, silver and bronze medals for several of their cheeses. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company won Best in Show among cow’s milk cheeses for their semi-soft “Bay Blue,” while Bleating Heart garnered the same award among other milk-type cheeses for their “Funky Bleats,” made from sheep’s and goat’s milk. For Bleating Heart, the award follows a sweep of both cow’s milk and other-milk Best in Show categories in 2014, for their Jersey cow’s milk “Moolicious Blue” and their sheep’s milk “Fat Bottom Girl”—though hundreds of pounds of those cheeses were voluntarily recalled in 2014 due to possible listeria contamination. “We had to start over,” Ms. Dalton said. “It was very traumatic.” Though the United States Food and Drug Administration did not order a mandatory recall after testing revealed the presence of listeria in at least one cheese sample, private testing by Bleating Heart revealed no contamination—but the company decided to go through with the recall anyway. The company has since switched the laboratory it uses for testing and overhauled its food safety program. Since then, Bleating Heart has restocked its cheese inventory, which is significant for its composition of mostly goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses that are more expensive and less reliable to produce that cow’s milk. Likewise, the company has faced tough staff cuts, including co-owner Dave Dalton, who took a job as the quality assurance manager of Redwood Hill Farm in Sebastopol to have a more stable income. Point Reyes Farmstead’s award marks the second time the company has nabbed cow’s milk Best in Show, following a 2010 win for their cow’s milk “Original Blue.” The company also produces fresh mozzarella and Toma, a semi-hard cheese. “The award gives you a little bit of confidence that you and your team are doing something right,” said Kuba Hemmerling, the company’s head cheesemaker. “Our hard work is not only recognized around here, but around the state.”