An award-winning Philly cheesemaker offers a Thanksgiving treasure box for cheese lovers

Philly cheese glory has gone global after three local cheesemakers won medals at the recent World Cheese Awards in Norway. Chester County’s Farm at Doe Run, Merion Park Cheese’s Loveneh collaboration with Erivan Yogurt, and Kensington-based Perrystead Dairy all took home accolades from the prestigious international competition, which gathers 4,500 cheeses from over 40 countries. Jake Heller, an employee at both Downtown Cheese and Perrystead, took second place in the Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition.

While Doe Run’s gold-winning trio of Hickory on the Hill, Batch #17 and Double Doe are currently hard-to-come-by limited editions, the farm’s perennial stars, gouda-style St. Malachi and creamy oval Hummingbird, are widely available and make excellent additions to any holiday cheeseboard. The same goes for Loveneh, an elegant take on creamy labeneh that can inspire a thousand dips. Perrystead, meanwhile, has conveniently assembled its award-winners into a Thanksgiving Cheese Box perfect for gifting the holiday host.

It’s a bit of a splurge at $75, but Perrystead includes four of its Pennsylvania cow’s milk cheeses in the box, enough to serve 12 guests. It comes with accoutrements, a mini jar of honey infused with Moroccan saffron and irresistible crisps laced with nuts and dates from Britain’s Fine Cheese Co. But Perrystead’s lusciously creamy, spreadable cheeses are the stars, from the Real Philly Schmear (your bagel’s new best friend), to the wrinkle-rinded tangy cube of Intergalactic, and the relatively mild-mannered round of Moonrise. The main event, though, is Atlantis, a semi-soft half-pound round washed with seawater and dusted with seaweed that is no doubt one of America’s most distinctive cheeses. “It’s like a Reblochon walked into a sushi bar,” says Perrystead founder Yoav Perry.

This cheese has evolved considerably since I first wrote about Atlantis two years ago, primarily shrinking to a format that allows for more control over delicately contrasting textures and flavors. On the exterior it’s fragrantly earthy from cave aging, but the salt water wash also evokes clear images of a seaside grotto misted with spray. The buttery richness of its creamy interior when Altantis is ripe redirects the briny funk in yet another direction — a perfect match for the golden sweetness of the saffron honey from Marché Berber. Altantis is a seasonal offering, a final autumn call-back to summers by the Shore. Luckily, if you miss this box, Perrystead’s Christmas package will include another seasonal treat, the spruce-wrapped unctuousness of Tree Hug.

— Craig LaBan

Thanksgiving Cheese Box from Perrystead Dairy, $75, Order at perrystead.com by Nov. 19 for pick-up at the creamery (152 Cecil B Moore Ave.) on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. Orders for shipping placed by Nov. 19 will ship by UPS on Nov. 20.