Stew Leonard’s Cheddar Bowl Declares Winner

It’s official: New York is the winner over Wisconsin in Stew Leonard’s 2012 Cheddar Bowl. The event, held this past weekend in the grocer’s deli departments in honor of the Jan. 15 football game pitting the New York Giants against the Green Bay Packers, enabled customers to sample both states’ version of the venerable cheese variety, and like Sunday’s epic matchup, the Empire State emerged victorious.

After tallying the results of two days’ worth of samplers’ votes at demo booths at stores in Connecticut and New York, Norwalk, Conn.-based Stew Leonard’s posted the results on its Facebook page by game time: “3,000 customers, 600 pounds of cheese, three stores, two days, and one winning cheddar! Congrats to New York cheddar, winner of Cheddar Bowl 2012! Thanks to everybody who voted, and we hope our customers stocked up on plenty of gridiron goodies for the New York Giants v. Green Bay Packers game!”

New York cheddar has a sharp flavor and dry, crumbly texture, while Wisconsin cheddar is mild and creamy. According to Stew Leonard’s, its customers buy more than a half-million pounds of cheddar annually.