Good Food honors for North Bay producers

After months of wind-up, judging and publicity, the Good Food Awards, a spanking-new food contest celebrating American artisan food producers, has chosen 71 national winners from near 780 entries. The categories included beer, coffee, chocolate, charcuterie, cheese, pickle and preserves.

North Bay winners included North Coast Brewing Company's Pranqster, Ft. Bragg; Marin Brewing Company's ESChi, Larkspur; Coppa charcuterie from The Girl and The Fig, Sonoma; Cowgirl Creamery's Red Hawk cheese, Petaluma; Nicasio Valley Cheese Company's Nicasio Square cheese, Nicasio; The Ceres Community Project's Arame & Ginger Sauerkraut Salad, Sebastopol; and Middleton Farms' raspberry preserves, Healdsburg.

The awards were announced on Friday, Jan. 14, in San Francisco by renowned restaurateur and slow-food icon Alice Waters. Judges included dozens of food journalists, authors, restaurateurs and experts in the food industry, including local sausage guru Bruce Aidells, restaurant consultant Clark Wolf of Guerneville, Bay Area cheese author Laura Werlin, and more than 70 others from the Bay Area and beyond.

Winners were selected as best in class in both taste and sustainability. The West Coast dominated every category, with the Bay Area and Portland, Oregon overshadowing most other contenders -- not terribly surprising considering the contest's San Francisco base and brand-new status.

The awards ceremony kicked off "Good Food Month", during which participants and food organizers are featuring classes, events and special sessions related to artisan food producers. Get more details online at GoodFoodAwards.org.

Check out Heather's food and dining blog for pictures of the judging and more details about local products at BiteClubEats.com