Maine-made Kate's butter rates culinary kudos

Kate's Homemade Butter said today that it was presented with a first prize in the all-important unsalted butter category.

The award was presented by officials at the 2008 World Dairy Expo Championship after Kate's earned a score of 98.8 out of a possible 100, the Maine company said.

The event was held in Wisconsin, where the local cuisine rarely features fewer than two cheese sauces and the making of dairy products is esteemed as an art form.

The dairy event drew more than "60,000 attendees from around the globe," Kate's noted in a press release. (At left is an image of an expo exhibit taken from World Dairy Expo's website.)

Kate's "sweet-cream butter is made fresh daily in small batches from pasteurized cream by the Patry family in Old Orchard Beach, Maine," that press release added. "The family's heritage dates back four generations to the turn of the 20th century in nearby Minot, Maine."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)