Eight Finalists Announced for Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026
October 19, 2026 | 3 min to read
The Academy of Cheese has revealed its finalists for Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026, following a record-breaking number of entries from up-and-coming cheesemongers across the world.
With the calibre of entries also higher than ever before, judges took the decision to increase the line-up from six to eight finalists for the first time. Competitors from France, Spain, the Netherlands, Australia, the UK and the USA will all take to the stage in Córdoba, Spain on Thursday 12 November, during the Andalucía Gusto del Sur International Cheese Festival 2026, which will play host to this year’s World Cheese Awards.
The field of finalists will include Mauro Garcia Monllor from La Despensa de Andrés in Alicante, Spain; Chanel Johnson from Cheese at Boatshed Market in Cottesloe, Western Australia; Vicente Alfaro Norton from La Fromagerie in London; and Ophélie Beill from Crémerie du Faubourg in Montpellier, who was selected by La Fédération des Fromagers de France.
Joining them will be Jorian Torn Broers from Kaashandel Torn Broers in Ede, Netherlands; Harrison Marsland-Quinn from Stockport Provisions in the UK; Molly Powell from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London; and Sarah Simiele from The Curd Nerd in Syracuse, New York, previous winner of The Cheesemonger Invitational in 2023, who was put forward by Cheese State University in Wisconsin.
Sponsored by Peter’s Yard, Chiswick Cheese Market and the Guild of Fine Food, Young Cheesemonger of the Year is a celebration of talent, a chance to learn, and a platform to launch the future leaders of the international cheese community, putting the skills, knowledge and passion of its competitors on the cheese world’s biggest stage.
The grand final will consist of five rounds of judging, taking place on the main stage of the exhibition centre in Córdoba next month, directly before the live judging of the World Cheese Awards final. Challenges will include cutting and wrapping, cheese identification, pairing with Peter’s Yard crackers, and finally the ‘MasterRind’ quiz.
Competitors will be assessed by judges including; broadcaster and cheesemonger, Morgan McGlynn Carr from Cheeses of Muswell Hill in London; author and cheese expert, Hero Hirsh from The Cheese Bar; Svein-Erik Backlund of Oluf Lorentzen AS in Norway; and Nick Bayne of The Fine Cheese Co. in Bath, who previously won the Cheesemonger Invitational 2015 in New York and secured a bronze medal at the 2023 Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager in Tours, France.
The winner will receive the coveted Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026 trophy, a Boska Pro Cheese Tools Kit, a feature in Fine Food Digest magazine, a place on the Academy of Cheese Level Two certification course, and an invitation to judge at the World Cheese Awards 2027.
Tracey Colley, Founding Director of the Academy of Cheese, commented: “We were truly blown away by the standard of entries into this year’s Young Cheesemonger competition, and I think this speaks volumes for the wealth of talent we have emerging within the next generation of cheesemongers globally. We had no intention of expanding the final line-up, but these guys were too good to leave out! With the support of Peter’s Yard, Chiswick Cheese Market, the Guild of Fine Food and the Instituto del Queso in Spain, we’re giving our competitors a platform to showcase their talents and connect with the international cheese community. Our judging panel has a tough job this year. I can’t wait to see this group shine on a world stage.”
The Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026 final will take place during the World Cheese Awards at the Centro de Exposiciones, Ferias y Convenciones (CEFC) on Thursday 12 November.
Academy of Cheese
The Academy of Cheese is an impartial, not for profit organisation, created in 2016 to establish an industry supported, recognised and certified development programme to promote cheese knowledge, cheese education and careers in cheese. Academy courses educate both consumers and professionals through four levels of certification culminating in the highly anticipated accolade of Master of Cheese.