American Eric Meredith has 12 years of deep, hands-on experience in the field of Affinage, first at the side of Hervé Mons in France at Mons Fromager-Affineur, then developing the affinage caves at Wegman’s in Rochester, NY, and most recently overseeing the development of the new aging facilities in the Arches at Neal’s Yard Dairy in London.
It is on the strength of these skills and the long relationship with the MonS Fromager-Affineur that the Academie Mons has established Eric as its first Authorized Instructor for the United States, teaching the Academie’s course Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese. The first course dates will be October 2-5 at Sterling College’s School of the New American Farmstead in Vermont, in collaboration with the Cellars at Jasper Hill.
Artisan cheese makers experience issues with their cheeses regularly and knowing how to deal with those issues can reduce waste and increase consistency. During the course, theoretical classroom work will be reinforced by hands-on experiential learning: daily Sensory Analysis training and hands-on work in the affinage cellars at Jasper Hill. The course will guide students through the life cycle of rind flora, identification of root cause and prevention of some common defects in cheeses, the infrastructure of different affinage rooms, the principles of air treatment systems, and the tools and gestures used on a daily basis by affineurs.
The Academie MonS is the English-language affiliate of Mons Formation, the center for professional development established by Laurent Mons, in the heart of MonS Fromager-Affineur in France. The Academie MonS offers training programs for cheesemongers, shop owners and managers, affineurs, and two levels of cheesemaking courses. In addition, the Academie offers small group Insider’s Tours in Paris, London, Madrid, San Francisco/Marin, Vermont, and New York, exclusively for cheese professionals.
- For more information on the Academie Mons: www.academie-mons.com
- For more information on Mons Formation: www.mons-formation.com
- For more information on Mons Fromager-Affineur: www.mons-fromages.com
- For enrollment information for the Sterling course dates: https://sterlingcollege.edu/course/affinage-art-ripening-cheese/
Source: The Academie MonS
