New York, NY – Organizers of the bi-annual Cheesemonger Invitational announced today that their annual winter event will take place in San Francisco on Sunday, January 21 at 5:00pm, held at Public Works (161 Erie Street). Adam Moskowitz, cheese industry leader and the brainchild behind the competition, is opening the doors to the party where the finals happen, dubbed “Cheestlemania”. Anyone who loves cheese should get ready to eat the finest cheese in the world while watching our nation’s best cheesemongers battle it out for title of Champion Cheesemonger.
“I think cheesemongers are the true rockstars of the cheese business. On the cheese counter, they are on stage every day — hopefully creating meaningful connections with cheese,” says Moskowitz. “We created Cheesemonger Invitational to shine a spotlight on the monger, because without them telling customers more about these special cheeses, artisan producers around the world are at risk.”
The event for cheesemongers actually begins 48 hours before Sunday evening, where they participate in Cheese Decathalon, as well as enjoy a weekend-long educational workshop focused on cheese. The decathalon consists of: 1) written taste 2) taste test 3) aroma test 4) cut a quarter pound 5) wrap a quarter pound 6) wrap a half wheel 7) salesmanship 8) perfect beverage pairing 9) perfect plate 10) perfect bite.
The party for ticket buyers starts with the Perfect Bite round. Guests get to enjoy every cheesemonger’s creation while dancing to DJ Carlos Soufront and eating copious amounts of incredible cheese, antipasti, mac n cheese, charcuterie and much more from Bi-Rite Market and the event hosts.
This year, approximately 30 participants are expected to gather in San Francisco for the event. The Cheesemonger Invitational event began 8 years ago in New York City, held in June to coincide with the Fancy Food Show at a time when specialty food industry professionals are in town. This will be the 5th year the event is taking place in San Francisco in January, timed to the Winter Fancy Food Show held at the Moscone Center. Last year, Jessica Lawrenz from Venissimo Cheese in San Diego took home the title from the winter competition.
Cheesemongering as a profession has become more recognized in the United States in the past decade. Competitions such as this have long been a tradition in Europe, such as France’s Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager (World's Best Cheesemonger) — where cheesemongering has long been a revered profession.
Tickets to this year’s event are available for guests 21+. Early bird tickets are now available for $40/pp at www.cheesemongerinvitational.com and go up to the regular price of $60 in December.
Hosts of this years’ competition include Neal’s Yard Dairy, Cellars of Jasper Hill, Columbia Cheese, Gruyere AOP, Cowgirl Creamery and Vermont Creamery among many others – a full list, along with more event details, can be found online.
Source: Cheesemonger Invitational
