New York, NY – Organizers of the bi-annual Cheesemonger Invitationalhave selected thirty-three cheesemongers from around the country to participate in their annual winter event on Sunday, January 21 at 5:00pm, held at Public Works (161 Erie Street) in San Francisco. Adam Moskowitz, cheese industry leader and the brainchild behind the competition, will open the doors to competition finals dubbed “Cheestlemania”. All will be welcome to try the finest cheese in the world while watching the nation’s best cheesemongers battle it out for title of Champion Cheesemonger.
“Cheesemongers are the true rockstars of the cheese business," says Moskowitz. “We created the 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, when the mongers enjoy a day learning from and networking with the world's top cheesemakers and affineurs from the UK, Vermont, California and other locales. They then embark on a cheese decathalon consisting of: 1) written taste test 2) taste test 3) aroma test 4) cut a quarter pound of cheese 5) wrap a quarter pound of cheese 6) wrap a half wheel 7) salesmanship 8) perfect beverage pairing 9) perfect plate 10) perfect bite. The top ten finishers are awarded with various prizes, with the 1st place winner receiving $1,000, a trip to Neal's Yard Dairy in the UK for a week-long apprenticeship, a trip to Vermont to visit cheesemakers, various cheese tools, and more.
The Sunday evening party open to the public showcases several of the feats including perfect bite, cheese cutting, cheese trivia and more. 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.
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 5thyear 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 are available for guests 21+ for $60/pp at www.cheesemongerinvitational.com. A small selection of pictures from last years’ event may be viewed here.
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.
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Please contact Deena Siegelbaum (ds@deenaco.com) to request media tickets.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
Adam Moskowitz, founder of the Cheesemonger Invitational, is the president of both Columbia Cheese and Larkin Cold Storage. As a third-generation cheese importer, he selects the best-in-class artisan cheeses throughout Europe to market nationwide. Larkin is an expert in shipping perishables from Europe to America, as well as a vendor-based warehouse for many leading brands of specialty foods that we all know and love. In addition, Adam created the Cheesemonger Invitational eight years ago, which now takes place bi-annually in New York and San Francisco. The competition brings together cheesemongers from all over the country and world for a weekend of education and a celebratory night of competition.
WINTER 2018 COMPETING CHEESEMONGERS
Alex Armstrong, Mission Cheese in SF, CA
Alyssa Trulson, Milkfarm in LA, CA
Andrew Berry, Lucky's Market in Panama City, FL
Andrew Dinsmore, Whole Foods Market in Washington, DC
Angelika Feldman, Nugget Market in Sacramento, CA
Anna Hennigh, Market Hall Foods in Oakland, CA
Audrey Morris, Love Healing Cheese in Oak Ridge, TN
Bradley Frank, Healdsburg SHED in Healdsburg, CA
Cesar Olivares, Staff of Life in Santa Cruz, CA
Christy Lee Caye, St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans, LA
Elisabeth Carden-Smith, The Cheese Shop @ the Mix, Costa Mesa, CA
Eric Schack, Eataly in NY, NY
Evan Atherton, Guss Community Market in SF, CA
Hazel-Rude Woodies, The Cheese School of San Francisco, SF, CA
Hebe Denis, Fall in Love with Cheese in Boca Raton, FL
Hilary Green, Cowgirl Creamery in Pt. Reyes Station, CA
Iris Travis, Half Moon Bay Wine & Cheese Co, Half Moon Bay, CA
Jamie Rossitto, Nugget Market in West Sacramento, CA
Jane Medici, Bit-Rite Market Divisadero in SF, CA
Jess Piskor, Lucky's Market in Traverse City, MI
Josephine Fultz, Bi-Rite Market 18th Street, SF, CA
Josh Santamaria, Foragers Market in NY, NY
Julia Gross, Cheesemongers of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Kate Kirkwood, Cheese + Provisions in Denver, CO
Katie Potts, Petoskey Cheese in Petoskey, MI
Mariah Howland, Garden Variety Cheese in Royal Oaks, CA
Michael Davidson, The GrilledCheezGuy in SF, CA
Monica Kusaka Herrero, Fisher's Cheese + Wine in SF, CA
Rory Stamp, Dedalus Wine in Burlington, VT
Sarah Munly, Cheese Bar in Portland, OR
Shannon Voelkel, C'est Cheese in Port Jefferson, NY
Stephen Dahlgren, Draeger's Market in Menlo Park, CA
Vanessa Tilaka, Fisher's Cheese + Wine in Larkspur, CA
Click here to learn more
Source: Cheesemonger Invitational
