NEW YORK — Cheesemonger Invitational will hold their annual cheese party-meets-competition on Sunday, June 25th at BK Steel. If you love cheese, and the people who bring you cheese, then this event will blow your mind. Imagine tasting table after table of the world’s finest cheese from France, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Spain, Belgium, England, Germany, and United States. We are literally talking tons of cheese.
But it is not just an all you can eat cheese extravaganza. We have 39 cheesemongers representing 31 different cites participating in a private competition kicking off early AM where we run them thru a decathlon of professional skills:
- written test
- taste test
- aroma test
- cut a perfect quarter pound
- wrapping cheese in paper
- wrapping cheese in plastic wrap
- salesmanship
- perfect beverage pairing
- perfect plate pairing
- perfect bite featuring an amuse bouche of cheese
Doors open at 3:00 PM while mongers are finishing preparation of their “Perfect Bite” of cheese which guests get to eat. At 5:30 PM we roll out a gigantic wheel of cheese and ceremoniously cut the cheese. At 6:00 PM we announce finalists and run them through the final rounds of the competition which include: speed cut, speed wrap, perfect cut, perfect wrap, trivia and answering our least favorite question ‘what is your favorite cheese?’
“We are so excited to return to Brooklyn to showcase our country’s best cheesemongers,” says event founder Adam Moskowitz. “Cheesemongers are legendairy. They save the milky way on the daily and deserve to be celebrated. This sounds crazy but when a cheesemonger cuts a perfect quarter pound of cheese on stage the room erupts in cheers as if the national women’s soccer team just scored a game winning goal. Yup, we made cheesemongering a sport.”
Winners receive cash, a trip to cheesemakers plus much more. In addition to the competition, the competitors enjoy private educational workshops provided by the hosts of the event. A full list of this year’s hosts can be found on our website, including: Maker to Monger, Le Gruyere AOP, Neals Yard Dairy, Cellars of Jasper Hill, Vermont Creamery, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and The California Milk Advisory Board.
Tickets are still available via our website at www.cheesemongerinvitational.com.