Hebe Denis is a certified sommelier, FIU hospitality grad, and most recently one of two Miami cheese connoisseurs who passed the first-ever comprehensive (and very challenging) American Cheese Society exam. Now she is one of the very few certified cheese professionals in all of Miami.
The exam set out to raise the standards for cheese professionals and bring the industry to the forefront of the specialty market. But Denis is more than book smart — she puts her knowledge to work every day as the specialty team leader for the South Beach Whole Foods. Over the course of her time there, she has noticed the interest in cheese and the industry as a whole on a steady rise in Miami.
"I liken the cheese industry to how wine was 30 years ago," Denis says. "Back then, you had either the extreme collectors who holed up bottles in their cellar, or table wine in a jug — no in between." The same was true for cheese, she says, but people today, just as they did with wine, are growing increasingly adventuresome with their cheese choices.
Because she is a certified expert in cheese and beverages, we asked her to prepare her top five cheese pairings for us to share in honor
To read the rest of the story, please go to: Miami New Times