Every November, cheesemongers from around the world gather at the World Cheese Awards to compete for the international title of Young Cheesemonger of the Year. And this year, a Wisconsin woman became the first American to take home the title.
Hanna Lee, 28, is a seasonal cheesemaking assistant at Uplands Cheese Company in Dodgeville. She was one of six finalists who traveled to the competition in Bern, Switzerland, where they were judged in tasks crucial to being a good cheesemonger — like identifying cheeses, cutting and weighing, cheeseboard design and creating perfect flavor pairings.
For the competition, Lee designed a summer birthday cheeseboard that included a Marieke Gouda from Thorpe. Her “perfect pairing” surprised the judges with two types of blue stilton paired with Speculoos cookie butter.
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Lee joined WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” to talk about the art of cheesemongering and to serve up some cheese advice for holiday gatherings.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
KAK: What traits make a good cheesemonger?
Hanna Lee: Curiosity and interest. I’ve always loved learning. The great thing about cheese is it’s this endless well of knowledge that you can pick out from all these different places — books, media, other people in the industry.
Another thing is that passion and interest in working with customers, because cheese mongering is such a customer-facing job. You really have to want to talk to people all day long. I wasn’t the greatest at it when I started, I’ll admit. I was kind of like, “Why should I talk to these people?” But the more you learn about cheese, and the more you can share those stories and see how excited people are about the product, the more you get into it.
KAK: You were tested on identifying cheeses, including their make class, milk type and country of origin. How do you develop that skill?
HL: Usually my worst performance is in that category at competitions, historically, because it is such a hard thing to develop your palate for. There are some cues you can take, like the color of the cheese, the texture, the aroma that you’re getting off of it. But it really just comes with eating a lot of cheese. What a hard part of the job, right? Eating cheese every day.
KAK: What should we keep in mind when creating our own boards, especially with holiday gatherings around the corner?
HL: For the holidays, usually you have a large group of family members who maybe don’t all love weird, stinky, funky cheeses. It’s nice to have some of those for the cheese nerds, while also keeping in mind the crowd pleasers.
I think a gouda is something that’s great around the holidays. Gruyere is also a really good option. It’s more of a rich, savory cheese that doesn’t get overshadowed by the other holiday foods that you have. And then I always like to have a little bit of something with some acid on my cheese boards, which can help brighten up the flavor of the cheese and also cut through the fat if you have something that’s a little richer. That could be something like a pickle or a tart fruit, like pomegranate. Apple is great in the winter, too.
KAK: What recommendations do you have for cheese on a budget?
HL: Domestic cheese is a really great option. There are some really great Wisconsin cheese makers like Carr Valley cheese, which makes delicious cheddars but come in a little bit cheaper. Or you can go to a store like a Trader Joe’s. Their cheese is definitely a little cheaper. It might be a slightly lower quality, but if you’re just looking to try out some new things, that can be a way to taste something new. Maybe you’ve never had a Manchego before — you can go try it at Trader Joe’s, and if you like it then you can go somewhere like Whole Foods and try something that’s a little bit higher end.
