Amanda Puckett is one of 6 semi-finalists competing for sponsorship to the 2014 Cheesemonger Invitational. Read her blog post below and don’t forget to vote for your favorite monger!
I was surrounded by cheeses of all different shapes, sizes, colors, and (most frightening of all) smells. When I first started working behind the cheese counter I had little clue what I was doing, let alone what artisan cheese was! I remember tasting things as I cut them and being overwhelmed with each and every new experience. Everyday as I went through the cheese case I started to notice words like farmstead, raw milk, triple cream, and microbial rennet. I wanted to know what they meant, how they made the cheeses I worked with so different and special. I read books, watched videos, googled things and slowly I stared to learn about the people and history that cheese comes from. My discoveries were exciting and my fear of the big mysterious cheese counter slowly went away. That excitement turned into a love and passion for sharing the stories behind each cheese with others.
Like this blog post? Be sure to vote for Amanda!
Amanda Puckett
Amanda has been a cheesemonger for six years, four of which have been spent at Whole Foods Market. Amanda was part of the inaugural American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional Program in 2012. Over the past six years, cheese has gone from a great mystery full of different flavors, textures, and smells, and has become a passion to her. Amanda has never attended the CMI and is excited to compete this year to prove what she knows and what she can do.
