Articles written by Alana Pedalino
Alana Pedalino serves as Managing Editor of culture. Her work has been featured in Bon Appétit, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and more. She loves to write, cook, and kayak. Find her bylines at alanapedalino.com.
5 Pairings for Your Spring Cheese Plate: Your Ultimate Guide to Seasonal Tastes
These five spring pairings for cheese are cocktail-themed and ready for patio season. Notice crocuses blooming? That’s a sign that it’s time to swap winter cheese plate pairings for spring ones. Break out anything in your wardrobe resembling florals (even if they’re not groundbreaking) and enjoy a picnic with something bubbly to sip. Below are […]
Artistic Display Erected To Honor Shepherds, Dairy Farmers
In Spain, shepherds and dairy farmers are being heralded as superheroes in larger-than-life art form. UPDATE, Nov. 18, 2025: At the World Cheese Awards in Bern, Switzerland, a new honor named after a Valencian falla was given to a shepherd. The Es La Leche Award celebrates and recognizes the part that milk plays in the […]
Cheese Pros Weigh In On Their Favorite Spring Pairings
KATHARINA MENNRICH-KETELSEN Floral Fromage, Brooklyn, New York What was your gateway cheese? A young mimolette. I remember when I was about six or seven, my mom would sometimes buy herself a very tiny wedge of mimolette—a pure luxury for a single mom of four. But once she got home, she had to hide it because […]
The Future of Cheese is Female
Women entrepreneurs share perspectives on their culinary career journeys at Murray’s Cheese Shop. Sometimes, the recipe for rising to the top is a mix of following a gut feeling plus a dash of luck. On March 13, women entrepreneurs gathered for a sold-out panel discussion at Murray’s Cheese’s Bleecker Street shop in New York—the first […]
Who’s Going to the 2025 Cheese Olympics? Results from the Cheesemonger Invitational: Masters
Two cheesemongers will represent Team USA at Mondial du Fromage, also known as the Cheese Olympics. On Sunday, March 2, 2025, 15 cheese professionals competed in the Cheesemonger Invitational: Masters tournament. Cheesemongers Emilia D’Albero (2024 culture Hot Lister) of Philadelphia’s Formaticum, a cheese paper and knife company, and Courtney Johnson of Seattle’s mobile cheese shop […]
The Best Bites from the Winter Fancy Food Show
At this year’s Specialty Food Association Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas, the culture team came, saw, and ate some of the best bites from around the country and world. The show, which previews new and exciting innovations and products in the—you guessed it—fancy food space, showcases this year’s flavor trends in addition to […]
The Best Cheese Gifts of 2024
If you didn’t get all of your holiday shopping done on Black Friday for your cheese-obsessed loved ones, read this. Are you tired of gift guides yet? Don’t be—because this one’s all about the best cheese-adjacent and cheese-themed gifts money can buy. Whether you’re grappling with the friend who fancies themself a home chef or […]
The Best Cheese Boxes to Gift this Holiday Season
Cheese boxes make great holiday gifts. Trust us, we’re professionals. It may only be November, but the sleigh bells tend to jingle earlier each year. Which can only mean one thing: It’s time to start thinking about the gifts you’re going to give friends and family at holiday gatherings this year. Luckily, your friends […]
This Portuguese Cheese is 2024’s World Cheese Awards Champ
Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado from Portugal was named the best of the best, beating out Jasper Hill, Mifroma, and more. Queijo de Ovelha Amanteigado from Quinto do Pomar has been voted World Champion Cheese, the best of the best, at the World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal. Photo by Josie Krogh. The jury has spoken: […]
More Than Khachapuri: Explore Georgian Cuisine at this NYC Restaurant
If you’re at all tuned into cheese media, you’ve likely encountered mesmerizing images of khachapuri, a traditional Georgian bread bowl baked with a luscious filling of cheese. Dotted with cubes of butter and an egg yolk and mixed tableside to create molten cheese ribbons, khachapuri “puts on its own show,” says Tamara Chubinidze, owner of Manhattan’s Georgian restaurant Chama Mama. “It’s very Instagrammable.”
