The 2025 Young Cheesemonger of the Year also took First at the national competition in New York.
After numerous challenges spanning blind taste tests, oral presentations, and timed cheese cuttings, cheesemonger Hanna Lee emerged as the victor of this year’s Cheesemonger Invitational at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom.
Lee emerged as the frontrunner from a group of six finalists, representing Mouse Hole Cheese Shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Prior to her employment at Mouse Hole Cheese Shop, Lee worked as a seasonal cheesemaking assistant at award-winning cheesemaker Andy Hatch’s Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Finalists included cheese professionals Anna Anel of The Curd Nerd in Syracuse, New York, who earned second place; Anna Patrick of Beautiful Rind in Chicago, who earned third place; Kara McGrath of Paste & Rind in Washington, D.C.; Antonia Horne of Caputo’s Market & Deli in Salt Lake City; and Izzy Kerian of Providore Fine Foods in Portland, Oregon. This year, 46 mongers from the United States and Belgium competed.
Lee earned a score of 352 points; the Cheesemonger Invitational’s host and creator Adam “Mr. Moo” Moskowitz said that this was a significant 31-point lead as he announced the contest’s results to a roaring crowd and handed Lee a trophy.
In a speech following the news, Lee said that she started her competitive cheesemongering journey in 2023, when she made it to the finals of that year’s Cheesemonger Invitational. “I thought, ‘This is something I could keep trying and striving at,'” she said. After taking a year off, Lee competed again, earning Second. She then went to World Cheese Awards in Bern, Switzerland, to compete in the Academy of Cheese’s international Young Cheesemonger of the Year competition, becoming the first American to win the title in 2025.
“I wanted to come back to see if I could win CMI,” said Lee. “[And] I won.”
At the Cheesemonger Invitational, mongers undergo 10 challenges before six finalists participate in five more challenges to determine a winner. The challenges span several mediums. Some, like the salesmanship test, evaluate how well a competitor can explain details about a certain cheese in a mock shop setting in order to convince a customer to buy a wedge. Others evaluate cheese pairing artistry, such as the Perfect Bite round; in this portion, contestants have “90 minutes to create 100 bite-sized portions of their pre-assigned cheese with pairing items of their choosing,” according to the Cheesemonger Invitational’s website.
Though the Cheesemonger Invitational can be an intense day of cheese trials, it’s also an educational opportunity for mongers to improve their skillsets. In addition, it draws the cheese community and civilians together for an annual celebration of artisan cheese and the people who make and support it.
Are you curious about the world of competitive mongering? Tap here to hear from three mongers—including 2025 Mondial du Fromage champion and 2024 Hot Lister Emilia D’Albero—exactly what goes into prep for the Cheesemonger Invitational.
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.
