Are These the Spookiest Cheese Spots in America?
It turns out cheese has a pull, even beyond the grave. In the spirit of Halloween, this self-professed horror junkie decided to see if the cheese world is haunted. The answer is a resounding yes: From coast to coast, top to bottom, America’s full of deeply spooky places dedicated to dairy. This includes cheese factories, […]
This Is How Cheesemaking Influenced Folklore & Daily Life
Few foods inspire as much ceremony as cheese. In recent years, couples have even eschewed traditional wedding cakes in favor of multi-tiered towers of beribboned, stacked wheels adorned with roses and greenery like their sweeter counterparts. Or take the modern cheese board. A glass or two of wine with a friend is just a well-spent Friday night, but add a cheese board, and it’s a spread worthy of a toast to welcome news like a promotion or an engagement.
It’s Scorpio Season
It’s 2:33 a.m. and Scorpio scurries into her dark kitchen to forage by the light of the fridge. It’s in her nature to dig deep, so she claws her way into the cold cavern searching for forgotten treasures. Her prize is a relic of feasts past: three slices of leftover pepperoni pizza encased in foil and a half-bottle of table wine. The cheese is cold and rubbery. The wine has oxidized and coats her tongue with tannins. But nothing tastes as sweet to a loner nightcrawler as a meal savored in solitude and steely silence.
Eight Finalists Announced for Young Cheesemonger of the Year
The Academy of Cheese has revealed its finalists for Young Cheesemonger of the Year 2026, following a record-breaking number of entries from up-and-coming cheesemongers across the world. With the caliber of entries also higher than ever before, judges took the decision to increase the line-up from six to eight finalists for the first time. Competitors […]
A Recap of Counter Culture: Portland
We closed out the Counter Culture season in Portland, Oregon, earlier this month with plenty of cider and, of course, plenty of delicious cheese. At Bauman’s on Oak, dozens of cheese professionals gathered for presentations from some of the best cheese brands on the market today. Hot Lister Rufus Musser spoke with charisma about Milton […]
Comté Scholarships Invest in the Next Generation of Cheese Professionals
Two scholarships support American cheese professionals at different points in their careers. For cheesemongers, education rarely happens in a classroom alone. It happens behind the counter, tasting alongside colleagues, visiting producers, attending conferences, and asking a seemingly endless series of questions: How was this cheese made? Why does it taste this way? What does its […]
Inside the Academy of Cheese’s Affineur of the Year Competition
Plus, learn what sets this British competition apart from other international cheese contests. As this issue lands on US shelves, London is hosting the fifth edition of the Academy of Cheese’s Affineur of the Year competition: an event that’s quietly reshaping the craft of affinage worldwide. Competitors are given young wheels from award-winning British cheesemakers: […]
The Best Things We Ate at the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival
Photos taken by Josie Krogh and Holly Tyson of Provisions International Outside the Breeding Barn at Shelburne Farms. Inside the barn on the day of the Vermont Cheesemakers Festival. There is something remarkable about arriving at Shelburne Farms. On the shores of Lake Champlain, the 1,400-acre property feels less like a farm you’ve come to […]
A Cheesy Fall Horoscope for Libra Season
Did you know that cheese pairs perfectly with the Zodiac? Send this to your favorite Libra and read on to get inspiration for your first cheese pairing of fall. People-pleasing Libra is perpetually balancing the scales of others’ desires. He can never just choose one snack and call it a day. What if he misses […]
