Cheesemonger Hanna Lee Wins the 2026 Cheesemonger Invitational
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 won this year’s Cheesemonger Invitational at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Lee emerged as the frontrunner from a group of six finalists, representing […]
Culture’s 2026 Hot List: 20 People Redefining Cheese
Each year, culture solicits nominations from across the cheese community for our annual Hot List—a celebration of the cheesemakers, mongers, educators, retailers, importers, scientists, and innovators setting the industry ablaze with passion and commitment to their craft. This year, we received hundreds of nominations highlighting an extraordinary group of professionals whose work is shaping the […]
The 2026 Hot List: Courtney Johnson, ACS CCP
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Courtney Johnson, ACS CCP Co-Founder, Street Cheese Washington Courtney Johnson has built a career that bridges academia and mongering with rare proficiency. With a Ph.D. in German literature, Johnson brings […]
The 2026 Hot List: Izzie Ocampo, ACS CCP
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Izzie Ocampo, ACS CCP Cheese Bruja & Cheesemonger, BKLYN Larder New York Isabel “Izzie” Ocampo didn’t set out to work in cheese, but once she found it, the stars aligned. […]
The 2026 Hot List: Morgan McGlynn Carr
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Morgan McGlynn Carr Cheese Expert, Author, TV presenter, Founder of Cheeses of Muswell Hill London Morgan McGlynn Carr has built a reputation for uncompromising precision and craftsmanship—she’s a longtime judge […]
The 2026 Hot List: Jacqueline Mau Mullican
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Jacqueline Mau Mullican Co-Founder & Head of Operations, GREYS Fine Cheeses Tennessee Jacqueline Mau Mullican is helping redefine how the South experiences cheese. After years working in industrial food systems, […]
The 2026 Hot List: Rachel Fritz Schaal & Peter Dixon
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Rachel Fritz Schaal & Peter Dixon Parish Hill Creamery Vermont At Parish Hill Creamery in Vermont, Rachel Fritz Schaal and Peter Dixon are redefining what American cheese can be. The […]
The 2026 Hot List: Jared Kaufman
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Jared Kaufman Creator, The Cheese Zine Minnesota Jared Kaufman approaches cheese as both subject and medium. A food writer, educator, and creator of The Cheese Zine, he has built a […]
The 2026 Hot List: Leslie Tyminski, Kate Leach, & Seth Leach
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Leslie Tyminski, Kate Leach, & Seth Leach Woodlawn Creamery Vermont At Woodlawn Creamery, great cheese begins long before it reaches the vat. It starts in the pasture, with the milk […]
The 2026 Hot List: Sam Studd & Ellie Studd, ACS CCPs
This interview is part of culture’s 2026 Hot List. Click here to learn more about our selection process and to see the latest Hot List class. Sam Studd & Ellie Studd, ACS CCPs Selected by Will Studd Australia Sam Studd and Ellie Studd grew up surrounded by cheese, but neither took a straight path into the […]
