The 2026 Hot List: Jill Allen, 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. Jill Allen, ACS CCP Research & Development Director, Cheese & Product Excellence, Tillamook County Creamery Association Oregon Jill Allen has spent more than two decades developing an extraordinary fluency in […]
The 2026 Hot List: Brian Civitello
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. Brian Civitello Lysis Persuader & Founder, Mystic Cheese Company Connecticut Brian Civitello is chasing something most cheesemakers spend a lifetime trying to define: the moment when everything in a cheese […]
The 2026 Hot List: Ron Henningfeld
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. Ron Henningfeld Owner & Cheesemaker, Hill Valley Dairy Wisconsin Ron Henningfeld is not just a cheesemaker, he’s a problem-solver who is equally comfortable refining an aging process or turning a […]
The Best Cheeses of 2026: culture’s Annual List
The ultimate list of cheeses that should stay on your radar all year long Welcome to our Best Cheeses issue—a curated selection of our favorite cheeses around the globe. Featured competitions include the 2025 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition (ACS), the 2025 Good Food Awards (GFA), the 2025 Great Taste Awards (GTA), the 2024 […]
Reflections on the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland
Switzerland takes cheese seriously in a way that is charming and deeply enviable My judging team holding our Super Gold cheese Corra Linn from Errington Cheese. Pictured left to right: Fabricio Scalco, Josie Krogh, Rachel Juhl. The first thing I noticed stepping into the World Cheese Awards (WCA) was the smell. Warm, milky, and a […]
This Is the Best Cheese in America in 2025
Cheeses from the same producer in Québec won two years in a row. Alfred Le Fermier from Fromagerie la Station of Compton, Québec won Best of Show at the 2025 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition. The best cheese in America is Canadian—again. Québec’s Fromagerie La Station won top honors at this year’s American Cheese Society competition […]
Culture’s 2025 Hot List: 20 Cheese People to Know
Each year, culture solicits nominations from the cheese community for our annual Hot List—a directory of cheese pros setting the industry ablaze with commitment to craft. We were fortunate to receive hundreds of submissions highlighting many deserving mongers, makers, and more. Of those submissions, we narrowed the Hot List down to 20 individuals actively changing […]
Culture’s 2025 Hot List: Anne-Marie Pietersma
This story is part of culture’s 2025 Hot List. Click here to learn more about the selection process and to see the entire list of recipients. Photo credit: Adam Schenberg Anne-Marie Pietersma, CCP Educator at Murray’s CheeseSensory Storyteller and Founder of Trust Your Taste Brooklyn, New York Anne-Marie Pietersma is a seasoned educator with over a decade […]
Culture’s 2025 Hot List: Joshua James Franklin
This story is part of culture’s 2025 Hot List. Click here to learn more about the selection process and to see the entire list of recipients. Joshua James Franklin, ACS CCP Proprietor of Eat LucioSales for Ripe Specialty Foods Richmond, Virginia Joshua James Franklin has been a cheesemonger for over a decade, earning his American Cheese Society […]
Culture’s 2025 Hot List: Jessica Galen
This story is part of culture’s 2025 Hot List. Click here to learn more about the selection process and to see the entire list of recipients. Photo credit: Kate S Jordan Jessica Galen, ACS CCP Owner and Head Cheesemonger at Bloomy Cheese & Provisions Dobbs Ferry, New York Jessica Galen discovered her passion for cheese while pursuing […]
