When culture called upon readers to suggest rockstars for our second annual Hot List roundup, we were absolutely blown away by not only the sheer number of nominations, but the fervor with which each nomination was championed. Scrolling through the list of entries and reading comments about why each person should be selected was incredibly inspiring—big things are happening in the cheese world, y’all!
culture tasked four judges with ranking folks on a scale of 1 to 5 in the following categories: Innovation, Craftsmanship, Dedication, and Community Engagement. Then, we compiled the data to produce a score for each candidate and selected a group of 20 stars for our 2024 Hot List class. You’ll find makers, mongers, educators, and influencers, and discover how they entered the world of cheese, what inspires them, and what they see on the horizon for their careers. From “aha moments” such as describing a tasting note as “like a sea breeze,” to unpretentiously and unashamedly dipping hot dogs in rounds of gooey cheese for an indulgent snack, we hope you enjoy learning about the great folks that keep our community fresh and funky.
The Judges
Andy Hatch, Co-owner and Cheesemaker at Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin
Kyra James, Owner of Own Your Funk, and Curriculum Development Director of the Cheese Culture Coalition
Mike Koch, President and Co-founder of Firefly Farms in Accident, Maryland
Veronica Pedraza, Head Cheesemaker at Blakesville Creamery in Port Washington, Wisconsin
The Hot List
Molly Browne, ACS CCP, ACS CCSE
Education Director, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Cutting the Curd Podcast
Cara Warren, Joe Salonia, & Jessica Kesselman
Alisha Norris Jones, ACS CCP
Freelance Cheesemonger, Immortal Milk
Chicago, Illinois
Rachel Pineda
Co-owner and Cheesemonger, Otto’s Cheese Shop
New Braunfels, Texas
Miguel Vivanco
Head Cheesemaker, The Farm at Doe Run
Coatesville, Pennsylvania
Holly Aker, ACS CCP
Founder, Local Goods Gathered
Portland, Maine
Inga Witscher-Orth
Owner, St. Isidore’s Dairy
Osseo, Wisconsin
Emilia D’Albero, ACS CCP
National Sales and Marketing Manager, Formaticum
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Emmy Rener
Founder, Sophisticated Spreads
Los Angeles, California
Pat Ford
Co-owner of Beehive Cheese Company
Uintah, Utah
Josh Windsor
Senior Caves Manager and Affineur, Murray’s Cheese
New York City, New York
Lily Orr
Cheesemaker, Blakesville Creamery
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Agela Abdullah
President, the Cheese Culture Coalition
Chicago, Illinois
Janee’ Muha, ACS CCP
Producer Advocate and Dairy Creative, the Mobile Monger
Seattle, Washington
Ji Soo Hong, ACS CCP
Illustrator and Marketing Specialist, Forever Cheese
New York City, New York
Kimi Ceridon
Owner and Head Cheese, Life Love Cheese
Instructor of Artisan Cheese Program at Boston University
Medford, Massachusetts
Carmen Licon, PhD
Director, Dairy Products Technology Center, CalPoly San Luis Obispo
Director, Pacific Coast Coalition-Dairy Business Innovation Initiative
San Luis Obispo, California
John Braga, ACS CCP
Wholesale Cheesemonger, Food Matters Again
New York City, New York
Jessica Fernandez Lopez
President, Mexican Coalition of Cheese Cheesemonger, Lactography
Founder, Mexican Mongers
Cheese Specialist and Fortuitous Cheesemaker
Mexico City, Mexico
Rob Graff
Events Director and Cheesemonger, Venissimo Cheese
Co-founder, Venissimo’s Academy of Cheese and Veni Voyages
Co-founder, Liquid City SD
San Diego, California
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