Philly reigns supreme as the 2025 Cheesemonger Invitational competition comes to a close.
The 2025 Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI) champion Max Lazary behind the cheese counter at Downtown Cheese in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. Photo courtesy of the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund.
“Moo. Baa. Maa.” Those are the sounds you’ll hear chanted across a roaring crowd in Brooklyn Steel, a tightly packed warehouse in Brooklyn, New York. You’ll inhale pungent whiffs of delicious cheeses and scan a room chock full of turophiles smiling, clapping, and hollering as what’s been dubbed the “Cheese Olympics” goes down.
This is the Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI): a multiday, semiannual competition conceived and hosted by the Barnyard Collective and Maker to Monger’s “Mr. Moo,” Adam Moskowitz. The reality TV-style contest puts cheesemongers from across the country to the test, scoring each competitor across evaluations such as the aroma test and blind taste test, as well as judging technical skills through challenges such as the perfect bite and the perfect beverage.
On Sunday, June 29, 2025, Max Lazary was crowned as the CMI champion. Lazary hails from Philly and is apprenticing through the Anne Saxelby Legacy Fund (ASLF) at Talbott & Arding in Hudson, New York. Lazary is a “legacy apprentice,” meaning he has interned with ASLF before and will be participating in an extended two-month intensive internship at Talbott & Arding, after which he will move to Ohio.
“I was so humbled and grateful,” Lazary tells culture after his win. “I couldn’t believe that I had won. I knew that I was doing fairly well, but I didn’t think it was possible to win.”
Lazary has held a variety of positions in the food business for nearly a decade, becoming a cheesemonger in 2022 at Di Bruno Bros. and mongering for Downtown Cheese in Reading Terminal Market.
Started in 2010, CMI culminates with a public viewing party in which the final rounds of competition take place. Any cheese lover can indulge in all-you-can-eat cheese, meet cheesemakers, and shop for cheesy merch while cheering on their favorite competitor in a high energy space.
“Honestly the most fun part is being on stage and cheering everyone else on,” says Lazary. “It is such a privilege to be surrounded by people just as passionate about cheese as you are.”
Forty competitors took part in this year’s competition, with a top three lineup that included Sophia Gates Stern of France 44 Cheese Shop in Minneapolis, and Hannah Lee of Uplands Cheese in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. Jake Heller of Downtown Cheese (something must be in the water at this place!) was the 2024 champion; in 2023, Sarah Simiele of the Curd Nerd in Syracuse, New York, took home the title.
CMI finalists are also eligible to compete in a Masters CMI competition held biannually at Larkin Cold Storage in Long Island City, New York, and the top two winners of CMI Masters will compete at Mondial du Fromage, an international cheesemonger competition held in Tours, France. Emilia D’Albero of Formaticum in Philadelphia and Courtney Johnson, owner of Street Cheese Mobile Shop in Seattle, will defend their titles at this historic competition held in September.
A testament to the community CMI has built, many participants return to the competition year after year to sharpen their skills and stay up to speed with cheese education. Overall, CMI serves as a significant career stepping stone for mongers by opening doors and cementing their passion for (and commitment to) cheese.
“I hope to build a lifelong career in cheese after this win,” says Lazary. “Like many others, my goal is to be a steward for all of those that make cheese the incredible food that it is. I plan on joining the ranks of our great cheese educators to spread the word.”
Correction: An earlier version of this article stated there were 27 competitors. There were 40 competitors at this year’s CMI.
Mallory Scyphers
Mallory Scyphers is culture's Executive Content Director and has been with the company since 2018. She lives on Mobile Bay with her husband, two young daughters, one rambunctious golden retriever, and two loyal cats. Her favorite cheeses are alpine styles and mineral-y blues.
