Courtney Wins Cheesemonger Invitational: Masters Competition

On Sunday, March 12, one half of Street Cheese (Courtney) competed in the Cheesemonger Invitational: Masters competition.

This competition took 13 of the best cheesemongers in the country and put them through a rigorous set of tests, including a written exam, a blind taste test, a perfect-cutting test, an oral presentation, and five food service tests: a cheese plate, a two-ingredient perfect bite, a cheese transformation dish, a large-scale cheese display, and a cheese centerpiece.

The goal of the competition was to approximate the world championships, which take place every two years in Tours, France. The top cheesemongers at CMI: Masters would become Team USA and travel to Tours later this year to take a shot at being the first Americans to ever win at the international level.

At the end of the night, three winners were announced:

The alternate, who will also act as team coach, is Alex Armstrong of Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont.

Courtney, along with Sam Rollins of Cowbell Fine Cheese in Portland, Oregon, are the co-champions.

Now Courtney and Sam will travel to France in September to compete in the world cheesemonger championships, the Concours Mondial du Meilleur Fromager.

To read more and see some images from CMI: Masters, check out this article in Culture Magazine.