Sign of the Times

On Saturday 26th June 2010 a noteworthy event took place in an offbeat warehouse in the industrial pocket of Long Island City, Queens. Every year food traders and purveyors of the world descend on New York City for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trades event, the Summer Fancy Food Show. All facets of the US and international specialty cheese worlds are represented in the presence of makers, affineurs, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and journalists. However, this year cheese importer, Adam Moskowitz, drew the entire body to one room for the first time in order to launch the Cheesemongers Guild and to hold the first annual Cheesemonger Invitational.

Mr Moskowitz is a third generation importer whose family has been bringing European cheese into the US for generations. His grandfather, Ben, was a Polish immigrant who first introduced European cheese to the American market. His father, Joseph, harnessed Ben’s legacy to found Larkin in 1978. Today, five million kilos of cheese pass through Larkin every year; once a week, almost without exception, the US specialty cheese world has occasion to 'pick up' at Larkin. 

The Invitational, a national competition in the skills of cheesemongering, took place at Larkin Cold Storage, with Adam - who also raps under pseudonym, The Beat Poet - acting as master of ceremonies. Nine representatives from some of the best cheese shops in the United States were invited to compete.

These people know their craft - some are even tattooed with images of cheese knives. The international crowd was reflected in the judging panel: Kate Arding, the Englishwoman behind US cheese publication Culture Magazine; Jason Hinds of Neal's Yard Dairy, London; Peg Smith from San Francisco's Cowgirl Creamery; and Konrad Heusser of Zürich-based distributor, Chäs & Co.

Almost four hundred people attended, including some of the world's best and most respected cheesemakers and affineurs. Tense competitors emerged from a garage-style sliding door to stadium music and frenzied applause from supporters, and took up their start positions at trestle tables. Colleagues wielded banners with slogans such as, ‘Kurt, Heavy Wheyed Champion Of The World’, and continued to cheer.

Through the chaotic din of the crowd cheesemongers began to toil through the different competition categories. Fly Eye involved cutting specific weights of cheese by eye to limited time. Dapper Wrapper granted contestants only 3 minutes to wrap five awkwardly shaped pieces of cheese as neatly as possible. Dare To Pair called for a cheese to be paired with beer selected by the judges - crayons and poster boards were provided to advertise the chosen pairing for Sign of the Times.  

Mongers prepared Slate Your Plate in advance - three cheeses and accompaniments of their choice were brought to plate up and present to the judges. Taste the Paste, the final test, with the biggest weighting of points, was a blind tasting. Mongers identified five unmarked cheeses by name, style, age, milk type and country of origin. 

‘We Love Cheese! We Love Cheese!’ The crowd was unrelenting, deafening, and decidedly partisan. Flagging Europeans were left to try their best to express occasional and fleeting vocal presence through formation of huddles.

Partying ensued and continued late into the night helped on by cheese poetry from maître affineur Rodolph Le Meunier, a free bar and and DJ sets from Adam, judge Jason Hinds (aka Jayski Love) and Zingerman's contestant Carlos Souffront.  

'The Invitational began as a lark to bring people in the cheese industry from around the world together to celebrate cheese and the mongers behind it,’ explains an impassioned Moskowitz. ‘Of late in the US, I think cheesemakers have been granted almost rock star status. In my opinion the cheesemonger is worthy of such status. I hoped that through the Invitational the spotlight would be passed to them. I think the goal was accomplished. It was a kick ass party.’

The event is an achievement for Mr Moskowitz and a triumph for the national and international cheese industry. There was the sense that the Invitational was the start of something bigger. It will be interesting to observe how the Guild progresses. The farmhouse cheese movement in the US is still relatively young compared with its European counterparts. It needs to be nurtured in order to grow and achieve international attention.

The American Cheese Society (ACS), much like the Specialised Cheesemakers Association (SCA) in Britain, focuses on building connections between cheesemakers. Mr Moskowitz has taken this logic and applied it to the retailers who care for, handle and sell the cheese everyday. The work involved in the upkeep of artisanal cheese does not finish when it leaves the farm or affineur's cave. Specialised cheese requires specialised knowledge and handling thereafter.

Ultimately the retailer has the power to directly influence and educate the consumer, and so cultivate further  development of the industry. It is Mr Moskowitz’ view that Larkin, by introducing European influences, helped to promote small-scale cheesemaking in the US. He hopes to take this influence a step further with the establishment of the Cheesemongers Guild. It seems his work is only just beginning.