Chessemonger International 2011 Results
Image courtesy of Rebecca Rozencwajg; Cheese visionary Adam Moskowitz and right, 2011 Winner Steve Jones from The Cheese Bar in Portland, Oregon
It was the evening of Friday, 8th of July 2011, in a warehouse in Queens NYC.
A meeting of 600 cheese mongers, makers, lovers and the slightly imbalanced- cheese obsessed, many of whom I follow and engage with on a regular basis via Twitter, various cheese blogs and other social media.
It was the Woodstock of cheese.
Once arriving at the site of the competition ‘Larkin Cold-Storage’; distributors of 150,000 pounds of cheese into and around the USA each week and home of cheese visionary Adam Moskowitz, I lined up to receive two official entry numbers that would be attached to my person and instantly identify me as an official competitor at the 2nd annual Cheese Monger Invitational 2011.
It was during this process, the formality of being registered and the attachment of my entry number, that it suddenly dawned on me that this was in fact a massive commitment I had made, travelling over 22 hours, 15989 km for a total of 4 days in NYC…. just to participate in this particular world cheese event.
Whilst I had previously made jest at my participation, I suddenly felt overwhelmed by a desire to be somewhat more serious competitor then I had previously considered was an option.
I wondered…..was it in fact possible… in the land of opportunity……could I perhaps, be the monger that would rise from relative cheese obscurity to take the cup? Could it be me to put Australia on the map as a country that has many a passionate cheese aficionado?
As one of the 40 competitors from around the world, I was feeling the weight of my nation upon me as I put myself before my fellow international cheese comrades to test my skill and knowledge as a world class cheesemonger.
There could be only one winner. I would settle for any of the top places… anything to justify to my husband why he was left with two small children for 7 days whilst I ran away to indulge my cheese interests.
Like any large event where a crowd of interested and interesting people are gathered, there was a great energy in the warehouse.
The grass roots nature of the event was exemplified by a stage made from palate creates and a fuzzy projector on a side wall to facilitate viewing on the challenges by the masses.
For spectators and competitors alike, there were beers from Six Point Brewery to be enjoyed and a magnificent display of cheese, cheese accompaniments and fabulous food provided by Tia Keenan; the kind of foodie everyone wants as a close friend or relative.
Everyone had gathered around the stage area. It seemed like an eternity before the competition got under whey (ergh..)
The event was to feature three levels of competition with eliminations, before the deciding round of ten finalists.
The ringmaster, Adam Moskowitz, walked amongst the crowd and contestants, riling the crowd into a frenzy while the DJ provided the beats andelectronic soundtrack for the evening. Behind the stage, a huge screen was erected to allow viewing for the masses. —Aaron Estes
And then, just like that, It began.
ROUND 1: INTRODUCTION
Social interaction and stage presence was considered to be an important element of being a cheesemonger and thus every monger had no more than 30 seconds to state their name, cheese shop, where they came from and most importantly “What their favorite cheese was andwhy”. This Intro was worth up to 10 points.
ROUND 2: TASTE TEST
an elimination round
Competitors were provided withsix bite size pieces of cheese with rind. The objective was to determine milk type, country of origin, raw versus pasteurized, category (defined as fresh, bloomy rind, washed rind, semisoft, firm, hard, blue), age of cheese (defined in 2 month increments, ie 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, and so on) andname of cheese. Each correct answer was worth1 point. Contestants were provided witha test sheet with all possible answers and had to circle the correct answer(s). We were given just 5 minutes to complete this test.
ROUND 3: CUT & WRAP
another elimination round
Competitors were provided approximately a quarter to half wheel of approx a 15 pound form, 2 standard sheets of cheese paper and 2 price labels. The objective was to cut two 1/4 pound piece’s and wrap individually in paper. We were not able to place cheese on scale prior to cutting. 10 points were awarded for an exact cut, which many cheese mongers achieved. 5 points were awarded for cuts 0.1 of a pound over/under down a sliding scale in which 1 point was awarded for being 0.5 of a pound over/under. After the cut, we had to weigh, wrap and write our name on label. Each contestant had 1 minute to complete the cut and wrap. The Wrap was worth up to 5 points per cheese and was judged on neatness and legibility of hand writing.
Unfortunately for me, this is where my time as a CMI 2011 competitor came to an end.
My name was not called out by Adam Moskowitzs as one of the top ten finalists that would continue on to the 4th round.
It was a stark and lonely reality, despite being amongst 4 other mongers who would not progress from the top 15 in round 3, to round 4.
As a representative of my country, at an international event and major competition, I was humble in defeat and graciously offered my congratulations to all those who made it to the final 10.
ROUND 4: PLATE THE SLATE
From the crowd I watched as participants were provided a 10×14 cheese slate and buffet (donated by the event sponsors) including cheese, pickles, honey, bread, crackers. The objective was to create a cheese plate of one ultimately profound cheese pairing within 15 minutes. All competitors of the event bought with them a bag of ‘tricks’ for pairing. This could have included chutney, nuts, vegetables, fruits, bread/cracker, etc.
In the hope of making this final round, I had taken to the event two of my favourite Australian cheese accompaniments; The handmade Pastilla Nash sugar plum and walnut log and a bottle of Larks Single malt from Tasmania.
This was now irrelevant and would prove to provide great comfort to me at a later stage of the evening.
The remaining 10 Mongers had to select only one cheese from the buffet to create a composed plate of 11 perfect bites for the judges to consume. Mongers were allowed to include 2 elements (ie. vegetable anda honey) from their bag of tricks on the plate along with the one selected cheese from buffet. Mongers had 30 seconds to explain their slate. 10 points for visual plating. 10 points for taste. 10 points for oral presentation.
After three levels of competition with eliminations, it came down to ten final warriors and the crucial plating round. Although they were all worthy, one plate reigned supreme. Steve Jones from The Cheese Bar in Portland, Oregon would not be denied.
He wooed the crowd withhis introduction, tasted the other competitors’ defeat in the blind tasting, cut and wrapped to near perfection (cutting wedges at .25 and .26 respectively), he captured the flag with his brilliant plating involving Huban cheese (Austrian semi-soft) and his secret ingredient…bacon-caramel popcorn. Game, set, match.
—Aaron Estes is the cheese editor for the New York Cork Report and writes Cave-Aged Blog.
It was a fabulous, positive, inspiring, awakening experience for the soul and senses. A cheese lovers dream!
So I made the top 15… but not the top 10.
In a most humble and understated way, I guess I could be considered amongst the worlds 15 best cheese monger of 2011. 
x.
McIntosh & Bowman representing Australia at the Cheesemonger Invitational 2011 in NYC
Claudia Bowman of Australia’s McIntosh & Bowman will be representing Australia at the Cheesemonger Invitational 2011 held in New York City.
To find out more information about the event and to vote for Claudia please click here.
Claudia will be posting regularly on Twitter over the course of the event so Follow her Twitter account here.
