Get To Know America’s Greatest Women Cheese Professionals | Saveur

At a so-called “speakcheesy” in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, a talented group of ladies gather for a symposium on all things dairy.

By Kristin L. Wolfe

Published on November 6, 2024

By Kristin L. Wolfe

Published on November 6, 2024

What happens when you put a group of ambitious, creative women in cheese into one room? Turns out, you get a sprinkle of everything—from ­admiration and inspiration to fast friends and easy laughter. And as I learned at a recent SAVEUR Supper in Manhattan, you also get a fascinating glimpse into the world of food science, an exchange of culinary knowledge, and a very real sense of how one beloved dairy product can bring extraordinary people together.

When she caught wind of the fact that Roth Cheese’s rising star food scientist and ­cheesemaker Madeline Kuhn would be visiting from Wisconsin, SAVEUR’s editor-in-chief, Kat Craddock, decided it was high time to celebrate some of the industry’s many women movers and shakers. So she called up a few friends over at Murray’s Cheese and got to work on planning a party.

Craddock invited some of the top women in the field—artists and artisans, entrepreneurs, writers, chefs, and scientists, many of whom had never been in the same room before—to spark conversation among a professional community that thrives on ­collaboration. These notable femmes du fromage, with journalists and wine industry friends in tow, arrived through Murray’s glowing storefront, then descended into the historic shop’s hip, subterranean cheese cave-turned-speakeasy. Guests enjoyed gingery autumn spritzes around Murray’s ­signature grazing table, featuring charcuterie, fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, and a bounty of artisan cheeses from Roth, Cowgirl Creamery, and Cypress Grove.

Once glasses were filled, introductions quickly shifted to cheery conversation, and the first few nibbles gave way to the night’s cheesy fête. Craddock—an ex-cheesemonger—­honored the women of the hour in a toast to the artisan cheese community, which, she added, “are some of my favorite people on the planet.” A lively cheese pairing roundtable gave way to side chatter about everything from champagne and cheese rinds to startup growing pains and rent prices. Here, a few attendees share their thoughts on what it means to be a woman in cheese, and how important it is to invite newcomers to the table.

Get all the cheeses used in this dinner on Goldbelly.

Throughout the night, a few ­Supper guests shared stories about their respective paths into the cheese world, and about their individual driving force.

Marissa Mullen is the creator of the outrageously popular website That Cheese Plate and the Cheese by Numbers styling technique, as well as the author of several books, including That Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life. After working at The Late Show with Stephen Colbert as bandleader Jon Batiste’s personal assistant and creative coordinator, Mullen started arranging cheese plates at home: “It was the only way for me to slow down,” she explains, calling this quiet act “the perfect blend of mindfulness and creativity.” Mullen also notes the industry’s collaborative nature: “People in cheese have serious knowledge and dedication to the craft but still leave room for playfulness and fun. It’s such a warm and supportive space.”

Madeline Kuhn grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm and works as a research and development technician and a licensed cheesemaker at Roth Cheese’s Monroe, Wisconsin, facility. “Cheesemaking is rich with history and tradition—something that can’t be said for all food industries,” she tells us. “It’s an expression of the land, the animals, and the people responsible for it.” Kuhn also acknowledges that the technical side of the business is still male dominated, and she relishes the opportunity to connect with other women across the field. “My corner of the cheese world is not always the most accessible to women," she says, "but finding community can make all the difference, creating opportunities to connect in new places—like this one!”

Kyra James is deeply ­passionate about cheese education. A Certified Cheese Professional (C.C.P.) with a master’s degree in gastronomy, the scholar and activist has taught or hosted over 1,000 tasting experiences, most recently as curriculum development director at the Cheese Culture Coalition, a nonprofit focused on increasing BIPOC communities’ access to the industry through education. Discovering that she had developed food sensitivities in her mid-20s led James to redefine her relationship with food. “Once I made the connection between cheese and our food system,” she says, “so much more made sense.” She continued: “I made it my mission to help others achieve success through innovative food education.” James notes that working with women business owners has helped her feel more confident in navigating the unfamiliar. “We all struggle with imposter syndrome,” she smiles, “but there’s nothing to squash it like being invited into a room full of badass women.”

Liz Thorpe, aka the “Cheese Queen,” is a Murray’s veteran with more than 20 years of experience sharing her expertise as an educator and as the author of multiple books, including The Book of Cheese and The Cheese Chronicles. After a foray into corporate tech, Thorpe pivoted to work as a monger at the Greenwich Village shop, eventually advancing to lead the brand’s business development and expansion. “What I loved about that time,” she now shares, “was how unmapped it was. All these cheeses were new to consumers. American artisan cheese was just starting to happen on a national scale, and there was a lot of room for invention.” She remarks on a notable shift in the business: “There were almost no women when I started. Today, I think of this as a woman-dominated industry.”

Véronique Kherian remembers being the only person in her Vietnamese family who wasn’t lactose intolerant, regularly downing glasses of milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese as a child. In college, during her junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France, she cultivated an even deeper connection to cheese. While later working as a lawyer, she began blogging about and photographing cheese under the name Miss Cheesemonger, eventually leaving the legal world for a cheesemonger job at Cowgirl Creamery’s iconic shop in the San Francisco Ferry Building, which has since closed. Also a classically trained opera singer, Kherian has since blended her two passions into a popular Bay Area cheese-­pairing recital series, Miss Cheesemonger Sings. “I’ve been involved with music my entire life, and I’ve come to see many parallels between the two fields,” she explains. “They’re both ancient crafts that involve years of technical study and can take a lifetime to master.”

Cara Siegel started her cheese career as a server in Murray’s Cheese Bar—a role she says allowed her “to dive into the culture of cheese while learning the fundamentals of customer service.” Now the brand’s director of hospitality, she’s the brains behind the evening’s event space—the underground Leroy Room—and has a keen eye for creating remarkable cheese experiences. “I was once asked to conceal an engagement ring inside a small-format triple crème,” Siegel laughs. “Cheese people are kind, quirky, ambitious, and have great taste.” She continues, “and after sitting among women who have found ways to incorporate cheese into personal coaching, engineering—even classical music!—I’m feeling more in tune with this industry than ever before.”

—Murray’s Cheese Executive Chef, Clare Malfitano

Industry tastemakers weigh in with their favorite cheese pairings.

“River’s Edge Chèvre [Oregon] Up In Smoke, a soft, smoked goat’s milk cheese with tart and spicy kimchi.” —Cara Siegel “Roth Cheese [Wisconsin] Buttermilk Gorgonzola, gingerbread cookies, and a dollop of cranberry preserves.” —Madeline Kuhn“Amanteigado [Portugal], a funky and soft-centered sheep’s milk cheese atop a chewy round of piquant chorizo.” —Liz Thorpe

“Grand Cru Surchoix from Roth Cheese [Wisconsin], with a mellow, not-too-peaty single malt and salty almonds.” —Kat Craddock “Jasper Hill Farm [Vermont] Bayley Hazen Blue: a peppery, raw-milk blue with Castelvetrano olives and salt and vinegar chips.” —Marissa Mullen“Brillat-Savarin [France], a fluffy, classic triple crème sandwiched between rainbow-colored macarons.” —Véronique Kherian

In her day-to-day life as a cheesemaker and ­scientist, Madeline Kuhn has her hands in a variety of different dairy products. She’s always workshopping new offerings, but one wheel in particular has a special place in her heart: Her brainchild, Roth Aged Gouda, a recipe that took three years to perfect. While younger expressions of the Dutch-style cheese are mild and kid-friendly melters, Kuhn’s version ripens for a full six months after forming, resulting in sweet-and-salty brown butter, toffee, and pineapple notes. Distinctive enough to stand on its own, this cheese is also gorgeous with aged spirits and ­cocktails, so chef Clare Malfitano welcomed SAVEUR’s guests with shards of the deeply ­flavorful cheese, drizzled, per Kuhn’s suggestion, with a tart cranberry-orange preserve. Get the look at home by topping each bite with a few fresh or candied rosemary leaves.

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