Award-winning Victorian cheesemonger Anthony Femia from Melbourne’s Spring Street Grocer came in at fourth place in the national contest, which was held in France.
A first time entrant, Femia had previously competed in New York’s National Cheesemonger Invitational in 2011 where he was a top 10 cheesemonger in a pool of 42.
Femia was then chosen to contend in the World Contest of the Best Cheesemonger Competition 2013. His entry included the mandatory written component, photo presentation of an “ideal cheese plate of ten cheeses”, plus a presentation of cheese from his home country, Hospitality Magazine reports. A challenging blind-tasting component was also incorporated in the competition, where cheesemongers needed to identify often-obscure varieties of cheese from all over the globe.
Femia came in at fourth place, with other finalists hailing from Belgium, Italy, France, USA, and Japan. The contest will no doubt assist in raising the profile of Australian cheeses abroad, in what is historically, a densely European-dominated market.