You’ve probably heard of the Masters of Wine, an event where sommeliers and people of a similar caliber sip, swirl, and blindly taste their way through one of the most difficult challenges in the food and beverage industry. The Certified Cheese Professional exam, offered by the American Cheese Society, is the highest accolade for people working in the Brie, blue, and burrata industries, but did you know that there is also a test specifically focused on cheese? The 150-question test drills participants on everything from the cheesemaking process to the chemistry of affinage (aging) to sanitation standards, so it’s not just about relaxing and nibbling on wedges. To date, 740 people have passed the test.
Christine Clark, the assistant manager of education and events at Murray’s Cheese, a famous store in New York City, is one of them. Clark and I had a conversation about the exam, what it’s like to work in the cheese industry, and the wedges she can’t live without.
Cindy Clark: I was working in another field and doing some freelance food writing when I first decided I wanted to pursue cheese as a career. When I learned about Murray’s volunteer program, where you can arrive early to assist with setting up for classes, clean up afterward, and then attend classes for free, I was trying to learn more about food. I concluded after completing hundreds of classes, “I guess I really like this.” ”.
What do you love about working in cheese? The stories. I studied English in college, so I enjoy learning the reasons why people lead the lives they do. Cheese is all about the farmers who make it, and most of our farmers are small family farmers. They carry out this action in an effort to preserve their local communities. I find a lot of cheese’s passion to be really inspiring.
The Certified Cheese Professional certification is still relatively new in the US, so what was it like to obtain one? At this point, it’s just a test. It’s difficult because I’ve heard pass rates ranging from 49 to 60 percent. It addresses animal breeds, distribution and storage, legal protections, and other topics.
No, you don’t have to consume copious amounts of cheese while studying for it. The study program focuses more on the science of taste than actual cheese tasting when teaching about flavor compounds, whether they are present in bananas or cauliflower.
Hold up. There’s a cheese that tastes like bananas? Not exactly. The flavor compound is called isoamyl acetate. The protein in cheese breaks down during ripening to produce flavors and aromas. Some cheeses contain the isoamyl acetate substance, which gives them a banana-like aroma.
Murray’s has a very structured program to prepare its future CCPs, so how long did you have to study for the test? For six to eight months, we attended lectures once per week.
Given that my primary line of work is in cheese education, the distribution, transit, and storage areas were challenging for me. Also, milk chemistry is tricky. It has to do with the milk’s chemical breakdown while being used to make cheese. The test serves as a reminder that you still have a lot to learn. There is always more to learn about cheese, no matter how much you already know.
So be honest. I know a lot of people at Murray’s and beyond think buying is the coolest thing ever, but our buying department also has to taste a lot of really disgusting cheese. We taste everything that people send us. There’s a lot of awful cheese out there.
What are the most frequent errors people make when assembling a cheese plate? Many problems people have when purchasing cheese can be avoided by visiting a cheese shop with cheesemongers who can advise you on what’s good that day because it changes. When I make cheese plates, I’ll include three cheeses—some soft, some hard—and usually two cheeses that are popular with the crowd and one that they haven’t tried before because people are naturally curious about new foods. The cheeses I bring contain the tales I wish to share.
What kind of cheese would you be if you were a cheese? Probably a clothbound cheddar. There is a cheese called Flory’s Truckle that isn’t particularly frightening but a little bit unique.
Okay, I have to ask: If you had to go to a desert island, what cheese would you bring? I would bring Comte San Antoine, a pressed and cooked cheese produced in the French Jura region. Although related to Gruyère, it is not produced in the mountains. You get flavors like brown butter, hazelnuts, and freshly steamed milk; it is extremely complex but not overpowering. It’s so complex but so snackable. `.
If you are obsessed with Stilton, gaga for Gouda, or yearn for Camembert, you may be a turophile, the epitome of a cheese lover. Aficionados of cheese were first given the name turophile in 1938 as a result of the irregular combination of the Greek word for cheese, tyros, and the English suffix -phile, which stands for “lover” and is a derivative of the Greek word -philos, meaning “loving.” However, it wasn’t until the 1950s that Clifton Fadiman (a writer, editor, and radio host) introduced the term to readers of his elegant musings on the subject of cheese that it truly caught the attention of the American public.
153 individuals passed the American Cheese Society’s official exam earlier this month to become Certified Cheese Professionals. The demanding exam covers topics like the history of cheese, how to store cheese, and the cheesemaking process, knowledge that prospective test-takers will have probably acquired during the necessary 4,000 hours of work or training in the cheese field finished prior to exam time.
For example, while studying abroad in the Netherlands, Boston resident Emily White received certification as a cheese tasting professional simply by taking one class. This class is found in Amsterdam, at the popular Reypenaer Tasting Room. Here, people can take one-hour classes in which they try different Dutch cheeses, pair them with a variety of wines, and give feedback to the mongers working there.
Similar programs are available in the US; even though you probably won’t receive any formal certification on paper, you can be confident that your cheese knowledge has increased. Enroll in a crash course in cheese tasting, go to a cheese festival, read our FAQ-heavy Cheese 101 page, and get advice from the pros. Speaking of experts, why not start with our very own cheese library, where many aspiring CCPs do? Happy studying!Photo Credit:
In conclusion, earning the title of Certified Cheese Expert is difficult, time-consuming, and requires a lot of effort to pass; it is clear that not everyone is cut out for the test. However, there are some (less time-consuming) steps you can take to increase your cheese knowledge, particularly when it comes to tasting.
One of those who passed the exam, cheese writer Jeanne Carpenter, released the following statement on her blog about her preparation for the exam:
Pronunciation[edit]
fromager (plural fromagers)