(From left) Sarah Crowley, Mae Nguyen and Rachel Williamson of Richmond’s Truckle Cheesemongers will compete in the Cheesemonger Invitational in New York on June 28.
Over the past month, Sarah Crowley, Mae Nguyen and Rachel Williamson have been tinkering with various cheeses — obsessing over the perfect snacky pairing for a funky blue; sourcing rare wheels; sniffing, slicing and sharpening their sensory skills. The trio from Truckle Cheesemongers, the city’s sole dedicated cheese shop, are deep in the homework phase, preparing for a singular goal: Succeed on one of the biggest stages in the industry during the annual Cheesemonger Invitational in New York City. On June 28, the crew will compete in the event considered the “Olympics of cheesemongering,” designed to test every facet of their craft. And, for the first time in the competition’s 15-year history, three cheesemongers from one shop are preparing for the national competition together.
“Three cheesemongers from one shop is special,” says Cheesemonger Invitational founder Adam Moskowitz. “It is usually one, maybe two.”
Founded in 2010, The Cheesemonger Invitational brings together experts from across the country in an ultra-competitive series of sensory and technical challenges. The live finale will feature the top eight cheesemongers, and this year there are more than 40 on the roster, hailing from Texas to Michigan and as far away as Belgium.
Across 10 rounds, competitors will have to “glass wrap” a half-wheel of cheese to create the layered, almost transparent sheen prized at shops; identify 30 different cheeses by aroma; blind-taste dozens of cheeses; and precisely cut a quarter pound by mere instinct and intuition.
Crowley first heard about the competition from friend and fellow local cheesemonger Joshua Franklin, known online by his charcuterie alias, Lucio. After some encouragement and conversations with her sisters in cheese, they decided to take the leap.
Dubbing herself a “baby cheesemonger,” Crowley has only been working with cheese for a year and a half, but she admits she has fallen hard for the craft and learned a lot. For the competition, she says she’s following one motto: “No risk, no reward.”
“Even though it is a little daunting because there is a lot to prepare for, it’s a good way to challenge myself and ultimately just become a better cheesemonger,” Crowley says. “It feels really good to continue learning and growing in it.”
The only requirement to compete in the invitational is that participants must work as cheesemongers. For many years, Moskowitz says, the competition was limited to one person per shop, but over time he kept hearing the sentiment that cheesemongers often trained together with their fellow colleagues, so the rules shifted after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For me, it is a testament of the shop owner-manager and their commitment to cheesemonger stewardship,” Moskowitz says.
That camaraderie among professionals is part of the power behind the trio headed to the invitational. Crowley says, “At Truckle, they are very open to teaching. I owe a lot to my fellow mongers for taking the time to teach.”
Crowley found cheese after moving to Richmond five years ago following graduation from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She was looking for a new gig and says, “It was at a point where I was really open to trying something new, and I was also living in the [Truckle Cheesemongers] neighborhood. I wanted to gain a new skill, and I always really loved cheese.”
Most of the learning happens organically on the clock, when new wheels enter the case or a wine rep pops by for pairings. Crowley describes being a cheesemonger as a practice in active listening, and for the invitational application, she summed up her cheese journey in three words: “It brings joy.”
“I’m kind of focusing on that idea,” she says. “I think when something is handcrafted, or there’s a lot of intention in the making of it, people care a lot about the product.”
Williamson echoes her sentiment. A multifaceted cheesemonger, Williamson has studied opera (and has the vibrato to prove it); run a successful gardening business; dabbled in cafe work; and carved out her own lane on the ren faire circuit, where she practices tyromancy, a form of cheese divination.
“I hadn’t found the thing that really speaks to me, and then cheese is the thing that really spoke to me,” Williamson says.
She says she has a soft spot for cheeses with a story, whether sampling a manchego produced for generations or exploring the lineage behind a wheel. When she first joined Truckle, she was green in the cheese realm, but over the past three years has experienced a full-on awakening.
Of competing, Williamson says, “I told myself, ‘I think I’m just going to do it, to kind of be bold. I think I’m going to have the audacity and just go ahead and apply for it.’”
While she’s eager to see whether she has “a good sniffer or not,” it’s the experience itself that matters most. “I [have] worked at the shop for almost three years, I know that I am a good salesperson,” Williamson says. “I really love cheese, and I know I have this knowledge that is very valuable, and I really want to receive the feedback. I just want to go and represent Truckle and represent the city.”
Nguyen, Truckle general manager and the shop’s longest-running employee, interviewed with owner Maggie Bradshaw after spotting an ad for the position that piqued her interest. “I’ve done almost everything under the sun,” she says, from working at an elementary school to time in the food industry and serving as a veterinary assistant. “Cheesemonger just felt like another thing to add,” she says.
Nguyen jokes that she knew nothing about artisanal cheeses when she started. “Maggie probably asked me what my favorite cheese was in the interview. I’m pretty sure I said ‘pepper Jack,’” she says with a laugh. But much like her colleagues, Nguyen has embarked on a somewhat unexpected, very rewarding cheese journey.
She first joined Truckle during the its early days inside the former Blue Bee Cider tasting room in Scott’s Addition, and she has watched it evolve into a full-on brick-and-mortar shop, growing up alongside the business. Nguyen, who trusts her nose for the aroma test, says, “A lot of the cheese knowledge was passive at first, but then I realized that this is something that I really enjoy and really love, and that it honestly could be a career.”
The trio all repeat a common Truckle mantra: You can teach cheese, but you can’t teach personality. They credit Bradshaw’s curiosity-first hiring philosophy for creating a supportive environment. Like a proud mama, Bradshaw will take the Amtrak up to New York City on competition day to watch her team in action.
(From left) Truckle Cheesemongers owner Maggie Bradshaw with Crowley, Nguyen and Williamson
Part of the group’s prep for the invitational has included crafting a series of perfect bites. Each competitor is randomly assigned three different cheeses and tasked with homing in on a thoughtfully curated “wow-factor” bite, composed plate (a cheeseboard for two) and beverage pairing — anything from coffee and tea to cocktails. Williamson, who says her husband is a cocktail hound, has been having fun figuring out her drink of choice, playing around with an apple-spiked sip for the nutty Gruyere she chose. One of Crowley's selections is a blue that “changed it all” from Jasper Hill Farm, while two of Nguyen’s cheeses are completely new to her, including a Finnish creation called Marmori. There are mentions of chutneys, chicharrones and spicy elements.
Nguyen says she looks forward to being completely present for the competition, and being surrounded by people who take as much pride in their profession as she does.
“Everyone who is going to be there is in the industry and knows the seriousness to which we take cheese,” she says. “They’re going to be there for camaraderie, but they also hold our profession to a certain caliber and standard. I think it’s going to be a great display of all the skills I’ve learned over the years, so I feel very confident competing.”
While they will be facing off against each other, there is a sense of unity among the three that can’t be denied. “My favorite part is this, that we’re in this together,” Crowley says. “It’s all of our first time doing this, so we’re figuring it out all together.”
