THE HOT LIS T 2024 culturecheesemag.com 37
HOT
STUFF
When culture called upon readers
to suggest rockstars for our second
annual Hot List roundup, we were
absolutely blown away by not only
the sheer number of nominations,
but the fervor with which each
nomination was championed.
Scrolling through the list of entries
and reading comments about why
each person should be selected was
incredibly inspiring—big things are
happening in the cheese world, y'all!
culture tasked four judges with ranking folks
on a scale of 1 to 5 in the following categories:
Innovation, Craftsmanship, Dedication, and
Community Engagement. Then, we compiled the
data to produce a score for each candidate and
selected a group of 20 stars for our 2024 Hot List
class. You'll find makers, mongers, educators, and
influencers, and discover how they entered the
world of cheese, what inspires them, and what
they see on the horizon for their careers. From
"aha moments" such as describing a tasting
note as "like a sea breeze," to unpretentiously
and unashamedly dipping hot dogs in rounds of
gooey cheese for an indulgent snack, we hope
you enjoy learning about the great folks that
keep our community f resh and funky.
~ MEET OUR JUDGES ~
ANDY HATCH
Co-owner and Cheesemaker
at Uplands Cheese
in Dodgeville, Wisconsin
KYRA JAMES
Owner of Own Your Funk, and
Curriculum Development Director
of the Cheese Culture Coalition
MIKE KOCH
President and Co-founder
of Firefly Farms
in Accident, Maryland
VERONICA PEDRAZA
Head Cheesemaker
at Blakesville Creamery in
Port Washington, Wisconsin
PHOTO:
Kyra
James:
Spilled
Milk
Creative;
Mike
Koch:
Callie
Lindsey;
Veronica
Pedraza:
Jack
X
Li
