Look who in our crew is representing Australia at the 2024 Young Cheesemonger of the Year Awards in Portugal!
Our ‘Who's Who in Our Crew’ will help you discover a little more about the personalities behind the checked shirts and aprons. This week we caught up with Lily Jenkins, one of our Cheesemongers at Hill Street Sandy Bay, who has been with Hill Street since April 2023.
Lily has just been announced as a finalist in the 2024 Young Cheesemonger of the Year Awards in Viseu, Portugal, taking place on Friday 15th November! As soon as we heard about this exciting opportunity for Lily we jumped on board as a sponsor and are helping Lily with travel costs to attend this exciting event.
We had a chat with Lily about the Awards, all things cheese, and life in general:
We are thrilled to hear you are a finalist for Young Cheesemonger of the Year Awards run by the Academy of Cheese over in the UK. Can you tell us a little more about that?
The Academy of Cheese is a cheese educator in the UK. I had been interested in doing some courses with them, my previous employer from Harper and Blohm recommended I look into opportunities. I saw that the entries were open for the Young Cheesemonger Award, so I submitted an online entry, sent off my cheese history, resumé and also my curated cheeseboard for six people. I was pretty excited when I found out I was selected as a finalist!
Lily Jenkins, Cheesemongers at Hill Street Sandy Bay
Tell us about your cheeseboard selection? My selection for my cheeseboard that helped me become a finalist for the Young Cheesemonger Awards were mainly French cheeses, with some Italian, English and a great Aussie blue. They were:
1. Cornish Kern - English
2. Taleggio - Italian
3. Ossau Iraty – French
4. Chabichou – French
5. Berry's Creek Riverine Blue – Australian
And the final is being held in Portugal in November? Yes the final will be held on Friday 15th November at the World Cheese Awards in Viseu, Portugal. Thanks to Hill Street who are covering my airline costs I can now get there!
What does the final involve? We’ve been told that the six finalists will go head-to-head over five rounds, including a Perfect Pairing round, the quick-fire Q&A “MasterRind” which is all about cheese general knowledge - and a fast-paced cut and wrap round.
And what happens if you’re crowned the Young Cheesemonger of the Year? The winner will receive a trophy, a BOSKA Professional Cheesemonger Tool Set, a feature in Fine Food Digest, and will secure a place on the Academy of Cheese Level Two Member Certification course. They will also be invited to judge at the World Cheese Awards 2025.
So what’s your favourite cheese? At the moment, it’s the Cornish Kern (available at Hill Street).
And Lily’s answers to a few more questions about life generally:
When no one is watching I like to… go hiking and camping around Tassie, the Organ Pipes at the moment is a favourite.
My favourite place is … Hinsby Beach out near Taroona.
My favourite movie is … The Blues Brothers
I barrack for… West Coast Eagles
Which three people living or dead would you invite to a dinner party?
1. Jean-Michel Basquiat
2. Freddy Mercury
3. Peggy Guggenheim
What’s the best thing about working at Hill Street? Access to all the cheeses!
What is your secret skill? Not really a secret, but I am great at wrapping and cutting cheese.
What is your favourite food? Pad See Ew.
Do you have a product at your store that you would like to recommend: My favourite treat is when I spy a salted-caramel cruffin in-store!
Next time you’re shopping with Hill Street at Sandy Bay, drop by and chat cheese with Lily. We wish Lily all the best with her journey to bring home the Young Cheesemonger of the Year to Tassie. Go Lily!
