[Please see bottom of page for more on Academie MonS.]
It was a week of intense classroom learning supported by hands-on practical experience and sensory analysis training. We were a cohort of 5 students plus an instructor-to-be as an observer, all from different backgrounds and nationalities, including Ukraine, UK, USA, Spain, France/Mexico and Hong Kong/China. Our diversity made the learning even more interesting and enriching. The Academie's US-born Anglophone Director Sue Sturman was our chauffeur, instructor and minder from the induction lunch on Sunday at the Mons shop in Les Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse until Friday, when she put us on the train to Lyon at the end of the 5-day course.
Since 2012, the Academie's duo, Laurent (Mons) and Sue have created a training programme that is incredibly educational, relevant and interactive. Not only did they share with us their wealth of knowledge gained through years of experience, they also knew how to spice it up with a bit of humour too, making the week thoroughly enjoyable and memorable.
What did I learn? A lot but the most important lesson is that there is no shortcut to affinage. To do affinage well, it requires patience, knowledge (the art and science of it) and above all, investment. It is no longer sufficient to be just the craft transmitted from father to son - it has been refined into a professionally acquired skill through better understanding of the science behind the microbiology and the technical engineering of the environment. Above all, this skill is honed through years of experience - you may call it a long apprenticeship!
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| Our 3 instructions, from left to right: Sue Sturman, Laurent Mons and Eric Meredith |
During my week of training, I spent a few moments with Sue to find out: "Who is Susan Sturman?"
Sue Sturman's Brief Biography:
Academie Anglophone Director Sue Sturman has over 25 years in cheese education. At the ACS, as Committee Chair she led the creation of the American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam program, and has been a frequent presenter at ACS conferences. Sue started teaching cheese in 1993, as Assistant Director of the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier cooking school at the Paris Ritz Hotel. She continued in New York as an instructor at New York retailers including Murray’s Cheese, and for private and corporate clients. In 2011 Sue was inducted into the Guilde Internationale de Fromage. She serves on the Board of the American Cheese Society and is on the the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild. She has served as cheese judge in France, Spain, the UK, and the USA.
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| Sue Sturman in a Mons technical coat |
Sue Sturman's Brief Biography:
Academie Anglophone Director Sue Sturman has over 25 years in cheese education. At the ACS, as Committee Chair she led the creation of the American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam program, and has been a frequent presenter at ACS conferences. Sue started teaching cheese in 1993, as Assistant Director of the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier cooking school at the Paris Ritz Hotel. She continued in New York as an instructor at New York retailers including Murray’s Cheese, and for private and corporate clients. In 2011 Sue was inducted into the Guilde Internationale de Fromage. She serves on the Board of the American Cheese Society and is on the the Advisory Board of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild. She has served as cheese judge in France, Spain, the UK, and the USA.
IN: Is cheese a passion or a career?
SS: I think cheese is a vehicle for my passion, which is to serve and to promote and to help advance the passion and careers of others. In the community of cheese professionals I have found many that I admire, who have fire in their belly, who dream big and have the capacity to commit. And there is such warmth, such conviviality, such a spirit of sharing. I wouldn't want to be anyplace else.
IN: Reflecting on the success of Anglophone Academie MonS, what is your secret to this successful 'marriage' of two cultures - French and American? SS: Humility, persistence, a love and respect for the French, an ability to adapt. The differences between American and French work culture are not obvious on the surface, but they are real. Having lived and worked in France earlier in my career, I was ready to do so again. The French are very rigorous, and the best of the French (like the maison MonS) are the most rigorous. That is why their gastronomic culture is so great. It's also a tough environment to work in....we Americans need more ego-stroking than is the norm in French culture! So it takes a bit of a thick hide.
The success of the Academie is based, I think, on quality. The company has done such great work, it is such a leader in affinage, an innovator in cheese export, merchandising, and retailing, and also in education. We teach methodologies that have been proven through 2 generations, in the context of a spirit, an approach, a culture that is really inspiring.
We bring together in our very small classes people from the four corners of the world: as I write this we've just said farewell to a group of six people from Ukraine, England, Spain, Hong Kong, USA, and Mexico.
Also our teaching method is special: all of our courses rest on a pedagogical tripod of classroom work, sensory analysis practice, and hands-on work alongside the MonS professionals. It's unique.
IN: Has the role played by France changed during your career in the cheese industry? Vis-a-vis other countries?
SS: France was the place my career in cheese started, when I started teaching the cheese class at the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. French cheese styles have been my reference point from the beginning. When I moved back to the US in 1998, I discovered the newly emerging world of American artisanal cheese, and my mind was blown. So while French cheeses were my reference point, American cheeses became more of my focus. I also started giving cheese classes including Spanish cheeses and Italian cheeses, and expanded my repertoire. From 2012, my focus started shifting back to France as I was involved in writing about French cheese luminaries and starting to work with Laurent Mons to develop the Academie MonS.
Now my role is one of bridging the Atlantic to a certain extent: I've given several presentations and written articles for French cheese professionals on American cheeses, and have brought Americans (and other English-speakers) to France to study cheese in a French context. I now translate the French publication Profession Fromager from French into English for an international online edition. As far as other countries are concerned, I have been incredibly fortunate to learn about what is happening in cheese in countries as far afield as Romania, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, the UK, Spain, Mongolia, Kenya...the list goes on and on...from our students who come to the Academie to study. I have been fortunate to serve as judge in Paris at the Concours Générale Agricole, and at the World Cheese Awards in London, San Sebastian, and (in November) Bergen, and for the past three years I've been the only American judge at the Spanish GourmetQuesos competition. I have programs organized for 2019 to bring groups to Madrid, London, Paris, and Vermont, San Francisco, and New York.
IN: Describe the achievement you're most proud of so far, personally and professionally?
SS: Two, actually: The Certified Cheese Professional exam program at the American Cheese Society, which is truly a legacy project, and the development of the Academie MonS, opening opportunities to English-speakers from around the world to learn from some of the top French experts. Both projects support people in developing their careers and success. I'm extremely gratified and proud that I've been able to develop these vehicles to empower cheese professionals.
IN: Who is your hero? Who has inspired you most? Why?
SS: The first person who hired me back in my previous career as a caterer, Ann Vivian, taught me the simple grace of saying thank you to people who are simply doing their jobs.
I'm inspired by people like Laurent and Hervé Mons, for their vision, tenacity, and entrepreneurial spirit.
And ever since I first moved to France, I have been deeply inspired by all the people who have picked up their lives and moved elsewhere, braving the unknown, to find opportunities and open up their lives. I've seen that in Tamil dishwashers in Paris restaurants, in Croatian concierges, in housekeepers from Morocco, in cab drivers from north Africa....having lived as an expatriate in pretty cushy circumstances, I have vast respect and awe for those who expatriate themselves with nothing: no language, no money, no network.....and make a life for themselves. Some of the strongest people I've known, and for whom I hold endless respect.
IN: What is your most memorable experience in the cheese industry?
SS: Again, working with Laurent Mons, and working with the incredible team of volunteers at the American Cheese Society to build the CCP exam. Cheese professionals are incredibly generous and I am in awe of the expertise of the people I am fortunate to associate with.
IN: What do you think is the most challenging aspect about cheese judging? And the most rewarding?
SS: Being an aesthetic judge at the American Cheese Society! We can only find good things to say, we can only add points. Even for cheeses that have obvious organoleptic faults, we must be positive. It's a fabulous exercise in divorcing observation from opinion.....this is the first principle we emphasize in our sensory analysis training.
IN: Do you have a favourite cheese and wine/beverage pairing? Or a cheese and jam/honey/food pairing?
SS: At home I love making grilled cheese sandwiches with aged cheddar and Sarabeth's plum-cherry jam on cranberry-pecan bread. Just yum. Pure comfort food.
IN: Do you eat cheese at home with your family?
SS: Yes, but my husband probably eats more cheese than I do on a daily basis! My kids are also pretty discerning.....last year my son started working part-time as a cheesemonger (both my kids have completed our basic mongering course - a job perk - and both have worked as cheesemongers) and we loved evaluating and enjoying new cheeses he would bring home from work to share.
IN: If you were a cheese, which one would it be? And why?
SS: I think maybe a St Nectaire. Well-ripened as I am, I can be craggy and a bit intimidating on the outside, but on the inside I'm all soft and gooey, with a lot of complexity. Not everybody's cup of tea.....
Academie MonS:
Find out more at: www.academie-mons.com
SS: I think cheese is a vehicle for my passion, which is to serve and to promote and to help advance the passion and careers of others. In the community of cheese professionals I have found many that I admire, who have fire in their belly, who dream big and have the capacity to commit. And there is such warmth, such conviviality, such a spirit of sharing. I wouldn't want to be anyplace else.
IN: Reflecting on the success of Anglophone Academie MonS, what is your secret to this successful 'marriage' of two cultures - French and American? SS: Humility, persistence, a love and respect for the French, an ability to adapt. The differences between American and French work culture are not obvious on the surface, but they are real. Having lived and worked in France earlier in my career, I was ready to do so again. The French are very rigorous, and the best of the French (like the maison MonS) are the most rigorous. That is why their gastronomic culture is so great. It's also a tough environment to work in....we Americans need more ego-stroking than is the norm in French culture! So it takes a bit of a thick hide.
The success of the Academie is based, I think, on quality. The company has done such great work, it is such a leader in affinage, an innovator in cheese export, merchandising, and retailing, and also in education. We teach methodologies that have been proven through 2 generations, in the context of a spirit, an approach, a culture that is really inspiring.
We bring together in our very small classes people from the four corners of the world: as I write this we've just said farewell to a group of six people from Ukraine, England, Spain, Hong Kong, USA, and Mexico.
Also our teaching method is special: all of our courses rest on a pedagogical tripod of classroom work, sensory analysis practice, and hands-on work alongside the MonS professionals. It's unique.
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| Me practising the 'washing' of Soumaintrain |
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| Eric doing some classroom teaching |
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| Laurent explaining to the group how the organoleptic profile of each cheese changed during different stages of affinage |
IN: Has the role played by France changed during your career in the cheese industry? Vis-a-vis other countries?
SS: France was the place my career in cheese started, when I started teaching the cheese class at the Ecole Ritz-Escoffier in Paris. French cheese styles have been my reference point from the beginning. When I moved back to the US in 1998, I discovered the newly emerging world of American artisanal cheese, and my mind was blown. So while French cheeses were my reference point, American cheeses became more of my focus. I also started giving cheese classes including Spanish cheeses and Italian cheeses, and expanded my repertoire. From 2012, my focus started shifting back to France as I was involved in writing about French cheese luminaries and starting to work with Laurent Mons to develop the Academie MonS.
 |
| Developing sensory analysis skills |
Now my role is one of bridging the Atlantic to a certain extent: I've given several presentations and written articles for French cheese professionals on American cheeses, and have brought Americans (and other English-speakers) to France to study cheese in a French context. I now translate the French publication Profession Fromager from French into English for an international online edition. As far as other countries are concerned, I have been incredibly fortunate to learn about what is happening in cheese in countries as far afield as Romania, Mexico, South Africa, Australia, Sweden, the UK, Spain, Mongolia, Kenya...the list goes on and on...from our students who come to the Academie to study. I have been fortunate to serve as judge in Paris at the Concours Générale Agricole, and at the World Cheese Awards in London, San Sebastian, and (in November) Bergen, and for the past three years I've been the only American judge at the Spanish GourmetQuesos competition. I have programs organized for 2019 to bring groups to Madrid, London, Paris, and Vermont, San Francisco, and New York.
IN: Describe the achievement you're most proud of so far, personally and professionally?
SS: Two, actually: The Certified Cheese Professional exam program at the American Cheese Society, which is truly a legacy project, and the development of the Academie MonS, opening opportunities to English-speakers from around the world to learn from some of the top French experts. Both projects support people in developing their careers and success. I'm extremely gratified and proud that I've been able to develop these vehicles to empower cheese professionals.
IN: Who is your hero? Who has inspired you most? Why?
SS: The first person who hired me back in my previous career as a caterer, Ann Vivian, taught me the simple grace of saying thank you to people who are simply doing their jobs.
I'm inspired by people like Laurent and Hervé Mons, for their vision, tenacity, and entrepreneurial spirit.
And ever since I first moved to France, I have been deeply inspired by all the people who have picked up their lives and moved elsewhere, braving the unknown, to find opportunities and open up their lives. I've seen that in Tamil dishwashers in Paris restaurants, in Croatian concierges, in housekeepers from Morocco, in cab drivers from north Africa....having lived as an expatriate in pretty cushy circumstances, I have vast respect and awe for those who expatriate themselves with nothing: no language, no money, no network.....and make a life for themselves. Some of the strongest people I've known, and for whom I hold endless respect.
 |
| Our international student group |
IN: What is your most memorable experience in the cheese industry?
SS: Again, working with Laurent Mons, and working with the incredible team of volunteers at the American Cheese Society to build the CCP exam. Cheese professionals are incredibly generous and I am in awe of the expertise of the people I am fortunate to associate with.
IN: What do you think is the most challenging aspect about cheese judging? And the most rewarding?
SS: Being an aesthetic judge at the American Cheese Society! We can only find good things to say, we can only add points. Even for cheeses that have obvious organoleptic faults, we must be positive. It's a fabulous exercise in divorcing observation from opinion.....this is the first principle we emphasize in our sensory analysis training.
IN: Do you have a favourite cheese and wine/beverage pairing? Or a cheese and jam/honey/food pairing?
SS: At home I love making grilled cheese sandwiches with aged cheddar and Sarabeth's plum-cherry jam on cranberry-pecan bread. Just yum. Pure comfort food.
 |
| Our cheese tasting platter on the last day of the course |
IN: Do you eat cheese at home with your family?
SS: Yes, but my husband probably eats more cheese than I do on a daily basis! My kids are also pretty discerning.....last year my son started working part-time as a cheesemonger (both my kids have completed our basic mongering course - a job perk - and both have worked as cheesemongers) and we loved evaluating and enjoying new cheeses he would bring home from work to share.
IN: If you were a cheese, which one would it be? And why?
SS: I think maybe a St Nectaire. Well-ripened as I am, I can be craggy and a bit intimidating on the outside, but on the inside I'm all soft and gooey, with a lot of complexity. Not everybody's cup of tea.....
 |
| Watching curds being cut during the production of Saint Nectaire |
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| Saint Nectaire |
Academie MonS:
The Academie MonS is the English-language affiliate of Mons Formation, the professional development center at Mons Fromager-Affineur. Established in 2012, the Academie currently offers five week-long courses, for retailers: Cheesemonger Essentials, The Big Cheese: A Manager's Toolkit, and Affinage: The Art and Science of Maturing Cheese; and for cheesemakers, Cheesemaking 101 and Cheesemaking 201, taught by Ivan Larcher. The programs were translated and adapted for an English-speaking clientele of cheese professionals from around the world, based on the curriculum and methodologies developed by Laurent Mons. The courses are unique in that students do hands-on work during the programs alongside the MonS professionals, cementing their experiential learning. In addition, six different Insiders' Tours are offered: Paris, London, Madrid, San Francisco/Marin, Vermont, and New York. To date, the Academie MonS has trained students from some 26 countries. MonS Formation works with partners in Japan, Russia, Brazil, and Italy, offering training in these countries' local languages.
Find out more at: www.academie-mons.com
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