The 2026 Cheesemonger Invitational at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan was a cheese lover’s paradise. The event is also known as the “Olympics of cheesemongering.” Mongers from around the country compete in tests of cheese skill, creativity and knowledge. The event runs from 3pm to 9pm, and to be honest I didn’t make it to the competitive finale. That’s because the hours I was there were full of fun and lots and lots of cheese.
Imagine the biggest charcuterie board possible, this was bigger. I tried the award-winning Prairie Breeze cheddar from Milton Creamery in Iowa, bites from California’s Cowgirl Creamery, Beechers, White Gold Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy and amazing entries from Switzerland and Wisconsin.
The positive energy of the room was almost as delicious as all the phenomenal cheese ready to taste. I was proud to see folks from my local Hudson Valley cheese shop: The Cheese Shops in Beacon and Cold Spring there too.
There were almost as many cheese and cow puns as types of fine cheeses. It’s more a revelry than reverential to haute cuisine. The festivities on the stage included cutting a wheel of around 200 pounds of Emmental cheese while singing Weird-Al-esque versions of the Police’s “Message in a Bottle” and Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” with generous Emmental puns sprinkled in. And even though general admission tickets are spendy, it’s worth it because you will access tons of cheese and cheese related swag. It’s joyful and good cheesy fun. Even If you just like cheese be sure to catch the 2027 Invitational.
