Calling all Canadian cheesemongers!

Are cheesemongers across the country ready for Canada’s own version of the U.S. Cheesemonger Invitational?

Here’s what Canada’s Cheesemonger Challenge would be all about:

• Open to cheesemongers and other front-line employees of cheese shops across Canada.
• For cheesemongers to meet, learn, socialize and network with other mongers.
• A competition that includes a written exam of cheese know-how, a blind tasting test, a cutting test, a wrapping test and a pairing test, as well as an oral test of your ability to talk cheese to consumers.
• OK, here’s the underlying reason for all this: Party!

How it’s done in the U.S.:

• Preview: http://vimeo.com/57721475
• Longer version which explains it all: http://vimeo.com/57722018
• Website: http://www.cheesemongerinvitational.com/
• Magazine report: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/07/the-big-cheese.html

As Culture magazine summarized it:

The 51 cheesemongers who congregated in New York for the Cheesemonger Invitational (CMI) do a whole lot more than simply cut cheese. They also weigh it, wrap it, plate it, study it, store it, and sell it on a daily basis. In June 2013, they showed off these skills at the fourth annual Cheesemonger Invitational in New York, a competition that’s a bit like “Iron Chef,” “Jeopardy,” and “Survivor” all rolled into one and fueled by plenty of food and drinks. Held over a 14-hour day that included blind taste tests and a written exam, the competition was a chance to prove professional chops (and win $1,000 and a trip to salumi camp).

The first-ever Canada’s Cheesemonger Challenge could take place this year, likely in June, if there’s sufficient interest.