2023 Official Conference Cheesemongers

Meet the 2023 Official Conference Cheesemongers (OCCs). This team is a vital part of making ACS Annual Conference successful!

 

 

Austin Banach 

Guido’s Fresh Marketplace

Austin Banach is from Western Massachusetts and has a passion for all things cheese, food, and related communities. He has worked in restaurants, catered weddings, ran his own small food businesses, and finally has found his forever home with cheese!  Austin is currently the head cheesemonger at Guido’s Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, MA. He has also worked with Culture Cheese Magazine as a design and procurement assistant. His motto: ‘Will work for cheese and attribute the dedicated farmers, producers, and fellow mongers who work tirelessly to advance this industry’. He’s a proud dad of two young cheese connoisseurs and loves adventures, meeting new people, and creating lasting connections and experiences.    

Nicole Pinch, CCP® 

Eataly Toronto

Nicole Pinch is the Salumi e Formaggi manager at Eataly Toronto.  Nicole began her career in cheese as a mozzarella maker at this same store.  After moving into monger and Lead positions, Nicole sought out ways to expand her knowledge beyond Italian and Canadian cheese, working in the Specialty department of Whole Foods.  It was there she began her CCP® journey which she completed last year in Portland.  Becoming a CCP® and the industry relationships and friendships she made while studying for the exam gave Nicole the confidence to return to Eataly Toronto to head up the large and complex Salumi e Formaggi department, the department she believes to be the heart of the store. 

Liz Steeves, CCP® 

Mystic Cheese Company

Liz Steeves is an accomplished cheese professional with a passion for American-made artisanal cheeses and a dedication to making locally-produced cheeses more accessible. With over 10 years of experience, she has worked in roles ranging from mongering to making, to running an entire cheese cave aging system. In 2020 she was awarded the Colin Ming CCP® Scholarship presented by Murray’s Cheese enabling her the opportunity to take, and eventually pass the CCP® exam. Today she is the Director of Retail Sales at the Mystic Cheese Company in Groton, CT.

PAST OFFICIAL CONFERENCE CHEESEMONGERS 

2022

 

  • Lynne Affleck, ACS C.C.P® 
  • Alicia Baldwin, ACS C.C.P® 
  • Joshua Collier, ACS C.C.P® 
  • Kyra James, ACS C.C.P® 

2019

 

  • Devin Lamma, ACS CCP™ 
  • Noreen Mayer 
  • Evan Talen, ACS CCP™ 

2018

 

  • Jordan Edwards, ACS CCP™ 
  • Katie Grice 
  • Alex Armstrong, ACS CCP™ 

2017

 

  • James Danforth, ACS CCP™ 
  • Brian Gilbert, ACS CCP™ 
  • Katie Quinn, ACS CCP™ 

2016

 

  • Meredith Fitzgerald, ACS CCP™ 
  • Joe Green, ACS CCP™ 
  • Arielle Neher, ACS CCP™ 

2015

 

  • Erin Clancy, ACS CCP™ 
  • James Gentry, ACS CCP™ 
  • Janee’ Muha, ACS CCP™ 

2014

 

  • Randall Felts, ACS CCP™ 
  • Kelsie Parsons, ACS CCP™ 

2013

 

  • Jason Herbert, ACS CCP™ 
  • Leah McFadden, ACS CCP™ 

2012

 

  • Alexander Kast, ACS CCP™ 
  • Rachel Perez, ACS CCP™ 

2011

 

  • Jeanne Rodier 
  • Kelly Sheehan 

2010

 

  • Paige Lamb