By Sara Atencio-Gonzales, The Paper. – For Hanna Lee, winning the title of Best Cheesemonger in America was not a surprise in the moment. It was the culmination of years of hard work, competition and determination.
Lee is a cheesemonger at Mouse Hole Cheese Shop in Downtown Albuquerque, the city’s only cut-to-order cheese shop. While she grew up in Seattle, she now calls Albuquerque home, where she helps customers discover artisan cheeses from around the world and recently brought one of the industry’s highest honors back to the Duke City.
“This was actually my third try at winning,” says Lee. “I was really trying to win, and I took a lot of lessons from the first few times and kind of refined my approach.”
When the final results were announced at the 2026 Cheesemonger Invitational in New York, Lee already knew what was coming…