The people have come for the cheese.
It’s a March Wednesday, and the large exhibition hall of the Monona Terrace convention center in Madison is packed with fromage fanatics. At 10 a.m., the World Championship Cheese Contest opens its doors to the public, allowing hundreds of enthusiasts to get a glimpse of the men and women who determine, to put it simply, the biggest cheese.
The sharp, earthy smells of thousands of wheels fill the room – Colby from Muscoda, mozzarella from Japan, Gorgonzola from Denmark. The bright red floor of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed space is full of motion. A ring of more than 25 chest-high tables surrounds the room.
At each, a pair of white-coated judges in matching caps emblazoned with the contest logo stand across from each other, cheese arrayed in front of them – some in small wheels, some in curds, some even in spread form…