Alex Armstrong receives $5500 award from Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Aug. 2, 2023 - PRLog -- The Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment (DZTE) announced the recipient of its annual $5,500 Daphne Zepos Teaching Award (DZTA) scholarship to cheese industry professional  Alex Armstrong at the American Cheese Society conference in Des Moines, IA. He is the tenth recipient of the award since it was established in 2012. Alex will spend the next year traveling and researching how traditional European cheese producers developed sensory analysis to form a more complete understanding of the cheeses they produce with a goal of developing a sensory toolkit. He plans to travel to Switzerland, France, and the United Kingdom.

"I feel incredibly honored to be recognized by members of my industry. I feel grateful to learn more about the work I do every day. This will hopefully grow the field within the cheese world and ultimately lead to making better cheese. I hope to be a resource for the cheese community for many years to come." Armstrong said.

"We're inspired by Alex's vision to make sensory analysis a less intimidating topic that can be embraced by industry professionals and consumers alike," says DZTE operations manager, Tom Perry.

About Alex Armstrong

Alex has been in the cheese industry since 2013 when he interned at a goat dairy in Michigan. He spent the next 7 years as a cheesemonger, educator, and buyer at specialty cheese shops in Chicago and San Francisco. In 2019 an opportunity to join renowned Vermont cheesemaker and affineur, Jasper Hill, led him into his current role as their sensory specialist. He lives in Vermont.

About the Organization

The Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment (DZTE) aims to grow a team of cheese professionals who teach about the history, culture and techniques in making, aging and selling cheese. Each year two new recipients are chosen to learn about cheese after receiving either the Daphne Zepos Teaching Award (DZTA) or the Daphne Zepos Research Award (DZRA). The recipients share their learnings with the cheese community the following year. The Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Learn more at http://dzte.org/

Photos and media kits ready for download

Further help always available at info@dzta.org

About Daphne

Daphne Zepos was one of the most outspoken, insightful and dynamic advocates for the cause of traditional cheese here in the U.S. and around the world. Daphne played a prominent role in nearly every major cheese event in the U.S. and Europe. She lectured, moderated, and presented at the American Cheese Society's Annual Conference. She taught at Slow Food's bi-annual Cheese in Bra, Italy, at the College of Marin, and at courses throughout the country, including the Cheese School of San Francisco, Neal's Yard Dairy in London and Zingerman's in Ann Arbor.