Matt Benham 2020 Daphne Zepos Teaching Award Winner

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - July 24, 2020 - PRLog -- $5,500 Cheese Scholarship Awarded for compelling research on decoding the relationship between pasture and flavor

The Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment announced it awarded its annual $5,500 scholarshipto Matt Benham. He is the eighth person to win this coveted award. Matt will travel abroad to study and then present his original work of cheese research at the American Cheese Society Conference in Des Moines, Iowa in July 2021.

"Somehow we have forgotten the inherent wisdom of animal agriculture.
It can put marginal land to productive use " - Matt Benham, DZTA scholarship winner 2020

Matt began his cheese career at Beecher's Handmade Cheese in New York City. He started as cheesemaking assistant before rising to the rank of Production Floor Manager. He moved to Arethusa Farm Dairy in Connecticut where he became Head Cheesemaker. During his tenure Arethusa has won many awards at the American Cheese Society annual competition and World Cheese Championships.
Matt plans to travel to the Jura region of France, Emilia-Romagna in Italy, and Wales in the United Kingdom. He will study how each region transforms native forage into unique flavors in cheese.

About the Award

The Daphne Zepos Teaching Award (DZTA) aims to grow a squad of cheese professionals who teach about the history, culture and techniques in making, aging and selling cheese. Each year a new recipient is chosen to go forth and learn about cheese. The winner will return to share their learnings with the cheese community — at the annual American Cheese Society Conference and beyond. The scholarship is funded by the Daphne Zepos Endowment, a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Learn more at http://daphnezeposteachingaward.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.