Grilled Cheese, that American delicacy brimming with melted cheese between two slices of crusty bread, is taking the trade show by storm. Born in the 1920s in the United States, it is now conquering French and international taste buds with its irresistible marriage of texture and flavor.

From February 25 to 27th 2024, Paris hosts the 18th Cheese and Dairy Trade Show, alongside the International Agricultural Show. Every two years, this not-to-be-missed trade event brings together 8,000 professionals from all over the world, including cheese-makers, ripeners, traders, restaurants…

Grilled Cheese, that American delicacy brimming with melted cheese between two slices of crusty bread, is taking the trade show by storm. Born in the 1920s in the United States, it is now conquering French and international taste buds with its irresistible marriage of texture and flavor.

The Grilled! competition, co-created by François Robin, features 6 candidates. All will compete in knockout battles. A culinary challenge in which they will have just15 minutes to create their recipe.

The 6 candidates


FRANCE Thibault Duval, operations manager, Fromagerie du Noyer, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

BELGIUM Leo Begin, cheesemonger, La Fruitière SRL

USA Alex Armstrong, cheese taster for Jasper Hill Farm

UK Nick Bayne, cheesemonger, The Fine Cheese Co.

FRANCE Pascal Liberati, chef, SAS Pierucci, Haute-Corse, Corse

UK Matthew Carver, chef, The Cheese Bar - Affineur of the year 2023

The Jury 

  • Charlène Bouy, Fromagerie Charlicot, Paris 11 Following a career change, Charlène opened her own cheese shop 8 years ago in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. Her specialty ? Cocktail platters !

  • Bastien Petit, Paris In 2014, Bastien launched his blog "B'cook" with the aim of sharing the French art of living with as many people as possible. He is also the author of the book "Fromages fondus".

  • Charlotte Petitjean, Fromagerie Saint-Jean, Lyon Charlotte opened her fromagerie - cheese bar in Lyon 4 years ago, after 10 years in finance and a career change.

Zoom on 2 candidates


  • Thibault Duval, operations manager, Fromagerie du Noyer, Haute-Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes - France For the past ten years, Thibault Duval has worked passionately at the Noyer cheese dairy, where he has held the position of site manager and then operations manager. Last summer, during the launch of a new product at the dairy, Thibault developed a particular interest in grilled cheese. His participation in the competition stems from his desire to open up to new opportunities, challenge himself and deepen his knowledge.

  • Matthew Carver, chef, The Cheese Bar - Affineur of the year 2023, UK In 2014, Mathew launched The Cheese Truck, a former ice cream truck serving irresistible grilled cheese sandwiches. By sourcing directly from small producers, he is committed to championing British British cheese. 10 years later, he has opened four cheese restaurants, including the very first cheese conveyor belt restaurant in London's Covent Garden.He is also co-author of The Cheese Life

 

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