And Belgium's leading cheesemonger is...

‘Rue du Marché au Charbon 99-103’: this is the address of the cheese dairy/cheese bar La Fruitière, whose co-founder Léo Begin has just won the 2024 edition of the official First Cheesemonger of Belgium competition, organised on 29 September by the Federation of Cheesemongers of Belgium (FBBK) in the context of the Eat Festival.

As is the mother, so is the son

A distinction that is not the first in the family, since Véronique Socié, Léo Begin's mother, already won the title in 2016! Léo Begin is not a stranger to our show either, where he won the Grilled Cheese competition last February.

Winner on 29 September of a competition in which the various cheesemongers had to compose on the theme of "50 shades of milk", Léo Begin reacted a few days later on his LinkedIn account.

‘At the end of a marathon day where we competed in no fewer than 8 rounds, including theory, blind tasting, precision cutting, the art of pairing and the masterpiece, I realised one of my dreams, to be recognised by my peers and to have the right to wear - not without pride - the tricolour collar that represents so much for the profession. (...) I was in my own bubble, it was like nothing could touch me, winning or losing was not even the point of the day, it was simply a question of sharing this part of myself, of presenting my love for cheese and its immeasurable shades" commented the cheesemonger, who grew up in the Jura region of France.