Judges: 

Vincent Maniaci—The Cheese Iron, Scarborough, Main 

Vincent Maniaci has been in the industry since 1993 first working at Formaggio Kitchen. There he was infected with both the passion for Great cheese and the intimacy of retail.  He then moved to NYC to work for Dean and Deluca slinging cheese during the day and Fromager at restaurant at night.  In 2000 he was recruited to join the team at Harry's Farmers Markets in Atlanta, Georgia to spearhead a Full-Service cheese counter in 4 of the Mega Stores as well as the 8 small format markets.  Upon completion of the project, he was hired by Wholefoods Market in Austin, Texas to work as their Specialty Team Leader at their flagship store.  In 2006 Vincent and his wife, Jill, decided to move back up north to open The Cheese Iron in beautiful Maine.  It's been 8 years running and The Cheese Iron has become a destination point of interest. 
      

Dr. Steve Zeng—Langston Univeristy

Dr. Steve Zeng is a Dairy Product Specialist and Chairman of Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources at Langston University, Oklahoma. His expertise is in dairy product processing, particularly in goat milk and cheese. His research interest has been in sub-clinical mastitis and its effect on composition of goat milk; the sensory quality and yield of cheese; and the quality, safety and shelf-life of goat milk products. With his industrial and academic experiences, he has conducted more than fifty cheesemaking workshops/schools in many states in the U.S. as well as in Kenya, China, Argentina, Armenia, and the Republic of Georgia. He has judged the ACS Judging and Competition, the United States Cheese Championship and the World Cheese Championship in the last six years.