Sweet dreams are made of cheese for internationally renowned dairy judge

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View Subscription OffersBega District News' complete view of propertyHome/Newsletters/Editors Pick ListOur PeopleSweet dreams are made of cheese for internationally renowned dairy judgeBy

Jimmy ParkerUpdated March 31 2023 - 3:37pm, first published March 29 2023 - 10:30amBy Jimmy ParkerUpdated March 31 2023 - 3:37pm, first published March 29 2023 -

10:30amFacebookTwitterWhatsappEmailCopyRussell Smith, International Cheese Judge, at his home on the Far South Coast. Picture by James Parker Nestled within a white cladded cottage near

Bemboka sits a man with his kelpie Gem at his feet and whose profession in cheese matured through his father, university, and a trip to France.

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50% off EOFY SaleAll articles from our websiteThe digital version of Today's PaperAll other regional websites in your areaContinue To many, making, tasting and judging cheese for a living is

the ultimate dream, but for Russell Smith of Bemboka, it has been his life and career since 2002.

Beginning in a "very small" pastel pink and blue shingled weatherboard house in Toowoomba, his father Alan, "a good friend", opened his mind to cheese possibilities.

"I'm very fortunate that he introduced us to all those great cheddars," said Mr Smith, whose father brought home raw milk cheeses from rural farms.

Russell Smith in his home in Bemboka. Picture by James Parker "Aroma and flavours are so close to your memory circuits in your brain, those memories of childhood stuff stay with you."

The second stage to put him on his current career trajectory reduced his university food budget through buying charcuterie and cheese at the delicatessen.

But a six-month trip to France revealed what cheese was really about.

"I came back saying this is the world I want to live in."

Aroma and flavours are so close to your memory circuits in your brain, those memories of childhood stuff stay with you

- Russell Smith Mr Smith, who began in a retail and distribution role in Canberra, is currently the chief judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

"For most, and for me, it's about giving back to an industry you've worked in," he said.

His work in Canberra helped to develop a very finely tuned palette, since he "had to taste the cheese" before he sold it, resulting in tasting up to 100 cheeses, 50 weeks of the year.

Russell Smith has been inducted into Guilde Internationale des Fromagers. Picture by James Parker "I got to Sydney and thought, 'This is easy.' You've got the standard in your brain set."

During cheese judging competitions, Mr Smith uses plain crackers to cleanse his palette and sparkling mineral water to rinse his mouth.

"The bubbles help to take the fat off your mouth."

Spitting the cheese is also necessary since swallowing it will make the brain limit your ability to analyse if you're full.

Dedicated judging room at 18 degrees, which prevents the cheese from not warming up too quickly. Picture supplied Mr Smith believes the most useful thing that he does in the industry is the

'Camembert in the Classroom' program, which allows "science teachers to eat their science projects".

Requiring minimal equipment - a few plastic containers and supermarket milk - Mr Smith demonstrates the cheesemaking process, teachers reteach it to their students, and a few months later Mr

Smith judges 300 cheeses at an award ceremony.

"We've been running that for 10 years and we've probably had 8000 kids go through that now. It's brilliant," said Mr Smith with a smile.

The judging room of the Wisconsin World Championship Cheese contest, "the most prestigious in the world", where Russell Smith has judged for the past 12 years. Picture supplied Cheese is

generally judged by three criteria, four points for presentation, six points for texture - "the luscious mouth feel", and 10 points for taste, though overall scores change from continual

comparison.

In his home office, sandwiched between shelves that contain folders, sits a shelf lined with books - Cheese matters, The Oxford Companion to Cheese, Gourmet's Guide to Cheese, and The

Fundamentals of Cheese Science - to name a few.

A multitude of colourful lanyards hang as a reminder of previous competitions globally, while the wall is filled with gold medallions from his service as contest judge in Wisconsin.

Gem "The Cheese Dog", Russell's fawn and tan kelpie. Picture by James Parker He looks up from the wooden dining room table and asked, "Do you want to continue this yarn or do you want to

have some cheese?" before slicing some cheddar.

And to answer the question of Mr Smith's favourite cheese, he said it is...

"Whatever I'm eating at the time."

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