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2008 AUSTRALIAN GRAND DAIRY AWARDS JUDGES - PROFILES
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Neil Willman
Cheese Consultant and Educator
Chief Judge, Australian Grand Dairy Awards
Dairy and Cheese expert, Neil Willman, is a former lecturer at Gilbert Chandler College and now conducts cheese courses and training programs across Australia.
He specialises in Cheese Technology, providing advice on cheesemaking, recipe formulation, product appraisals, storage and maturation advice, cheese grading and sensory evaluation. He also offers expert training for cheesemakers and production staff, cheese sensory analysis and grading and advice for troubleshooting, factory design, and the setting up of farmhouse and specialty cheese plants.
Neil judges dairy products at competitions across the country, including Royal Melbourne Dairy Produce Awards, Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Awards., Dairy Industry Association Australia competitions, and the Australian Specialist Cheesemaker Awards. Neil has been the Chief Judge of the Australian Grand Dairy Awards for the past 8 years and has also judged several times at International competitions such as the World Cheese Championship Contest, USA.
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Russell Smith
Cheese Consultant and Educator
Deputy Chief Judge, Australian Grand Dairy Awards
Russell Smith provides cheese training and education for retailers and consumers. Through his role as owner/operator of Mart Delicatessen in Canberra for over 8 years, Russell’s experience of cheese and dairy products offered the local community greater depth of knowledge in Australian cheese appreciation. He is a regular contributor to the Canberra Times on dairy and cheese information and has judged in various cheese competitions across Australia – for the Royal Agricultural Societies and the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Awards. Currently a consultant to the National Food Industry Strategy, Russell also conducts cheese appreciation courses for Flavours Culinary Centre in Canberra and has been the Deputy Judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards for four years.
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Robyn Gray
Dairy Technologist
Robyn Gray is a dairy technologist with 18 years technical experience in ice cream and cheese manufacture. At Unilever Australia, she was involved in technical research and development, quality assurance and packaging at Unilever Australia for the ice cream division. She also has worked in stabiliser technology for Germantown International, in cheese applications for Danisco International and is currently at Quest International – Flavours and Frangrances, as Business Manager focussing on new product development for food clients, including the dairy industry.
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Sam Cutri
Food Science Teacher - RMIT (Melbourne)
Sam Cutri is a technical dairy expert, he has worked at Peter's Ice Creams, Dairy Technical Services and Gilbert Chandler College where he ran Ice Cream short courses. Sam is currently employed at RMIT teaching the Diploma of Food Science and Technology. Sam teaches Dairy and Ice Cream Production, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, HACCP, Food Safety and other food science subjects. Sam has been involved with the dairy/food processing industry for 20 years and regularly judges ice cream and dairy products for the Royal Melbourne Show, Dairy Industry Association of Australia and has been a judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards since its inception in 1999.
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Bill Tzimas
Owner/manager, Bill’s Farm
With a background as a secondary school teacher, Bill Tzimas followed his love of Melbourne’s passion for fine food to open Bill’s Farm, a fine food store at the Queen Victoria Market. Sixteen years later, Bill’s Farm is one of the most acclaimed fine food stores in Melbourne and serves as an avenue for Australia’s up and coming new cheesemakers to showcase their products. Bill’s Farm has also evolved into a substantial cheese distribution business to cater for the demand for cheese in its best eating condition within the foodservice industry. Bill is a qualified cheese grader and his knowledge and passion for cheese quality is well-utilised in his role as a cheese judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards, the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Awards and Adelaide Cheese Fest 2006.
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Don Sandman
Manager, Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority
Don Sandman is the Manager of the Tasmanian Dairy Industry Authority (TDIA) and has been a member of the Dairy Industry Association of Australia (DIAA) for over 20 years. He holds a B. App. Sc (Dairy Technology) and has extensive experience in the dairy industry, having been a cheesemaker prior to joining the TDIA. Don has managed a cultured foods factory and brings to the 2007 AGDA considerable knowledge of dairy food assessment and manufacture. He is a stalwart of the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania, having been a judge in the dairy section for the past 7 years and was a guest judge at this year’s Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Awards.
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Joanna Savill
Journalist and TV presenter
Joanna Savill is a journalist and TV presenter (The Food Lovers' Guide to Australia, SBS TV/Lifestyle Channel) with a particular interest in food cultures, food production and the stories and people behind our food. A borderline-obsessive food traveller, she spent many years living and working around the world before concentrating on her Australian explorations. Aside from authoring ten editions of the SBS Eating Guide to Sydney, a guide to eating out and food shopping in dozens of different nationalities, she is a regular contributor and reviewer with the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Living section and Australian Gourmet Traveller, among others. She is also a popular MC, convenor of industry forums and events, and a trained judge of both olive oil and cheese.
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Leanne Bennett-Jones
Food Consultant
Leanne Bennett-Jones has over twenty years experience in the food industry as a food consultant, food stylist, cooking presenter and event manager. Her specialist skills extend across recipe development, food presentation for print and tv, cookbook production and exhibition management. Leanne owned her own cooking school and cookware business, Cuisine Collection, for six years before managing and marketing the Gabriel Gate Cooking School for a two year period. She has coordinated various fine food event and exhibitions, including the Home Beautiful Kitchen and Cooking Show, the Melbourne Home Ideas Show and Fine Food & Wine by the Bay. In 2003, Leanne took on the role of Executive Officer of the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Association for two years and also coordinated production of the Australian Cheese Please booklet and the 2006 Australian Grand Dairy Awards event for Dairy Australia.
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Jeremy Menezes
Business Manager - Deli, Woolworths
Jeremy Menezes has a passion for the retail, with over 18 years in the supermarket retail business. Following experience with various independent retailers, he moved to Woolworths and is now Business Manager – Deli for Woolworths nationally. His portfolio consists of 3,000 SKU’s in the deli category and he is responsible for business relationships with over 90 vendors. In his role, he has developed close associations with many of Australia’s specialty cheese suppliers and exposure to a vast range of retail cheese varieties.
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Roland Perrin
Professor in Food Technology
National Dairy School, Poligny France
Based in Poligny France, Professor Roland Perrin is highly qualified in the Dairy industry. He has extensive experience in Food Technology and was based in the French National Dairy School for 12 years with extensive experience in R&D. He was a consultant to the French agriculture minister for labelling of milk and dairy products and has travelled abroad widely teaching Cheese & Dairy Technology to university lecturers. He has consulted in Cheese technology for the international company Danisco and consulted with the launch of a cheese plant making soft cheeses in Algeria.
Professor Perrin is also President of the National Cheese contest of dairy products in Paris (France) and San Fransisco.
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John MacDonald
Director, Platable Partners
John has been involved in the distribution of specialty cheese and fine food for a number of years. He is passionate about his business and is extensively involved in the industry. John has a long history of cheese judging at various shows including the Australian Specialist Cheese Association and is a member of various national and international cheesemakers’ associations.
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Garry Baker
Technical Danisco Australia
Garry is currently Director Asia Pacific Region for Danisco Australia, who is a leading supplier of ingredients to the Dairy and Ice Cream industries. Garry has extensive highly technical experience with dairy products and travels extensively in his field of expertise.
Garry has been a judge at the Royal Agricultural Shows in both Melbourne and Sydney as well as the DIAA as well as New Zealand Ice Cream association
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Dean Kruger
Housebrand Team Leader – Chilled Dairy Coles Supermarkets
In his present role as the Housebrand Team Leader – Chilled Dairy at Coles, Dean Kruger is responsible for leading the Chilled Dairy Housebrand Product Development Strategy. He has over 10 years experience across Retail Marketing, Merchandise Buying and Brand Management at Nestle Ice Cream where he spearheaded a major launch into the Australian market.
Dean has a genuine passion for driving innovation within Australian Food Retailing and finds Dairy to be at the forefront of customer driven New Product Development. In his role Dean maintains strong connection with customers, global trends and trading partners, totranslate customer insights into meaningful product innovation.
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Helen Waterworth
Cheese Educator
Helen Waterworth has been involved in the Dairy industry for over 20 years. As founding marketing manager of King Island Dairy she played an integral role in developing new cheeses. She has been a strong advocate of recognising the value of entering cheese into shows to be judged by the experts, and has national and international experience in judging at various shows.
Helen is known as a cheese educator and regularly runs cheese education classes for companies and consumers alike and was part of the founding committee to establish the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.
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Tracy Krause
Foodservice Industry Marketer, Appetto Creative Agency
‘Appetto’ founder Tracy Krause is well known for her long standing expertise within the foodervice industry. Appetto is a boutique creative agency servicing the foodservice industry in Australasia and many food and beverage marketers engage Tracy’s services to seek out her experience.
Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award Finalist, Tracy has much experience in the dairy industry, having worked with many of the manufacturing companies.
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Marcel Seuret
Technical Expert
Marcel Seuret has a diverse scientific background having worked with CSIRO , Kraft Foods and gained extensive experience in the development, manufacture and assessment of dairy products. He was principle scientist, responsible for all R&D and commercialization work of cheese products and cheese technology.
Marcel now consults to the dairy industry providing support in all matters of cheese manufacture, quality control, technology and training. Marcel is a member of many cheesemaker associations and has carried out extensive cheese grading within the industry. He is also a judge at various of the state based cheese competitions.
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Mathew Macartney
Executive Chef, Chateau Yering
When Chateau Yering’s new Head Chef, Mathew Macartney, was in his apprenticeship he was asked what his dream job would be. “I’d love to work in a chateau. A real French style chateau.” And now 32 year old Macartney is seeing that dream become a reality.
Macartney came to the Yarra Valley after a 9 year career at Daylesford’s award winning Lake House. “But it’s like coming home. Both my wife Karla’s and my family come from the Yarra Valley.”
His career started as an apprentice at the Snooty Fox in Olinda, progressed to Caffé e Cucina in South Yarra, and finally to the Hotel Sofitel under Raymond Capaldi and Marcus Moore. “The best training a young chef could get.”
During his tenure at Lake House Mathew’s professional skills were continually extended and refined as he progressed from Commis to Head Chef, punctuated with regular short term opportunities in Fiji, New Zealand and Dubais. When he won Australia’s “Best Sous Chef” the prize was a six week appointment to any restaurant in the world. He chose Restaurant Daniel in New York. “This gave me the confidence and self belief to aim high.”
And what is Mathew passionate about? Using wonderful fresh Australian products, especially from the local area.
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Rita Erlich
Food Writer/Critic
Dairy judge Rita Erlich is best known for her wine and food writing in a career that extends for more than 30 years. She is currently food and wine editor of Coast and Country magazine, and writes regularly for Qantas as well as some international magazines.
She was co-editor of The Age Good Food Guide for 15 years, and is a former Age senior writer. She has written extensively for Australian and overseas newspapers and magazines, and has won a number of awards for education, travel, and food writing. She is also a regular guest on radio, and is a teacher, editor, public speaker, and consultant. She has edited a number of books, and has written six. She travels widely, eating cheese wherever she goes.
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Australian Grand Dairy Awards 