When Emilia D’Albero heard her name called, she started crying.

She had just become the first ever American to win the Mondial du Fromage, a biennial event held in France and known in English as the Cheesemonger World Cup.

While some onlookers believe that D’Albero’s victory could change the way that European cheesemongers think about their counterparts across the pond, she had her own hope: that Americans will stop thinking of cheesemongers as just people who hand out free samples at grocery stores.

“At its core, the definition of a cheesemonger is a person who participates in the sale of cheese, butter, and other dairy products,” D’Albero told CNN. But the job also involves “being a storyteller, and educating people about being responsible consumers. It’s definitely skilled labor.”

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