Cara Warren

Born and bred in Brooklyn, Cara is a CCP (certified cheese professional) and CCSE (certified cheese sensory expert) aka super curd nerd. With over 15 years of experience from Murray’s Cheese to current Director of East Coast Sales for the French dairy cooperative, Isigny Ste. Mere, she knows her cheese! Cara particularly relishes the opportunity to pair cheeses with delicious craft brews. Cara is an alumni of Brooklyn College with a Bachelor in Television & Radio. After graduating she went on to complete a media fellowship with the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS), won by national competition, at IRTS she was placed at CBS Radio. Starting now at Heritage Radio Network Cara is working again with both her passions of cheese and radio and she can’t wait to learn the whey!

Diane Stemple

In 2001, after many years of loving cheese from afar, Diane Stemple went to work at Artisanal Bistro & Fromagerie, one lunch shift per week. After two years, she followed many colleagues to work behind the counter at Murray’s Cheese shop in Greenwich Village, where she first furthered her knowledge and then helped teach and train others. She then worked with Debra Dickerson at 3D Cheese, representing Neal’s Yard Dairy, Jasper Hill, Redwood Hill and Avonlea Cheese from 2007 to 2009. After that she has continued to represent the Cellars at Jasper Hill, and more recently began hosting Cutting the Curd for cheese pal Anne Saxelby, and now does monthly book episodes on the show. Diane is also a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Port Washington and Williamsburg where she lives.

Carlos Yescas

 

Carlos Yescas is a cheese scholar and book author. He is the co-founder of Lactography in Mexico, the first artisanal cheese distributor in his country. He serves as the Program Director of the Oldways Cheese Coalition, a US-based non-profit promoting artisanal cheese and protecting traditional cheesemaking practices. He created the LACTEO Network a consulting firm supporting cheese producers and retailers in Latin America. Since 2009, Carlos has served as a supreme judge of the World Cheese Awards. He divides his time between England and the United States. 

Jessica Kesselman

Jessica Kesselman is a food activist and loves to connect people through food from farm to table, from producer to consumer. She has been in the food industry over a decade starting as cheesemonger and worked her way up to executive account manager for a specialty food brokerage firm. Her expertise includes developing partnerships with community organizations and municipal bodies; she has established a subsidized CSA shares program for Hudson River Health Care, and Farm to School initiatives. One of her proudest achievements was coordinating local and state agriculture policy campaigns with elected officials and regional non-profit organizations to promote and preserve small farms in suburban districts and increase access to local agriculture. Jessica's passion for podcasting has led her to become a guest host for the Cutting the Curd, where she is eager to share and learn about developing food policies and activism in relation to cheese.