2010 Judges Profiles

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 A wards. Neil has been the Chief Judge of the Australian G rand Dairy Awards for the past 10 years and has also judged several times at International competitions such as the World Cheese Championship Contest, USA.

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 presenter on ABC 666 in Canberra talking cheese, dairy and all fine foods and has judged in various cheese competitions across Australia – for the Royal Agricultural Societies and the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association Awards.

He is the chief judge of the Dairy Produce Show for the RNA in Brisbane and has recently been appointed the Chairman of Judges for the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Shows.

Russell also conducts cheese appreciation courses for Flavours Culinary Centre in Canberra and has been the Deputy Chief Judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards for five years.

Henry-Eric Spinnler

International Dairy Expert

Professor of Food Science and Technology

Eric Spinnler is an international cheese expert based at the AgroParisTech, France. He has published hundreds of articles on cheese including the major publications Cheese (1st of a number of scientific articles published in France on this subject, as seen on the web of science database) and Cheese flavours and aroma (In the 10 first by the number of scientific articles published in the world on this subject, as seen on the WOS database). He has a PhD in biotechonolgy, is an expert in Biosynthesis of flavours and is a Permanent expert in National Agency for Food Safety in France. Publications include 70 scientific articles, 13 Chapters in technical books, 3 Patents, 97 congress presentations and 21 Congress scientific article publications. Lets just say he really knows his cheese!

Alison Alexander

Food Consultant & Journalist

Alison Alexander is a passionate promoter of Australian regional produce and regularly conducts tours in Queensland and interstate to encourage this awareness. After many years as a cookery teacher and caterer, she now appears as a guest chef and speaker at conferences and promotional events. Alison believes food has to have a ‘quality’ about it – flavour, hygiene in production, careful handling, ideal growing conditions and sound cooking methods - just some of the criteria which are essential for this ‘quality’.

Anneka Manning

Senior Food Consultant, The Australian Women’s Weekly

Anneka Manning has spent more than 19 years in the food print media. She has worked on a number of leading Australian food publications including Australian Good Taste, Australian Gourmet Traveller, Sunday Life magazine, VOGUE Entertaining + Travel, Good Living, Australian Table, Family Circle, Diabetic Living, Heart Healthy Living and Weight Watchers Australia.

Anneka is currently the Senior Food Consultant for The Australian Women’s Weekly.

While with Australian Good Taste, Anneka complied and wrote two successful, award winning books, good food and more good food. Anneka also co-wrote The Low GI Family Cookbook which was released in 2008.

Anneka believes that the best food is simple food done well, relying on sound basics, simple techniques and good ingredients. Her food reflects the way she cooks, eats and entertains in her busy life. It is simple food – realistic, yet inspiring.

Bill Calder

Dairy Technologist

Bill Calder has worked in production, research, extension and food safety within the dairy industry for 45 years. Bill currently has responsibility for all food safety operations within the Western Australian Department of Health. He has also judged at both Royal Agricultural Society and Dairy Industry Association Dairy competitions in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

Bill is a life member of the Dairy Industry Association of Australia and has been awarded the Association's JI Scarr award for meritorious service.

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. Seventeen 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 Cheesefest.

Caroline Velik

Food Writer & Stylist

Caroline Velik is a food writer and stylist. She writes a regular column for the Epicure section of The Age newspaper in Melbourne and Good Living in the Sydney Morning Herald. In addition to this, she cooks and styles the pages of Epicure and Good Weekend, as well as testing and styling Karen Martini’s recipes in Sunday Life. With qualifications from RMIT (Dip. App. Science Home Economics) and William Angliss (Adv. Cert. Hospitality Studies), she works in food advertising, food packaging, publishing, editorial and television commercials.

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 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 2009 AGDA considerable knowledge of dairy food assessment and manufacture. Over the years, Don has judged in the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania and was a guest judge at the 2008 Sydney Royal Cheese and Dairy Produce Awards.

Garry Baker

Technical Expert, Danisco Australia

Garry Baker 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 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 awards and part of the New Zealand Ice Cream association.

Joanna Savill

Director The Sydney International Food Festival, Journalist , TV Personality

Joanna is the director of The Sydney International Food Festival and is one of Australia’s most popular and respected food personalities. Joanna is a prolific traveller and writer on food and food cultures, with a particular interest in the stories and people behind our food. She is a long-time Good Living contributor and co-editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide. She was co-creator and host of the TV series, The Food Lover’s Guide to Australia (seen in more than 20 countries), and is a popular MC, convenor of industry forums and events and a trained judge of both olive oil and cheese.

John MacDonald

Director, Palatable Partners

John MacDonald has been involved in the distribution of specialty cheese and fine food for over 20 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, both here in Australia and overseas. He is also a member of various national and international cheesemakers’ associations.

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. 

 

Maggie Beer

Food writer/TV personality

Maggie became immersed in the world of food after her marriage to Colin in 1970, which by 1973 led them to the Barossa Valley where they began pheasant breeding and grape growing. This was the beginning of a career that now spans farming, food production, exporting, food writing and television presenting.

Maggie’s achievements have been recognised over the years, with numerous awards, including the Food Media Club’s Industry Peer Award in 2001. Maggie has written seven books in total, drawing on her own philosophy of quality produce and the pleasures of the table. Her books have also been recognised with various prestigious awards.

It was a natural extension, with her passion for food and food writing, that Maggie should find herself in front of the camera in her own television series, The Cook and The Chef on the ABC. She featured her home region and the people who supply her with the produce to create her culinary reputation. The show was so successful that Maggie won the inaugural Lifestyle Food Channel’s People’s Choice Award and the show won the award for Best Television Food Segment.

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 Mathew is seeing that dream become a reality.

Mathew 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 produce, especially from the local area.

Peter Howard

Food & Wine Journalist

Peter Howard can be described as a veteran food and wine journalist as he celebrates 30 years of writing & reporting in all parts of the media. Peter spent many years at Channel 9 as the “cook” on Midday Show with Ray Martin and later as Food Editor on the “Today” Show where he actively promoted cooking and the food industry at large to a vast audience. He was a part of the original team that wrote for The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living – his bi-line in Gourmet was “Howard’s Way”.
Peter’s passion for food and wine has had many rewards for him - during the past few years he has been the Chairman of the Dairy Produce Committee for the RAS of NSW and he currently judges at various cheese shows nationally. Peter maintains a busy schedule and is currently promoting his 16th book!

Phillippa Grogan

Purveyor, Phillippa’s Bakery

In May 1994 Phillippa Grogan opened Phillippa’s, after working for nine years with Sally Clarke in Church St, Kensington, London.

Apart from time spent in the pastry section and on the floor of this California influenced restaurant, Phillippa managed the shop next door, selling items made in the restaurant kitchen, as well sourced ingredients such as olive oils, vinegars, eggs and Neal’s Yard Dairy cheeses. They supplied their breads around London to restaurants and hotels.

Phillippa opened a Melbourne business in January 1995, and was joined by Andrew O’Hara, a New Zealander, who had been baking at Clarke’s in London for 2 years. The demand for bread gained momentum and the focus of the company began to turn more toward bread production. In May 1999 the bakery expanded into larger purpose built premises in order to produce more efficiently and to try to meet the growing demand for the bread.

A quote from Elizabeth David from English Bread and Yeast Cookery, sums up our approach to making bread "The true essence of good bread lies in the slow fermentation and unhurried ripening of the dough."

Robyn Gray

Regional Account Manager - Givaudan Australia

Robyn Gray is currently a Regional Account Manager for Givaudan, a leading company within the Flavour and Fragrance Industry. She has been actively involved in the Australian Dairy Industry for over 20 years. As a qualified cheesemaker and with a technical background heavily focussed in ice cream and general dairy textures, and more recently in flavour delivery systems, she continues to use her expertise in various judging panels throughout Australia, including the annual AGDA awards .

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.

Steve Rice

Chief Executive Officer, Dairy Authority of South Australia

Steve Rice is CEO of the Dairy Authority of SA and has been a member of the DIAA and predecessor organisations for over 30 years. Steve holds an Hons BSc and PG Diploma in Food Technology and has worked with the dairy industry for over 30 years in the Department of Agriculture and Dairy Authority.

Steve has extensive industry knowledge having worked in dairy regulation at the state and national level, state and Commonwealth dairy marketing arrangements and has wide auditing experience in all industry sectors.

Steve has extensive dairy product judging experience in South Australia with the SA Royal A gricultural and Horticultural Society, the DIAA (SA Division) and SA’s Cheesefest .

Valerie Henbest

Cheese Providore and Distributor

(Say Cheese and The Smelly Cheese Shop)

Born and bred in Normandy, Valerie Henbest spent most of her first 20 years experiencing and enjoying the great local cheeses. Her grandparents were fine camembert connoisseurs and taught Valerie the fundamentals about grading cheese.

Valerie arrived in Australia in the early nineties and it has been a very exciting experience to see the sudden expansion of good quality cheeses as well as the development of great local ones. Valerie has turned her natural love for cheese into a profession, developing cheese grading skills, completing cheese and dairy judging accreditation and running a cheese business at Adelaide’s Central Market together with her partner.

She travels to France regularly to meet lots of fascinating cheese producers and expand her knowledge in cheese making.

Zoe Skewes

Journalist

Zoe Skewes began her journalism career in 2000 at Australia's largest rural newspaper, The Weekly Times. She worked as a general journalist, editor of the paper's Property lift out and launch editor of the award-winning country football section. For the past three years Zoe has been at the Herald Sun where she has worked as a general features journalist and is the paper's current food editor and deputy editor of the Saturday Weekend lift out.