Tore Espenes

Tore Espenes, who has worked in restaurants and hotels since 2003.

- What is it like to be a judge in the World Cheese Championship, one of the most important competitions for cheese in the world? - Very nice to be invited to be a judge! It is a great honor to be allowed to be a judge at such a big event as the Oste WC, and especially when it is in Bergen, which is my city!

- What could be the value of the Cheese WC being held in Norway? - There must be value in showing our Norwegian goods internationally, and hopefully giving the producers the opportunity to enter the market abroad as well

- How can we be inspired to taste new Norwegian cheeses? - Through exposure of the cheeses where the people are, will probably give people opportunities to try and tempt them to taste new cheeses. There are countless producers of cheese in the country, and if people get this out at shops and markets in their local area, this will probably inspire them to taste both new cheeses and those that have already been available for a while. It's probably a lot about the availability of the products - What is your best cheese memory? - That's when I was working in Genoa, Italy, and the head chef took me to a small farm where they made cheese. I have no idea what the cheese was called, or what it was used for as no one spoke English - but the cheese, which was made by a lady who was probably well over 90 years old, was absolutely incredible! Never forget the taste of this, and most likely will never taste it again..

- What is your best serving tip for cheese? Find the cheese you like best, temper it, eat it.