View McCalman's Odyssey medal acceptance speech.
Max McCalman is a highly visible advocate for artisanal cheese production and a dedicated scholar of cheese, where he acts as consultant to the trade, judges at cheese competitions and is a frequent guest lecturer. He authored three books, The Cheese Plate, Cheese: A Connoisseur's Guide to the World's Best, and, most recently, Mastering Cheese: Lessons For Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager.
McCalman has been awarded the exclusive title of Garde et Jure by France's Guilde des Fromagers, and he was the first in-house Maître Fromager for an American restaurant. He retains this title at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center, where he is Dean of Curriculum and Director of Affinage. McCalman developed the widely lauded cheese program at Terrance Brennan’s Picholine restaurant more than 15 years ago, and later established the critically acclaimed cheese programs at Brennan’s Artisanal Fromagerie & Bistro and at Artisanal Premium Cheese (APC) center, all in New York City.
He has appeared on The Food Network and "Martha Stewart Living." Additionally, McCalman has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine and various radio programs. For further information on McCalman, visit his website.