Anna grew up in Iowa enjoying the traditional foods of her Czech, German and Swedish ancestors.  Her parents took her on nontraditional vacation adventures that were far off the beaten path fueling her passion for travel.  Her love of quality food and hospitality inspired her to create and manage the family business - Juhl Haus Market & Café - a food destination in Salt Lake City for which she sourced the finest cheeses and other artisanal foods from European and American producers to share with her customers and chefs. 

Combining her hospitable personality with her zeal for travel, Cheese Journeys was launched in 2013. Anna and her team focus on working with the world's best artisan cheesemakers and wine producers to offer travelers a unique backdoor opportunity to visit their creameries and alpage herds, walk their vineyards, and dine at their tables. Cooking demonstrations, cheese pairing classes, and sumptuous meals prepared by Cheese Journeys’ private chefs add to each unique tour.

When Anna first traveled to Europe to meet legendary cheese producers, it was life changing and she wanted to be able to share this experience with others. She has been able to connect with like-minded travelers and has grown Cheese Journeys over the past ten years from three tours a year to eight! Her mission is to continue to curate new itineraries, expand her team of fun, international experts, while uncovering interesting cheesemaking stories- all in beautiful locations, while staying in unique chateau accommodations across Europe – a signature of the ultimate Cheese Journey.

@cheesejourneys

John grew up on an Iowa farm, in a German/Danish family, milking 22 cows whose milk went exclusively to make cheese.  He developed a love of fresh, local food at his mother’s table where essentially all ingredients were produced on the farm and his mother planned her menus around home-made pies.

John read Henry David Thoreau’s Walden as a teenager and was impacted by “Not till we are completely lost, or turned around, do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of nature”.  His greatest passion in life is to wander through mountains, forests, and cities to observe things that he hasn’t seen before.  He has never been lost; he has just found new ways of getting home!  He spent 27 years as a National Bank Examiner working for the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency regulating the nation’s largest banks while traveling and working in 39 states and three foreign countries. 

His life was irrevocably changed by visits to the Roquefort caves, Georgio Cravero’s home, and the Cathedral of Comte.  The incredible flavors of artisan cheese, and the astonishing stories of the people who produce them, continue to motivate him to explore their world.

John supported Cheese Journeys behind the scenes for ten years prior to retiring in October 2023.  He now works with his wife, Anna, managing finances, scouting new locations, and helping to develop new tours for Cheese Journeys!

Jilly is an artisan cheese champion and advocate for the fine food and drink sector with over 45 years of experience in bespoke hospitality, catering, and events.

 Jilly inherited her love of fine food from her grandmother who was a head chef at a private estate in Southwest England.  It was Jilly’s first management role at a French restaurant that introduced her to international cuisine and speciality cheese, this interest was heightened when she moved to South Africa to run a restaurant group for five years.

 On returning to the UK and raising her three children, Jilly fully immersed herself in the world of cheese and took on the role of General Manager at Turnbull’s, an award-winning cheesemonger. During her ten-year tenure, Jilly managed established events and took on new initiatives such as The Shaftesbury Food Festival and The Gold Hill cheese race. She also became a judge at the Great Taste and World Cheese Awards, both organized under The Guild of Fine Food and internationally recognized.

 Jilly then diversified into teaching and ran The School of Fine Food - the educational arm of The Guild of Fine Food - as Training and Events Manager, where she traveled across the UK teaching management, counter, and retail teams how to run a successful store. Additionally, Jilly led a team to orchestrate and execute the Great Taste and World Cheese Awards and was also part of the team to establish the Academy of Cheese in the UK, inspired by the Certified Cheese Professional qualification run by the American Cheese Society.

 A monthly column in the trade publication Fine Food Digest was the perfect medium for Jilly to iterate and educate on the importance of food aesthetics and etiquette. “We eat with our eyes – and this informs what and how we consume, and what we want to learn more about, be it over the counter, off the shelf, or on the table,” Jilly notes.

 Today, Jilly upholds the same passion and professionalism for fine food education and hospitality.  Having spent her career on her own “cheese journey,” she loves nothing more than passing on her knowledge to fellow cheese enthusiasts across trade and consumer sectors.

@jillysitch_

Entrepreneur. Tastemaker. Gardener. Traveler. Marisela loves to cultivate beauty wherever she goes–at her family table in Virginia, in her own boutique, across continents, and in her garden. With a background in fine foods and catering, her passion for culinary artistry has led to collaborations with Cheese Journeys Travels & Events, where she curates immersive tasting experiences and thoughtfully designed gatherings that celebrate artisanal craftsmanship, storytelling, and the joy of shared tables.

For over 22 years, Marisela has been the proud owner of Sequels in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a curated women's resale boutique, where she thoughtfully selects pieces that tell a story and celebrate timeless style. Her shop is more than retail; it's a destination where fashion, sustainability, and personal connection meet. Through special collaborations with Sequels customers, she has extended the boutique experience beyond its walls, fostering community through shared travel, style inspiration, and meaningful connection.

An avid traveler, Marisela cherishes exploring the world with her husband by her side. Together, they can often be found brocanting through French markets and village fairs, sourcing one-of-a-kind treasures. Some of these carefully selected pieces even make their way back to her shop, adding layers of story, heritage, and global charm.

Beyond business, Marisela’s heart is rooted in the garden. A devoted master gardener, she finds joy in cultivating vibrant tulips and lush peony beds, tending to each season with the same care and artistry she brings to her culinary and boutique endeavors.

Sylvain grew up in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, spending time at his grandmother's traditional French bistro where she taught him to taste and experience food, and entrusted him with vinaigrette-making duties at age six!

A family move to the south of France introduced him to new flavors and an abundance of fresh seafood, fruits and vegetables. There, he was exposed not only to southern Spanish, Italian, and southern French cuisine, but also to merguez, rose petals, and other scents and spices of North African cuisine.

A move to London coincided with a part-time position at the legendary Neal’s Yard Dairy, where Sylvain immersed himself in the world of artisan cheese. Simultaneously, he was back on the restaurant scene, rising to head chef as he prepared Spanish and Muslim Mediterranean cuisine. 

 With so much food culture and cooking experience under his belt, Sylvain eventually started his own catering company, providing for weddings, private parties and other events in the homes of A-list celebrities and artists in London.

 Sylvain has been Cheese Journeys' chef and culinary educator for our European trips since 2014. He specializes in preparing regional dishes using locally sourced produce and ingredients - a signature part of the Cheese Journeys experience. Sylvain's friendly and personable teaching style has also made his Cheese Journeys cooking classes a highlight of our tours!

In his free time, Sylvain works with food education programs in the London area, teaching young people the lost art of cooking.

@sylvain_jamois

Angelica attended Waldorf Schools in England, and the connection to nature and the seasons has deeply informed her adult life. She has fond memories of making bread from hand-harvested wheat and apple juice from a local orchard.

Later, she moved to Berlin and worked in Music PR for 6 years, where she developed a love of restaurants, constantly researching, eating and exploring places in the city and beyond. By the tail end of her time there, she began working in a restaurant called Baldon alongside her music work. Eventually that inspired her to re-train, and she enrolled in Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, home to a 100-acre organic farm. She milked cows, made fresh cheese, and tasted a lot of Irish cheeses.

After moving back to the UK, she worked at notable restaurants, such as Fitzroy in Cornwall, Brawn, and 40 Maltby Street. Most recently, she served as sous chef at Elsa Bistro in London, which was awarded a Bib Gourmand in 2025. The seasonal focus of these restaurants and their commitment to quality ingredients (including cheeses from Neal’s Yard Diary and La Fromagerie) deepened her love for quality produce and British cheeses.

Angelica also trained at the Academy of Healing Nutrition and enjoys supporting women and families in Postpartum with nourishing and nutritious meals. She cares deeply about health and nutrition, and she loves to travel with her work.

Born in Scotland into a family of enthusiastic eaters, Scarlett’s childhood was spent in the restaurants, cafes and delis of Edinburgh and with her mother’s family on the island of Islay, where they caught, grew, and foraged for the best of Scottish ingredients—from lobsters plucked from the bay, to artichokes cut from the garden.

After working in Communications for the voluntary sector in West Africa and London, she finally followed her heart (and her stomach) into Food & Drink PR.  From there, she trained at the world-famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in Southern Ireland.  On her return to London, she launched her cooking career as a pastry chef under Henry Harris at Harvey Nichols Fifth Floor Restaurant before moving into Food Styling and Food TV.

During her television years, Scarlett worked as a Home Economist on “Ready Steady Cook” and
the “Late Lunch” series. She also served as assistant food stylist on many ads, including for Linda McArtney products and Sainsbury’s magazines.

Eventually, Scarlett left London to start a family and create her own catering business. Her clients have included international celebrities and, yes, even members of the royal family. In winter, she feeds hungry shooting parties; in spring, she cooks for the Great Taste Awards judges at the Guild of Fine Foods; and in summer she caters for happy couples and their wedding guests, before disappearing back to Scotland for the month of August to eat seafood and drink
whisky!

Milo has been in and out of restaurant kitchens since before he can remember. He grew up near Canterbury, Kent - “the garden of England” - where his father was chef/patron of The Wife of Bath in Wye and later Waterfield's in Canterbury as well as a winemaker, with a small vineyard on their farm property.

Milo's twin passions are food and graphic art. As a young man, he spent several years working in restaurants, training on the job as a chef at a seafood restaurant in Cornwall and later as a cocktail bartender in London's Soho. He continued to draw constantly in his spare time and eventually decided to study animation, attaining a Masters in Animation at the Royal College of Art and going on to build a successful career as an animator. Milo often has one eye on the kitchen in his graphic work, as is evident in his short films Lobster Club, Plat du Jour and Nightcap as well as a series of commissioned posters for an annual Fête du vin in France.

Alongside continuing to be an enthusiastic home cook, Milo gladly returns to the professional kitchen when he can, more recently in stints on the Kentish coast at a Neapolitan restaurant and an independent café, where he created a short daily seasonal menu, alongside café staples. He has been travelling with Cheese Journeys since 2015, as Sylvain's right-hand man in the kitchen and is never happier than when he has a stock or bourride simmering away, while preparing the finest ingredients for discerning guests.

@milo.waterfield

Robert Springer is the owner and executive chef of Chef Springer Catering, based on Long Island, NY.

A successful insurance agent for over 20 years, Rob has simultaneously followed his more artistic side down a culinary path for close to a decade. While self-taught, he has had the privilege of working alongside several of Long Island’s best chefs to learn fundamental cooking techniques. This experience, together with his extensive travel to some of the best food destinations in the world, led Rob to create his private chef business in 2018, playing off his diverse palate and understanding of regional cooking and products.

Having traveled with Cheese Journeys as a guest for several years, Chef Springer is now joining the culinary team on some of its upcoming adventures in 2022. Published and cited in many print and online publications for his recipes, culinary advice, and cooking methods, Rob is excited to share his knowledge and expertise with Cheese Journeys travelers.

@chefrobertspringer

Raoul is a formally trained front-of-house professional who obtained his CAP certificate in 1993, and set off to work in the restaurant industry. He fulfilled his military service in Germany in 1994 and served as a waiter at the officers' restaurant.

In 1995, he left military service to work for a large Sodexo group for several years, then later became a chef de rang at a series of prestigious French restaurants, including La table du Terroir, La Patte d'Oie, and Le Pâtisson.

He served as Room Manager for a franchised restaurant "Poivre Rouge" from 2009 to 2016, then became Maître d'hôtel for the French football team in Clairefontaine.

In August 2022, Raoul left the world of football to set out as a self-employed entrepreneur, working as a butler for a caterer, as well as chef de rang for various restaurants. He was delighted to cross paths with Jilly Sitch in a dining room, which is what brought him to Cheese Journeys!

London-based Alfred Marrable leads a double life: he's both a blacksmith and a chef. After completing a multi-level degree in Blacksmithing and Metalwork at Plumpton College, he joined the kitchens of The Chimney House and 40 Maltby St, where he has run fermentation programs, foraged for wild foods, and served as chef.

When he's not pressing cider or developing cocktail recipes, he spends his time as a goldsmith, creating engagement rings and even food-inspired jewelry. He cut his teeth making bespoke pieces for The Great Frog in London and now runs his own business crafting fine jewelry focused on ethical sourcing.

With over a decade of experience in kitchens and a massive love for the food community, Alfred looks forward to bringing his unique skill set to Cheese Journeys and to finding sprigs of inspiration along the road.

Tenaya Darlington is a professional writer, creator, and cheese educator who goes by the pen name Madame Fromage, an award-winning cheese blog she launched in 2009. She is also the author/co-author of five books about food: Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese, The New Cocktail Hour, TCM’s Movie Night Menus, Booze and Vinyl, and Madame Fromage’s Adventures in Cheese.

Tenaya is a former food journalist and faculty member of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where she received awards for teaching and research. She became a cheese educator with Cheese Journeys in 2015 and has taught tour workshops every summer, expanding her love of artisan cheese and travel. Today, she also runs Cheese Journeys’ social media. 

In recent years, Tenaya has served as a cheese consultant for restaurants and created educational videos about EU cheeses for several international campaigns. She recently wrote about the artisan cheese movement in the U.S. for Food & Wine.

When she's not on the road, Tenaya splits her time between Southern France, Belgium and Philadelphia.

Patrick McGuigan is a British cheese writer, who contributes to titles including The Telegraph, Delicious and BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme, among many others.

He has travelled from the Swiss Alps to the pastures of Vermont in search of good cheese stories, interviewing the world's best makers, affineurs and cheesemongers on the way. His first book, The Philosophy of Cheese, was published by The British Library in 2020, and he is currently working on a second, which will be published in 2023.

On top of writing, Patrick talks about cheese for a living. He hosts regular classes and events, including cheese tastings on the Eurostar train from London to Paris (surely the world's only 300km-an-hour cheese talk beneath the sea). He also runs cheesemonger training courses at the Guild of Fine Food and teaches the Academy of Cheese qualification.

A member of the Guilde Internationale des Fromagers, Patrick is a super jury judge at the World Cheese Awards and the co-founder of the British Cheese Weekender - an online festival, which was backed by HRH The Prince of Wales.

When he's not spreading the word on curd, Patrick lives in Brighton with his wife and two sons, where he runs in the hills, swims in the sea and champions the city's amazing independent restaurants.

He is also a keen wine student, successfully taking the WSET Level 3 qualification in 2021 and hosting tours at a local vineyard. If you're looking for advice on killer cheese and wine matches, Patrick is your man!

@patrickmcguigan1

www.thecheeselifebook.com

Emilio is a third generation owner at Di Bruno Bros. and serves as the Vice President of Culinary Pioneering. He’s always on the quest for the latest and greatest eats, and loves telling the stories behind them. His expertise and passion for food has helped him to grow the cheese offerings at Di Bruno Bros. from the 50 varieties it offered in its earlier days to well over 600 cheeses from all over the world–each with their own unique story. He helped write the esteemed Certified Cheese Professional Exam—the highest standard for cheese professionals, and has been recognized for his work in the food industry. In 2010, the Italian Trade Commission acclaimed Emilio for “Distinguished Service” in importing, representing, and educating on Italian Food and Culture. The James Beard Foundation also honored him for his help in making Philadelphia a world-class food city. 

Emilio first gave Cheese Journeys' guests an inside look at Philly's famous Italian Market  (similar tour to the legendary one he gave Anthony Bourdain). Emilio, is often spending time in Italy himself, visiting family and friends, and sourcing out unique and delicious specialties for DiBrunos. He is a perfect partner to co-host with Tenaya, aka Madame Fromage, on Anna's Northern Italy tour. 

Hanna is French-American, raised between the vineyards of Charlottesville, Virginia — where her father, French-trained winemaker Michael Shaps, put down his American roots after crossing the Atlantic — and Burgundy, the region she would eventually call home.

After studying at the University of Virginia, Hanna left a career in finance to follow her instincts toward cheese. She trained as a cheesemonger in both the United States and France, including time at the esteemed Fromagerie Alain Hess in Beaune, before spending several years managing Maison Shaps, her family's wine estate in Meursault. There, she developed a cheese and wine pairing program that welcomed guests from around the world into the winery's 200-year-old cellar — giving her a rare, hands-on understanding of both worlds.

In 2024, Hanna founded The Burgundy Cheese Experience, through which she creates intimate, immersive encounters connecting visitors directly with the region's finest cheeses, artisans, and traditions— near Beaune, Dijon, and beyond. A cheese competition judge and a member of the Époisses AOP commission, she brings both institutional knowledge and genuine passion to every tasting she leads.

Hanna is delighted to share her corner of Burgundy with Cheese Journeys travelers.

Mike Geno is a Philadelphia-based artist who is known for, among various food subjects, still-life paintings of cheese which he calls "cheese portraits." In addition to working as a full-time artist - he’s painted nearly 400 cheese portraits! - he also teaches art at Drexel University.

His creative connection with cheesemakers and cheesemongers has allowed him to build an archive which visually honors the artisan food producers, acting as an homage to their art. Painting cheese - and other foods - helps connect his audience to a greater community with strong feelings about the food they relate to.

Mike has exhibited nationally and internationally, and has been featured in publications and television & radio interviews around the world, including: The New York Times, Culture Magazine, The Food Seen, Cutting the Curd, Cheese Connoisseur, Vice Magazine, Food Network Magazine, Cooking Lite, The Globe and Mail (Canada), Esquire (Spain), and CBS 3-Philadelphia, to name a few.

Mike has joined various Cheese Journeys tours during which travelers have enjoyed the opportunity to learn how to paint the very cheeses experienced on the tour. These one-on-one classes not only offer us a chance to create our very own cheese portraits as the ultimate remembrance, but they also provide another way to further connect with the most delicious models.

@mikegenostudio

www.mikegeno.com

Jennifer Greco is a French cheese educator, culinary tour guide and food writer based in Paris. Since moving to France over two decades ago, she has steadily been tasting her way through each and every cheese produced in France. To date, she has tasted almost 500 of the approximately 1600-2000 French cheeses.

She offers entertaining and educational French cheese and wine experiences in Paris, both privately and with small tour companies, and enjoys guiding fellow food lovers on tastings in neighborhoods throughout the city.

She writes about regional French cheeses on her blog, Chez Loulou and for The Cheese Professor. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram.

@chezlouloufrance

www.chezlouloufrance.blogspot.com

The only cheese blogger in Denmark, Camilla Bojsen-Møller has been blogging about cheese in Danish since 2012 (www.ostesnak.dk), while deciding to offer her prose in English in early 2019 (www.cheesetalks.com).

Being Danish, you would think she grew up on Danish blue and Havarti, but sadly she didn’t like cheese at all! It took a job at a cheese company and especially a visit to the Roquefort caves in France to change that. 

“In the dark and damp cave with the intense odor from all the maturing cheeses, I was overwhelmed with the passion of the cheesemaker who was incredibly proud of his cheeses. I knew right there that this was a story I wanted to tell,” remembers Camilla.

After many more visits to cheesemakers throughout Europe and twenty years with a marketing and communication job with cheese companies, Camilla now works on her own as a ‘cheese communicator’ and has dedicated her professional life to sharing the good stories about cheese and the people behind them.

In 2015, Camilla wrote a cookbook with recipes and stories about European cheeses (currently only available in Danish).

@ostesnak_cheesetalks

Facebook: /cheesetalks

“’Born to cook’ was my motto as a child growing up in France back in the sixties,’’ declares Teresa Kaufman, a former professional Alpine rock climber, now photo-journalist, and forever foodie.

‘’The camera became my tool to get into the kitchens of great chefs, starting with the Plaza Hotel in NYC,’’ she remembers.

Teresa loves to tell and illustrate behind-the-scenes stories of farm to table, highlighting the many producers of fine cheese, wine, and traditional fare she has met over the years. Her subjects are shepherds, breeders, gardeners, cheesemakers, grape growers, bread makers and local chefs. Her photographs have been featured in numerous publications in France and England.

Teresa’s classic black and white photography book, “Therese et Ses Deux Frères,” is an intimate glimpse of traditional mountain lifestyle in the Alps with her two brothers.

While born and raised in the States, Teresa has lived in the bustling town of Chamonix, France - renowned for its great skiing - for decades where she continues to guide people behind the scenes to discover, meet, taste, and photograph all that makes up the uniqueness of this region’s gastronomy.

Acting as Anna’s eyes and ears on the ground in France, Teresa has been elemental in scouting and sourcing “off the grid” cheesemakers and other remote, unique experiences for Anna to share with her Cheese Journeys’ guests.

@teresakaufmanphotography

www.teresakaufman.com

Naomi Nieuwenhuis, the owner of Country Home Cooking, (www.naominieuwenhuis.nl) is a Dutch caterer, educator, and tour host, who lives in the Beemster Polder region of the Netherlands. Anna met Naomi years ago while exploring the world of cheese in the Netherlands. She felt right at home in Naomi’s beautiful old farmhouse near Alkmaar, home to the renowned cheese market, where they have been trading cheese since 1365!

Having graduated from the Hotel Hospitality School in Switzerland and worked in many elite restaurants in Amsterdam and The Hague, Naomi raised her children and then opened her home as a bed and breakfast and later added a cooking school and catering company. She’s established an excellent reputation as a caterer for local corporate clients such as Beemster, and with a love of travel and international foods, she has made herself available to private clients for large weddings and events throughout Europe.

Today, in the garden surrounding her old Dutch farm, she cultivates a beautiful herb garden with many edible plants, flowers, and trees. She loves teaching others how to incorporate fresh plants, herbs, and flowers into recipes and different cooking styles. Her dishes are always colorful, full of fresh ingredients, and sourced locally.

Winter is an accomplished magazine photographer, with numerous covers and featured images in publications from Yankee Magazine, to Cheese Connoisseur, Edible Manhattan, and Country Living. She’s best known for her iconic photos of farm, food, and handcraft. She’s photographed renowned chefs including René Redzepi and Jacques Pépin and in 2020, her work earned a Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism first place award."

@newenglandfoodandfarm

www.newenglandfoodandfarm.com

Beth Anne grew up on the Minnesota/ Wisconsin border where she made trips to local cheese makers to taste, buy and discover artisan cheese — so her love of the craft started early.

Beth Anne worked as a corporate trainer in the automotive industry traveling the United States for over 25 years where she developed a huge passion for exploration. She’s a true food and wine enthusiast, and has studied culinary arts and wine in various locations across the United States and Europe.

When asked why she loves traveling, Beth Anne says “I just have to explore this amazing world through its food and wine, and discover the interesting stories behind local and regional cuisine.”

She’s traveled with Cheese Journeys over the years and is a valued member of the Marketing team where she’s currently building out a loyalty program for new and existing guests (stay tuned!).