CheeseFest celebrates 20 years
Former MasterChef judge and 2025 CheeseFest Master of Fromage Matt Preston once penned an entire column about cheese.
He says, “Cheese is my Achilles heel. My weak spot, My precious. I struggle to find a cheese that I do not like.”
Matt isn’t alone in his love for cheese, with millions of people across the world loving the popular dairy product.
For the past 20 years cheese has been celebrated at South Australia’s very own CheeseFest, with this year’s event taking place on 18 and 19 October at Rundle Park/Kadlitpina.
MasterChef Australia champion and co-owner of Adelaide restaurants Fugazzi and Nido, Laura Sharrad will be teaching festival goers how to make ricotta gnocchi at the RAA Cooking Demonstration stage.
She says CheeseFest is a great opportunity to feature South Australian cheese as well as other local food and drink producers.
“It brings the South Australian food and wine community together to make one incredible showcase – it’s really exciting,” Laura says.
“The talent is really cool, and I think it’s just a really fun weekend celebrating what is so good about South Australia, and obviously cheese – everyone loves cheese.”
Quick questions with Laura
sa move: What’s your favourite cheese?
Laura: A triple cream brie that’s oozing all over the place.
sa move: What would you pair with the brie?
Laura: My favourite thing is chilli honey with brie. It gives this little kick but then also the sweetness of the honey and the creaminess of the brie.
sa move: Hard or soft cheese?
Laura: I’m going to say soft.
sa move: What’s your guilty pleasure cheese dish?
I’d say four-cheese gnocchi – something I’m going to regret eating because it’s so indulgent.
Image: Laura Sharrad.
For the curd nerds who like mozzarella, check out the main stage where the team from Vannella Cheese will compete in a live cheesemaking showdown.
They’ll stretch curds into silky mozzarella and handcraft cheeses from their classic Pugliese range, including burrata, nodini and treccine.
Vannella Cheese Creative Director Anthony Silvio says CheeseFest gives the Australian cheese industry its moment to shine.
“We can tell the unique stories of family owned and operated producers just like us,” he says.
“CheeseFest also lets us put the hard work of the farmers up on a pedestal and give foodies in South Australia the opportunity to show their appreciation.”
Quick questions with Anthony
sa move: What’s your favourite cheese?
Anthony: Stracciatella because it’s so versatile, and I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it.
sa move: What’s the most underrated cheese?
Anthony: Nodini. They’re just like a bocconcini, butthey have this wonderfully firmer texture, almost al dente to the bite.
sa move: What’s your guilty-pleasure cheese dish?
Anthony: The real deal OG eggplant parmigiana, laden with unctuous fried eggplant slices so carefully layered with oozing mozzarella and tomato sugo.
Image: Anthony’s colleague Giuseppe demonstrating the cheese stretching process. Vannella Cheese.
CheeseFest Director and cheesemaker Kris Lloyd AM says the event has grown so much since it started 20 years ago.
“CheeseFest 2025 marks 20 tasty years of celebrating the best in cheese, food and wine,” she says.
“We’ve grown to welcome cheesemakers from across the nation, and today we stand proudly as one of Australia’s favourite and most unique festivals – where Australia comes to meet its makers.”